Astrid, the protagonist, is 12 years old; she dresses casually, has dark messy hair, and narrates the story from her perspective. She begins her narrative by looking back on the time she first went to a roller derby and her new passion began. At that time, Astrid was 11, and she was still best friends with Nicole. Astrid’s story is illustrated in a naturalist yet soft and cartoonish artistic style with vivid details and facial expressions. A balance of splash pages and frames depict each moment. Astrid’s mother took Astrid and Nicole to all sorts of boring places for what she calls evenings of “cultural enlightenment” (8), but one night she takes the girls to the roller derby. Astrid remarks, “Whatever this is…it’s a lot better than the art museum!” (14).

Astrid lives in Portland, and their home roller derby team is called The Rose City Rollers. They dress in purple, some have hair dyed in unusual colors, and many sport tattoos or “creepy makeup” (15). Astrid finds the culture fascinating, noting how each player carries a unique name, such as Scald Eagle or Roarshock Tess.