Much like Haven in Haven in “Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet,” main character Olive battles anxiety and finds an environmental issue she adopts passionately and sets out to make a difference. Readers of both books will see the similarities but both are well-written, enjoyable and one is not a carbon copy of the other.

Olive has several key issues that have contributed to her intense reluctance to speak to less familiar people and certainly to more than one person at a time. She watched her father battle myeloma and finally succumb to it and she faced wildfires that threatened her and those she loved. Now, she finds herself alone in the evenings and on weekends while her lawyer mother puts in long hours fighting for families. The rock Olive stands on is her long time friendship with Kayla and with her help, Olive knows she can face whatever 7th grade throws at her and that includes earning a spot at a renowned film camp that she believes will be the launching place for her much-anticipated career in directing films.

An encounter with an angry woman chasing a beaver while wielding a frying pan sets Olive on a path to change current laws in Oregon in order to protect not only the state’s animal symbol, but a lynchpin in the ecosystem. A crucial assignment in film class partners Olive with Jo, a girl she & Kayla dubbed Mean Vegan Jo and David, a boy who tends to disappear into the crowd as much as she does. These two big events set Olive on a course that leads to a broken promise, a huge falling out with Kayla, and a panic attack that drops her to the floor and requires EMS intervention.

Resolution is a mixed bag, but overall, just like any 4th-7th grader would want it to conclude. Readers will come away with a great deal of new knowledge about the behaviors and importance of beavers as well as some food for thought about anxiety and ways to deal with it, whether that anxiety is intense enough to need professional help or the kind that can be processed by talking with a friend, teacher, etc or adding journaling to a daily routine. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and the only violence is that of the frying pan swinging woman. Representation: Olive and Kayla are Black, Jo uses they/them pronouns, most other characters’ racial heritages are left to the imagination of the reader.

It is hard not to fall in love with Olive Blackwood! She is so relatable, and I know our middle grade readers will find themselves nodding their heads a lot as they go on a journey of self discovery with Olive. Sonja Thomas has written a must have book for classroom libraries, especially ones needing books where a protagonist struggles with anxiety and how she learns to handle her worries! Olive Blackwood not only has themes of facing challenges, bravery, and advocacy but also teaches us the power of friendship and seeing what is right in front of you! Readers will see themselves in the diverse characters in the book, which is so needed! Sonja has a knack for writing vibrant realistic fiction stories that readers can dive into. This book also provides an opportunity for readers to think about how they can make a difference in the world and that their voice does matter. I also learned a lot about beavers and their importance to our ecosystem! I commend Sonja Thomas on another amazing book she has put out in the universe. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing an early copy for an honest review!

Twelve-year-old Olive Blackwood dreams of being an award winning director of fantasy films, but she is far from the most outgoing person in her middle school. Crippled by anxiety at the thought of presenting in public, Olive finds solace behind her video camera. Olive is determined to obtain a place at a coveted film camp for the summer, but the competition is fierce. When a class project offers a stepping stone for film camp, Olive sees this as her best chance at acceptance. But in the process of filming, Olive finds herself making new friends and venturing outside of her comfort zone to become a more confident and impassioned advocate for the important things in her life.

This coming of age middle grade novel is a positive story for young readers, especially those who may have insecurities about themselves or suffer from anxiety or depression. Olive is a bright, charismatic pre-teen, but it is primarily the reader who has the opportunity to see her true personality within the pages of this book. Her feelings about classmates and her ultimate life goal are obscured from most other people, and this is frequently true of middle grade readers in their own lives. As readers observe Olive’s interactions with others and her transformation throughout this novel, they may regard their own means of self expression in a different light.

Though the majority of the novel is written in traditional prose, there are occasional insertions of Olive’s screenplays into the text. This gives readers a sense of how Olive’s mind works, especially as she is frequently considering film ideas and these thoughts can interrupt other activities throughout her day. Good writing, intriguing characters, and a compelling mission make this story enjoyable to read, and it is accessible to a wide range of middle grade readers. Challenging subject matter including bullying, panic attacks, and complex friendships make this book a robust representation of the middle school experience. Especially well-suited to those beginning to embark on journeys of self-discovery, this book is a positive addition to library collections for pre-teen readers.

Following up on her wonderful Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence, Sonja Thomas's second middle grade novel delivers another memorable story with a winning protagonist inspired to explore the intersection of animals and science.

In Olive Blackwood Takes Action!, Olive, struggling with extreme anxiety, learns to speak up for herself and for others--in this case, those others include Oregon's beaver population. Combining an endearing cast of characters with interesting subplots, Thomas immerses readers in age-appropriate filmmaking and activism, including showing how middle schoolers might tackle big issues like climate change at a manageable, and meaningful, scale. Thomas deftly weaves in details about Olive's existing and emerging passions in a way that teaches readers a lot without ever slowing down the story, and she's just as skilled at writing the fun-and-complicated friendship dynamics that will be familiar to any middle grade reader as she is at inspiring readers to have confidence in themselves to try new and hard things. This is such a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.