"Millie of the Manor" is a fantastic graphic novel that tackles a big topic with a gentle and understanding hand. Written by Karina Evans and with art by Andrea Bell, the story is a surprisingly quick read, perfect for a cozy afternoon, but it leaves a lasting impression.
The core of the book is a heartfelt and relatable portrayal of a girl named Millie who struggles with social anxiety. As someone who also has anxiety, I found myself nodding along and truly understanding what Millie was going through.

The initial apprehension she feels when invited to a murder mystery birthday party is so real. The internal battle of wanting to go and have fun, but being overwhelmed by the thought of social interaction, is a feeling many of us know all too well.

What makes this story so special is Millie's journey. She decides to go to the party, and through the course of the evening, she learns to cope with her anxiety in healthy and empowering ways. It's not about her anxiety magically disappearing, but rather about her learning to navigate it. The story shows her using breathing techniques to help calm herself and finding the courage to talk with her friends and advocate for her own needs. This representation is so important, and it’s done so well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel, not just for the story, but for the artwork as well. The art is beautiful and does an excellent job of conveying Millie's emotions and the overall mood of the story. The illustrations truly bring the characters and the manor to life, making the narrative even more engaging.

"Millie of the Manor" is a wonderful and empathetic read that I would highly recommend to anyone, especially those who might need a little reminder that it's okay to feel anxious, and that you have the strength to push through it.

This graphic novel came onto my radar when I saw it pop up on NetGalley. I was lucky to receive a digital ARC for review. In this story social anxiety cripples Amy. When a classmate invites her to a murder mystery party, Amy dons the persona of Milly and is able to engage in the playful whodunnit. Overall, I thought the story was interesting. The fantastic art and vibrant coloring were excellent. This is a solid middle grade read especially for introverts who shudder at public speaking or even socializing.

Millie of the Manor is a cute middle grade graphic novel that I would recommend to anyone struggling with social anxiety, or lovers of a fun graphic novel.
The book follows Amy, a girl who has been struggling with social anxiety. I liked the representation of her anxiety as a physical presence, something that really took advantage of the visual graphic novel format, and made it clear to readers when her anxiety was coming on. While my anxiety is less social based, I still found many of her thoughts and actions relatable. I also liked that it showed her visiting a therapist, I think this could help readers who also visit therapists to feel less isolated.
The main plot of the novel kicks off when mystery novel loving Amy gets invited to a murder mystery party for one of her classmate's birthdays. I discovered the idea of a murder mystery party in college and was instantly hooked, so I really loved the inclusion of this. This was another aspect which was enhanced by the graphic novel format. When the characters were in character they would be shown in costume and the house would change in appearance, but whenever someone got distracted and spoke out of character it would switch back to showing them in their normal clothes and the normal house. I thought this was very fun, and helped accentuate how Amy saw herself and Millie, her character in the game as two separate people and worked through her anxiety.
I do wish we had gotten to learn more about some of the characters, all of the characters besides Amy and Reagan were a little bit flat, though it still worked for the book. Maybe future books by this team could follow other characters at their school.
Overall, I had a fun time with this book, feeling connected to the anxiety plot and messages, reminiscing about past murder mystery parties, and enjoying the fun and engaging artwork. I would definitely recommend this to the voracious graphic novel readers at the library.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for providing access to an early digital copy for review.

I loved this so much! As someone who struggles with social anxiety myself, I could relate to that a lot in this story, and I think this would have been a wonderful read for me to have had when I was younger. The graphic novel is focused around a fun little mystery, that despite being fake in canon was still fun to try to figure out alongside the characters, and I absolutely adored the art style, which I thought worked really well with the story! Overall, I thought this was a truly wonderful little story, and I would absolutely recommend this to any kids who either struggle with social anxiety, or who struggle to understand others who do.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

I absolutely loved this! As a teacher I want this graphic novel in my classroom.

I felt like the story and the relationships between characters was very sweet. The lessons learned and how to face fears. Really amazing. The artwork was also perfection.

Amy has social anxiety, but despite that, she goes to a classmate's murder mystery party. While there she finds that while Amy may have anxiety, her character Millie does not.

I liked that the images became black and white while Amy was being anxious and spiraling and returned to color when she was feeling better.

CW: anxiety

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

I absolutely loved this book! The illustration style and the story melded so perfectly, making the murder mystery feel real while still allowing it to be a party and not scary. I will definitely be recommending this book to all of the kiddos at work.

Millie of the Manor is the perfect middle-grade read. Amy loves mysteries, and when invited to a murder mystery-themed birthday party. She loves the idea, but her anxiety takes over and she’s afraid to go.

