Crunch by Kayla Miller

Clash is the fifth book in the series and Olive is still being the same friendly and supportive person she has always been, but this leads to her taking on too many commitments so that she can support her friends. 

Olive loves to try new things but between Berry Scouts, dress code reform, making a short film and guitar lessons there is no time for Olive to rest or just relax.  At first Olive manages to fit it all in and seems to be coping but as schoolwork and home life become busier and the time commitments and friends needs keep piling on she finds herself struggling to accomplish all her goals without disappointing her friends.  What is interesting about Clash is that Olive is the one who is overloading her schedule and pushing herself to be involved rather than her parents, it is Olive being Olive.

This is a wonderful book for reading alone but like with the others in the series this one would be good to read with parents as it would help to open conversations about wanting to excel, being stretched too thing and burnout.  Whether it is the child feeling this way about activities that the parents are scheduling or about the commitments they have made themselves, this book could give them the language to talk to their parents about their feelings. 

I believe these books are a fabulous way for children and parents to talk to each other about typical teenage issues as they can discuss Olive in the third person which removes the personal aspect from the conversations.

Themes: Friendship, Middle school, Conflict, Overloading schedules, Taking on too much.

Mhairi Alcorn