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These opening chapters introduce Olive as the protagonist, and even as the detailed illustrations establish her wide range of interests and varied friend groups, the very variety of Olive’s life foreshadows the challenge she will soon face with deciding on one particular activity for the upcoming variety show. In many ways, these school-themed conflicts represent common challenges that middle-grade readers face, and as Olive struggles to fit in with those around her, the frustration she feels highlights the social and emotional challenges that she must overcome throughout the story.

Kayla Miller immediately establishes the eclectic style of the story by combining traditional comic panels with speech bubbles to signify spoken dialogue. The author also creates detailed backgrounds that emphasize the importance of specific settings, contrasting these scenes with panels that feature single-color pastel backgrounds that draw attention to characters’ expressions during key moments. In this way, the novel displays a near-cinematic style, with different panels mimicking the stylistic effects of establishing shots and close-ups in a movie. Similarly, Miller often includes several pages or full spreads with no dialogue whatsoever, wordlessly illustrating vivid snapshots of Olive’s day.

Portrayed in equal parts via illustration and text, Olive is shown to be a well-rounded character with key strengths and notable vulnerabilities in the social realm. Initially, she is portrayed as a happy and sociable girl who moves easily amongst her different groups of friends and embraces varying interests. Her lively social agenda implies that she largely enjoys life at school and has the confidence to navigate its challenges well. Her interactions are marked by a sense of ease and confidence, as seen in her playful demeanor at home and her enthusiastic participation in school activities. However, the announcement of the school variety show triggers a distinct shift in Olive’s character, for the upcoming event drastically changes the students’ interpersonal dynamics and therefore becomes a catalyst for Olive’s own journey of self-discovery. As she struggles to find a place to belong in a social landscape that has become awkwardly complex, Olive’s frustration with her growing sense of isolation establishes The Tension Between Conformity and Individuality.

This tension is further developed as Olive observes her friends forming groups and making plans without her, for in a sharp contrast to her usual sense of ease in social situations, she suddenly experiences feelings of exclusion and uncertainty. Surrounded by chattering groups that neglect to include her, Olive finds her initial excitement transforming into frustration, anxiety, and self-doubt. Thus, this section of the novel reveals a more vulnerable side of her personality. Whenever her friends talk about their various acts, she becomes quiet and uncomfortable, finding it difficult to participate or to discuss how she feels. This social setback is illustrated when Olive admits to her mother that she feels left out and does not know how to ask to join any group. Because Olive’s open-ended world has suddenly been divided into an impossible collection of cliques whose dynamics deny her full access to her friends, her journey becomes a realistic depiction of a young girl’s struggle to overcome the challenges of balancing conformity with her own individual quirks and needs.

The setting of the novel plays a prominent role in shaping the narrative, for the illustrative details of Olive’s surroundings add variety and momentum to the narrative and portray a grounded, realistic exploration of a small yet meaningful coming-of-age moment. As Olive struggles with Learning How to Navigate Cliques, the story features both Olive’s school and her home, providing a contrast between the daily performance of her “public” social life and the relative comfort and simplicity of her completely authentic home life. At school, Miller chooses familiar settings like the lunchroom and recess to engage in multiple interactions, some of which are easy and comfortable, while others tend to alienate her from her fellow students. Miller employs these details to create a realistic impression of the nuanced social dynamics that often play out in such communal school-based areas.

At home, Olive’s frank interactions with her family—and particularly with her younger brother, Goober, and her supportive mother—provide the protagonist with periodic “reality checks” that allow her to express her frustrations and seek advice for her problems. The open and supportive environment of Olive’s home contrasts with the challenges that she now encounters in the school setting. At home with her family, Olive has the space and safety to reflect on the problems of the day and articulate her feelings about specific social interactions. Overall, school represents Olive’s external social journey, while her home represents her internal journey as she struggles to adjust to social change and works on strategies for claiming her own identity and role.

As Miller adds new details to Olive’s persona and journey, the middle-grade graphic novel effectively combines visual storytelling with perceptively chosen themes that render the narrative more accessible for a young audience and deliver oblique advice for how best to navigate similar situations in real life. The visual elements of the novel also allow Miller to convey a more nuanced depiction of Olive’s emotions and experiences, for her internal struggle is shown through both text and illustrations. The expressive artwork captures Olive’s high and low moments and emphasizes her feelings of joy, confusion, and dejection. The visual format also portrays the complex dynamics of multiple group interactions and illustrates the many subtle cues of social exclusion that Olive endures.

As the title suggests, the formation of cliques is a social phenomenon that remains central to the narrative, and as the detailed illustrations show, the students around Olive are rapidly coalescing into distinct groups based on their shared interests and talents. It is important to note that Miller presents this phenomenon without passing judgment, and the novel therefore implies that despite their exclusive nature, cliques are often formed without malice or the intent to exclude. However, it is also clear that regardless of the innocent nature of these particular cliques, Olive still feels excluded and resentful. In an attempt to fit in and regain her equanimity in this new social landscape, Olive starts to grapple with the pressure to conform. While Olive initially wants to be part of a group and share in the collective excitement of the variety show, none of the groups are a perfect fit for her actual personality and interests. She does not want to be rejected by any of the groups, but she knows that none of them truly represent her goals, interests, and ambitions. As long as the social situation remains unresolved, Olive’s discomfort causes her to question the security of her friendships.