Catrina and her family are moving to the coast of Northern California because her little sister, Maya, is sick. Cat isn’t happy about leaving her friends for Bahía de la Luna, but Maya has cystic fibrosis and will benefit from the cool, salty air that blows in from the sea. As the girls explore their new home, a neighbor lets them in on a secret: There are ghosts in Bahía de la Luna. Maya is determined to meet one, but Cat wants nothing to do with them. As the time of year when ghosts reunite with their loved ones approaches, Cat must figure out how to put aside her fears for her sister’s sake – and her own.

I’ve been enjoying all the hard hitting middle grade graphic novels I’ve been finding that address real issues/worries that people may face. This story really tackles the fears that go along with the possibility of losing a family member, especially if that loss may be untimely. It looks at the point of view of both someone looking at losing someone in the future as well as the perspective of the person struggling for their life.

I really loved how this was explored by the family’s move to a town where ghosts are the norm, not only that, but it was a place where Dia de los Muertos was openly celebrated and loved. It ended up being the perfect place for the two sisters to learn about and accept mortality in different ways. Both of them grow and face their fears, while also making new friends and learning about their culture.

Happy reading!

For fans of Smile and Real Friends comes a debut graphic novel about friendship and finding where you “click” in middle school.

Olive wants to get in on the act . . .
. . . Any act!

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?

Author-illustrator Kayla Miller has woven together a heartfelt and insightful story about navigating friendships, leaning on family, and learning to take the stage in the most important role of all.

In Click we follow Olive who considers herself friends with everyone in her class, but they’ve entered that age where people start breaking off into cliques or little groups with specific interests, which becomes apparent when the topic of the variety show comes up. Olive worries that she doesn’t fit in with any of the groups and worries that she doesn’t have a place.

I really enjoyed this story and it hit me in so many feels. It doesn’t matter where you were when going through adolescence, there were always moments you felt you didn’t fit in. It’s a heartfelt journey where Olive finds out that you don’t necessarily need to be part of a specific group or clique, and it’s ok if you aren’t a perfect fit. This would be a great read for anyone going through those middle grade growing stages or having a hard time finding their place and figuring out where they stand with other kids their age.

Happy reading!