Review: Camp by Kayla Miller

Click was so brilliant that of course author and illustrator Kayla Miller had to create a sequel. Well, actually, there are several sequels and a spin-off series. Camp is first of those many sequels. This time around we find Olive on her way to summer camp. She is excited to be on her way to camp and more so because her friend Willow will be coming with her. Willow meanwhile is more apprehensive. It is her first time away from her family and she does not know anyone at the camp apart from Olive. The girls vow to stick together, but this proves to be much easier said than done. Olive wants to try lots of different sports and activities and makes friends easily with the other kids. Willow, meanwhile, wants to do more creative activities and she is not interested in hanging around the other kids. The inevitable fight happens, which leads to the pair learning some big lessons.

This was a great read. It's the kind of graphic novel that will take adult readers back to their childhoods and the things that mattered to them when they were a kid, whether they were like Olive or Willow. It also offers a fair and nuanced take on the situation--rather than labelling Willow as bad or unfair, the author shows the reasons for her actions and gives her a redemption arc. We see Willow as she is, an introverted kid who found camp a bit intimidating at first and clinging to Olive because it was the only way she knew how to cope. Meanwhile, the author shows Olive as conflicted. She doesn't want to hurt or abandon Willow, but she wants to spend time with other kids and doing activities that she enjoys. I found this was handled very well, in a way that remained realistic and most importantly of all, kind.

Miller is a talented author and illustrator who knows her subject matter well and it shows. 

Highly recommended.

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