What I love about this book is that her parents aren’t forcing her to go; they’re encouraging her. Ultimately, Amy is the one to decide. She becomes so excited about the party that she pushes her anxiety aside, but it quickly bounces back. I also appreciate that the other kids aren’t only okay with Amy’s anxiety, but that they each have their own struggles they’re dealing with too. While none of them are super close best friends, by the end, they’ve started to form a great friendship.

I really enjoyed this book and I wish I had read it when I was growing up. The themes of mental health and friendship would have been great for me to see myself in.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute children's graphic novel providing a good understanding for young ones on social anxiety, strategies to fight it, and overcoming it mixed in with a fun little "murder mystery." The characters were all adorable, and of course, the mystery is simplistic, but it was quite fun and nice to see how Amy/Millie overcomes her fears.

A Gorgeous, Heartfelt Mystery That Hits Home

Millie of the Manor is an absolute gem! From the first page, I was completely drawn in—not just by the clever murder mystery birthday party setting, but by the stunning illustrations. I’m obsessed with how the art shifts to black and white to reflect Amy’s social anxiety. It’s such a powerful and relatable visual—I’ve definitely felt that same out-of-focus feeling before, and it’s portrayed beautifully here.

This book isn’t just a fun whodunit (though it totally is!). It’s also a sensitive, thoughtful exploration of what it’s like to navigate social situations when you deal with anxiety. Amy is a character I think so many readers—kids and adults alike—will see themselves in. Her journey as she steps into the role of “Millie,” the confident scientist, to solve the mystery really captures how sometimes we need a little distance from ourselves to find our strength.

The party itself was such a fun setting—Reagan’s family went all out, and it made the mystery feel real and exciting. I also loved the way Amy slowly found a group of friends who truly saw her and helped her feel safe to be herself. It’s a lovely reminder of the power of finding your people.

I highly recommend Millie of the Manor for middle grade readers—especially those heading into middle school or dealing with anxiety—but honestly, it’s just as meaningful for adults. A heartfelt, beautifully drawn coming-of-age story with a creative twist. Don’t miss it!

3.5. This was a cute, fun read. I liked the murder mystery party angle on top of the social anxiety.

This book is such a cute reflective book about social anxiety and the challenges that young ones face in social settings. The main character struggles to interact with people from her school but the right group of friends changes that all for her. I highly recommend this cute coming of age story for any youth experiencing anxiety or entering middle school.

Very fun with a great message about dealing with social anxiety and acceptance, as well as finding the courage to do something new.

Amy prefers reading mysteries to talking to people, since books allow her to be a spectator and interacting with others invites an endless hazard of embarrassments. Her social anxiety is so bad that she has an episode when asked to present her science experiment, and even her therapist's suggestions of small steps, like saying "hi" to someone in passing, leave her paralyzed with fear. So when her classmate Reagan invites her to a murder mystery birthday party, and Amy is enthusiastically nudged to attend. What seems to be a deep end jump for Amy's anxiety is mitigated by the fact that she gets to play a character, "Millie Morgan," a scientist and suspect at this party. Surely if Amy makes a mistake, she can just chalk it up to how Millie acts, right?

Andrea Bell, who also illustrated "Crumble," presents an interesting visual cue to when Amy's social anxiety starts to take over neurotypical concerns all kids have, such as making a mistake in a presentation or saying something wrong to a friend, and greying out the panels until she is the only subject left, indicating how she is wrestling with herself. There's also an imaginative shift between the kids getting ready to play the murder mystery, and where they are immersed in the story, reflecting in their outfits looking authentic and the house turning into a manor. The art style is very contemporary, with rounded characters and simplified expressions that match the dialogue. It also allows the kids to still look kid-like when they switch to the murder mystery format. However, it also means sometimes the adults seem indistinguishable from the kids, and there is at least one panel in a busy school hall where the dialogue seems to imply someone is calling for Amy's attention but none of the figures are looking at each other.

Karina Evans, who wrote the hijinks and embarrassment-filled "Grow Up, Talia Wilkins!" also does a good job portraying Amy's reticence of engaging with the unknown social factors. The therapist suggestion of box breathing and finding objects to ground her during an episode are legitimate methods of coping. The murder mystery plot also engaged in fair play rules (although as an adult reading the story I could see the true culprit the minute the relevant clue dropped). While there isn't enough space in the graphic novel to sketch out the other players' personalities, the rest of the "suspects" make the book feel fast paced and like everyone gets to participate. While Amy's recovery from her anxiety attack seems to resolve neatly, readers can understand these are understanding kids who are nerdy enough to enjoy an hour long roleplay session and it feels natural that Amy might feel more confident to speak with them again after the night.

