Kathryn's Inbox

The third graphic novel in Kayla Miller's brilliant Click series finds protagonist Olive starting sixth grade where new challenges await. Olive is excited to go on a school excursion, but that excitement is soon dimmed when she discovers that not all kids are able to attend due to a school policy. Olive soon springs into action with a plan to get elected to student council so that she can help change the policy. But student elections, she soon discovers are not easy, and that kids don't always run for the right reasons, that things can sometimes get nasty and that the best person and the best ideas do not always get the most attention.  This was an entertaining read. Like the other books in the series they can be enjoyed by any older reader who cares to join in and many of the themes raised are universal. The author really taps in to what it is like to be a kid and the difficulties of school and friendships. The themes are handled sympathetically and realistically. Olive remai...

The Click series is such a winner that it is no wonder that there is now a spin-off series. Jointly written by Click creator Kayla Miller and Jeffrey Canino and illustrated by Kristina Luu, the focus shifts from Olive to her classmates, best friends Chandra and Beth. Chandra wants to prove to her parents that she can be responsible in the hope of one, moving out of the shadow of her talented older sister and two, so that she can adopt a kitten from the shelter. Beth, meanwhile, wants to raise some money to take her mum to a day spa. The opportunity for the pair to work together to make both things happen comes along when they are asked to pet sit and look after the house of a wealthy neighbour. Unfortunately things go wrong when the pair get a little bit too excited about the house and invite a few kids around who aren't real friends. Fortunately, through friendship, innovation and a little help things soon turn right again. This was a fun and well-written spin off. There are a fe...

Click is a graphic novel about a popular girl who is trying to find her place. Olive is a floater. She has lots of friends--there is the kids from her neighbourhood, the kids she sits with at lunch, the kids she hangs out with at recess. Making friends has never been a problem--Olive clicks with everyone. Then, one day at school, the teacher announces that her grade is going to be taking part in a variety show. All of the other kids are dividing themselves into groups and they're planning their acts for the show ... acts that don't include Olive. Suddenly Olive has no one to talk to, or hang out with anymore. Until she finds, and implements, a clever solution. This was a fun read about friendship. It was interesting to read a story of changing friendships that was from the perspective of a kid who has lots of friends and has never had trouble fitting in before--usually these stories focus on shy, sensitive kids and, consequently, we can forget that other types of kids, even th...