CBR14Bingo: Verse (both books are set in the same universe/setting)
Camp and Click are standalone books in the same series. It does help to know the character relationships, but it doesn’t really take away your ability to understand the narrative. In Camp, Olive and Willow go to summer camp for the first time. They’re best friends but Olive is more outgoing and Willow is shy and just wants to hang out with Olive. The tension between Olive wanting to try new things and meet new people versus Willow feeling abandoned finally boils over into a big fight, and they have to figure out how to move forward. In Crunch, Olive takes on too many activities and has to learn how to say no and ask for help. Willow also continues her self-confidence journey, and there’s a B plot about the dress code being changed.
Both books get their messages across in a straight forward but not heavy-handed way. The kids all feel realistic and relatable (I’m definitely with Willow on the shy around strangers train), and I liked the overall message of talking to each other and making room for different personalities. Crunch is the newest book in the series and you can tell Miller’s art style has evolved and become more confident and fleshed out. Both books have good art, but it’s always fun to see an artist’s progression. I do wish I’d had a chance to read all five at the same time, because clearly there were events in previous books that were impacting Crunch, but my Target only had two. Overall, this is a charming series with solid stories and art. It didn’t blow my mind but I did feel very cozy and cheerful after reading them.