Overall, this is a cute story that would appeal to fans of murder mystery/roleplay scenarios and enjoy books with a protagonist dealing with internal issues. Recommend for those who like "Just Roll With It" by Veronica Argawal or "Speak Up!" by Rebecca Burgess.

Thank you @NetGalley and @HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks for the ARC. This was a wonderful graphic novel about Social Anxiety. Millie wants to go to a mystery party but she is afraid that she won't fit in, will make a mistake and spirals down the rabbit hole. Millie is so likeable and you feel for her. Her new friends support when she has an attack. A must for school libraries.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins/HarperAlley for the e-arc!

Millie of the Manor follows Amy, who struggles with social anxiety but finds her love of mysteries to be her anchor. She gets invited to a murder mystery party by a classmate and is able to finally connect with her classmates until her anxiety comes back. I found this to be such a good read. I felt kinship with Amy and couldn't help rooting her on her journey. I would recommend checking this out when it publishes!

When I heard the tagline of “Clue meets the Baby-Sitters Club” I was instantly intrigued and put this book on my TBR. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for giving me an advanced copy!

Right off the bat, I loved the main character Amy. Her struggles with anxiety were realistically represented and I liked that both of her parents were very involved with helping her to manage it. Anxiety is fairly common and I like to see books with a good representation of it. It worked really well in graphic novel format, where the panels would actually change to a limited color palette of black and white to represent Amy’s inner thoughts.

The art was absolutely gorgeous and worked well for the story. The characters were so cute and well rendered and I loved the backgrounds as well.

As far as the story goes, I loved the premise of Amy embracing her alter ego of Millie in order to solve the birthday party murder mystery. It was a really fun concept, and Reagan’s family really threw themselves into making a fun birthday party for her.

Literally everything about this graphic novel was cute! Highly recommend.

Millie of the Manor is an excellent representation of social anxiety and the everyday hurdles it creates for those who experience it. I liked how the authors showed the differences in how Millie's parents approached trying to help/encourage her through difficult moments. Including a scene with the therapist was also really important because it showed how a session could go and how having a therapist to talk with can be really helpful - I hope this makes younger readers more comfortable with the idea of therapy/counseling. It is always possible that other kids will not be accepting as Millie's were when she started to have her panic attack, but I think it was nice to give younger readers the knowledge that sometimes things are not as bad as we imagine they might be. The murder mystery party was a fun way to allow Millie to come out of her shell a little and get to know her peers in a less overwhelming environment. I liked how the graphics switched between Millie's imagination with the murder mystery and her actual environment. I received this ARC as an e-book but will definitely be purchasing a hard copy as soon as it is released! I highly recommend this book to readers in late-elementary and middle school, as well as to classroom and school libraries!

There are not many books that I have found - and certainly not graphic novels - that truly touch on social anxiety. Or maybe I have not stumbled upon them. Yes, there are stories about middle schoolers who are having trouble fitting in or finding themselves anxious about school or friendship. But nothing to the same degree as this book except maybe Invisible Emmie.

I will say that things started off a bit rough and I wasn't sure if the story would get better and I would be able to relate more to Amy. But thankfully, once we get through the first pages and she receives the party invitation, the story moves forward and we get to see not only her challenges but how she overcomes them. I will say that I missed how being Millie because Amy's way of participating in the murder mystery adventure for a good chunk of the party but when I realized that was how she was coping I found it clever the way it was woven into the story.

I have been to a mystery party like this one, and I will say that it was never as well run as the mystery in this book. Maybe these parties have evolved from when I was attending them, but the last kit I bought was very much the basics and definitely not as elaborate as how it is presented here. As a parent, that may be setting me up for failure if my child liked the book and the idea and wanted to have a similar party. But other than that, this moves well; the story is believable; and Millie is a likeable character who learns something about herself and her ability to overcome.

Book Report: Millie of the Manor

At First Glance: This cover has my attention 👀

The Gist: Clue meets The Baby-Sitters Club in this heartwarming middle grade graphic novel

My Thoughts: Those comps made this an immediate read and I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with Amy/Millie and her time spent at a murder mystery themed birthday party as she works her way through her social anxiety. Her confidence shines by the end and I think younger readers will enjoy the adventure as well as the relatability.

My Question for Karina: What’s a book or comic you adored growing up that still lives rent-free in your imagination?

Thank you Harper Collins Children’s Books!

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