Willow and Olive are so excited for summer camp summer, and things start off great! After a few days of activities, Olive begins to make new friends. Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No.Camp, by Kayla Miller is a graphic novel about two best friends heading off to summer camp. Where would you shelve it ? Graphic Novel (juvenile fiction) Who should buy this book? Library collections as an additional purchase

While not required, many readers may wish to begin with Miller’s first story, Click, so be sure to have this on hand as well, if using it in RA. To whom would you recommend this book? Fans Telgemeier’s tales will snatch up this summer story quickly. Olive offers her time, her compassion, and plenty of compromises while Willow ultimately tries very little to bring comfort to her friend as the divide between them deepens.Īs with most middle grade stories, their friendship is patched, heart-felt apologies are made, and everyone has learned a valuable lesson, but the target audience for Camp will likely be split on the resolution offered. This is the slow-burning catalyst that puts their friendship in danger. Willow attaches herself to Olive in her shyness and becomes sullen as her friend discovers she can have fun without Willow. Each panel is given full attention to drive the story forward with emotion or action, balancing the two for a steady pace.Īnything you didn’t like about it? While Olive and Willow are both experiencing difficulties adjusting, their struggles are unfairly balanced in terms of story. The art is bright and expressive, which gives this title even more appeal at first glance and a great pick for reluctant readers. Miller’s great strength is in these supporting characters each camper and counselor has a unique personality that creates a better sense of realism and a feeling that each character has a story, even if we don’t get to hear it.

Two of Miller’s fun and quirky characters from her first graphic novel, Click, make a reappearance in this swift summer story along with a great cast of diverse campers and counselors. As our main characters discover their very different personalities, readers discover what it truly means to be a friend. After arriving for their sleepaway adventure, Olive makes fast friends with their bunk mates while Willow is shy and ready to make camp about just the two of them. What did you like about the book? Summer camp is a time for friends and fun, but Willow and Olive end up having almost two weeks of feuding and fuming instead. Genre: Realistic fiction (Graphic Novel format) Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 3 Camp – written and illustrated by Kayla Miller, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 9781328530813, 2019

Camp book by kayla miller