Act: A Click Graphic Novel by Kayla Miller

Act is the third book in the series about Olive and her classmates.  In this book she is in sixth grade and life is starting to get complicated, her best friend has developed a crush and Olive is realizing that life is not always fair and equitable.

At the start of the book, Olive and her class are going to see a play in the city; however she soon realizes that not everyone attended the outing.  When she discovers that the reason for one of her classmates not attending is because she can’t afford the fee, Olive decides to change the policy and so the story about social justice and politics in schools begins. 

Olive’s aunt Molly encourages her to look at peaceful protests and historical incidents that have changed social policy.  The story focuses on Olive running for student council and the issues that this raises not just with her friendship group but also within the wider school.  Act is very much a realistic look at the school dynamics of school council elections and the wider issues of popularity, social disparity and evolving friendships.

I really enjoyed this book as the storyline moves quickly and in a way that doesn’t feel contrived or simplified.  The characters are relatable and the issues they are all dealing with are real and ones that the reader will either have faced or will be dealing with as they are reading.  The illustrations are great, I love the bright colourful nature of each strip and the fact that so much can be said without words.

This series is a brilliant addition to any book case and is definitely one I would recommend for a classroom library as it is great for all students as it will encourage thought provoking conversations between peers and their families.

Themes: Family, Social injustice, Friendships, School, Politics.

Mhairi Alcorn