ALA Booklist
(Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)
Olive and Willow head off to camp, and while Olive has no problems making new friends and getting along with the other kids, Willow starts feeling abandoned. It all comes to a head and they fight over things like Willow being clingy and antisocial or Olive paying more attention to her new friends than to her, going as far as breaking their newly made friendship bracelets. Of course, this story has a feel-good ending, and everyone comes to their senses, while learning a few things about themselves along the way. Like Victoria Jamieson's Roller Girl (2015), this is a great example of how you can be friends with someone who is into totally different things. Camp Acorn Lake is a positive environment where the kids are encouraged to explore what they like, and the counselors are written in such a clever way, showing the reader how they are always coming up with compromises and solutions that ensure everyone is happy. Fans of the first book, Click (2018), will especially appreciate this all-around excellent summer read.
Kirkus Reviews
Summer camp tests the bond between best friends in this new graphic novel.Olive and Willow are besties who are lucky enough to go to summer camp together at Acorn Lake; they even share a bunk bed in their cabin. Initially, they are inseparable, always together during camp activities. Right away, Willow begins to become anxious and homesick, while Olive is enjoying the ride and making friends. Willow doesn't like the food, she doesn't want to join in with most of the activities, and she wants Olive by her side at all times. At first, Olive feels obligated to take care of Willow and stays close by, but inevitably, the two get into a fight and spend the next couple of days apart. But eventually Willow begins to make new friends, joining a newly formed band with the other kids, and she and Olive slowly find their ways back to each other. The emotional beats are believable, and Olive and Willow are well-enough developed that readers will sympathize with them both. Miller illustrates a very culturally diverse group of campers, representing different races and a range of gender expressions. Though the races of the protagonists aren't specified, both are light-skinned, Olive with dark hair and Willow with blonde.All in all, a sweet summer camp story about friendship in a multicultural setting. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)