Heartfelt and Insightful: Read Our Review of Click by Kayla Miller

Olive wants to get in on the act… any act! For fans of Raina Telgemeier comes the first book by New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Kayla Miller about friendship and finding where you “click”.

Olive “clicks” with everyone in the fifth grade – until one day she doesn’t. When a school variety show leaves Olive stranded without an act to join, she begins to panic, wondering why all her friends have already formed their own groups… without her. With the performance drawing closer by the minute, will Olive be able to find her own place in the show before the curtain comes up?

Click is a heartfelt and insightful story about navigating friendships, leaning on family and learning to take the stage in the most important role of all. There’s so much to take away from this graphic novel. I think at some point, we’ve all felt a bit like Olive: feeling like we don’t fit in, feeling alone in a crowd of people, feeling displaced. And just as much as kids, Click shows that adults can feel like this, too.

When she learns of the concept, cliques become everything to Olive. But how she ultimately solves her fitting-in setback puts a creative spin on what our idea of a clique is. The graphic novel format complements the subject matter perfectly. Each panel is detailed yet simple, allowing readers to seamlessly form connections between a large cast of characters through dialogue and illustrated expression.

Olive leans on her aunt Molly for support and inspiration, and in turn, learns to view her situation from a new perspective. Molly says that ‘some people can find their place anywhere. For some people it’s harder to make that kind of connection.’ It’s a true and impactful statement that resonates with the graphic novel on a broader scale. Through Molly’s guidance, Olive is inspired to step out of her comfort zone and march to the beat of her own drum – just like Molly. And it’s clear this message has a domino effect: from Molly to Olive, and from Olive to her peers.

Click is perfect for readers aged 8+ and any fans of Guts, Smile, Real Friends and Invisible Emmie. It covers universal, age-appropriate topics like friendship, belonging and identity from a fresh, fun perspective. At the end of the book, there’s a sneak peek of Camp, book #2 in the series, and I can’t wait to read it!

Buy a copy of Click here.