May 5th 2020 by HMH Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Olive is excited to go tot he city on a field trip to see a play and go back stage, but when she finds out that some students didn't go because they couldn't afford the $30, she wants to find a way to help. There is a student council election coming up, and her good friends Trent and Sawyer are running for office. Olive tries several ways to make a change at her school; she consults a trusted teacher, starts a petition that she hands in the the principal, and even tries a peacful protest with a sit in on the school lawn. None of these are successful, however, so she decides that she will also run for student council. She doesn't want to make her friends mad, but feels that the issues she wants to address are more important that the food in the cafeteria.
Strengths: This had attractive illustrations and colors, and Olive is a sympathetic character who is trying to make a difference in her community. This was an interesting twist on the classic school election story.
Weaknesses: This ended so abruptly that I wondered if the E ARC was not complete. Also, the solution to not excluding students from field trips because they can't afford them will most likely be the one my school arrived at-- no field trips. Schools can't afford them, either. There's no good answer, since field trips require someone to pay for them.
What I really think: I will definitely purchase this graphic novel because it will be hugely popular with my students, even if it's not my cup of tea.
Olive's aunt rocks the NEW librarian stereotype, with her colored hair and social activism. I rock the older stereotype with the cardigans.
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