Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from the library, but I also received it as an e-arc from the publisher. Thanks and support your local library! All opinions are my own.

Book: Picture Day

Author: Sarah Sax

Book Series: The Brinkley Yearbooks Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: BIPOC MC and Characters, Queer Characters

Recommended For...: Middle Grade readers, Contemporary, Graphic Novel, Friendship

Publication Date: June 27, 2023

Genre: MG Contemporary Graphic Novel

Age Relevance: 9+ (dishonesty, bullying)

Explanation of CWs: There is some dishonesty shown from the MC. There is some very slight bullying.

If This Was a Taylor Swift Song:Stay Beautiful

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 288

Synopsis: Everyone knows the most stressful day of middle school is picture day ! And that's exactly where this yearbook-worthy graphic novel series opener with reinventing yourself, drama, popularity, and the friends who see you through. Seventh-grader Viv never looks forward to picture day. It’s just another day where she wears a boring braid and no one notices her. (Her two best friends, Milo and Al, don’t count, of course.) But enough is enough. This year, she’s taking matters into her own hands. Literally. Viv grabs a pair of scissors, her phone for live-streaming, and, well, bye-bye braid. Suddenly Viv is an over-night influencer at Brinkley Middle School. Everyone wants her help planning their next big moment—from haircuts, to dance proposals, activist rallies and mathlete championships. She hardly even has time for her friends anymore. It’s exactly how she dreamed of reinventing herself…right?

Review: I thought that this was such a cute little graphic novel. The book is from Viv's perspective and it starts with how she wants to show her truth and stand out for picture day, while also getting attention from her fellow peers and views and clicks for social media. But everything starts to spiral downhill when she focuses more on the clicks and views and less on her best friends who are just wanting to do something fun with her. I think in today's society this is a great message for younger kids, especially as we become a society that's more involved with social media. I liked the message of being able to find your own truth, but to also remain grounded and what is really you and not this persona that you were putting on for social media's sake.

The only thing I didn't like is that it felt like it was a very quick novel, but that is the nature of some of these graphic novels and it would be perfect for a young adult or an older middle schooler.

Verdict: A very awesome and great book for middle schoolers!

This was a humorous middle grade book that had everything middle school entails: awkwardness, embarrassment, laughter, and finding yourself.

Even though I found the main character truly insufferable at times and I thought the story is not doing anything new, the fact that I read this both physically and audibly made it a real fun experience. The audio is really good and elevates a rather common story of friends learning to be good friends and kids learning to be themselves.

I had really high expectations for this book, and then after finishing it, to me, it honestly was kind of...boring. I don't know, I just didn't really understand the storyline, it kind of went everywhere. The pictures were really cute though, and in the beginning I enjoyed it. I guess it just didn't really match my preferences.

This graphic novel is perfect for fans of Raina Telegemeir and Kayla Miller. Viv is in middle school and trying to figure out who she is. She cuts off her “boring braid” and becomes an influencer overnight. Viv must deal with the consequences and figure out how to be true to herself and what is important to her. I bought this one for my library and can’t wait to see the rest of the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions expressed are my own.

I adore this series -- Picture Day and its sequel Tryouts are at the top of my list to purchase for my elementary school library. Sax's treatment of friendship and social dynamics are spot-on -- I think these are books that my fourth- and fifth-graders need to (but will also love to) read as they think about heading to middle school. Can't recommend these highly enough for upper elementary and middle grade readers! Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

There are a lot of graphic novels about friendship nowadays, and the struggle to balance popularity (or in this case, online social media notoriety, which isn't exactly the same thing) with true friendship is one many kids can relate to. The first half of the book, though, with cutting hair right before picture day, doesn't seem to match the second half, about making costumes with friends for a convention. I liked the second half much better, although more could have been done with the different struggles extroverts and introverts face. The social media influencer appears to be another story entirely that wasn't fully explained. Ultimately, I thought the book needed more editing, and I didn't find Viv's change of heart all that compelling,

This was a really great middle grade graphic novel. Viv is trying to reinvent herself just like one of her favorite influencers. Throughout this process, she starts sharing her advice with her classmates. Viv starts to realize that her I enjoyed the interactions with Viv and her mom as they attempted to understand each other's perspectives. Viv also worked to acknowledge the perspectives of her classmates and how her advice could potentially cause harm,

Fantastic graphic novel. My ten year old daughter loved it. Our library system does a graphic novel book club for teens and she was thrilled to have this book as one of the books after reading the ARC. Thanks NetGalley and the publishers!

Charming graphic novel with captivatingly bright illustrations. Perfect for fans who can't get enough Telgemeier, Chmakova, or "Babysitters Club."

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A graphic novel for kids about standing out and making a difference. Lots of funny moments and friendship.

This was so fun! The idea that a girl with a funky haircut could become an advice guru at school is so silly, but so cool to see individuality celebrated this way. I hope this is the beginning of a series.

Filled with angst and humor, this vibrant graphic novel takes us through the 'stressful' and 'chaotic' life of a middle-grader, when the smallest hiccup seems so catastrophic. Remember those times? 😂

This was a fun read about the high and lows of school life, friendship, finding your true self and more. I found the protagonist a little annoying at times but weren't we all, at that age? I bet adults thought the same about us. I have also definitely given myself a (bad) haircut against better judgement 😂😂😂 I enjoyed Viv's growth and journey of self-discovery. I also loved the artwork and colours, especially all the purple! Overall, this was a fun, feel-good read.

Seems like this is a series and I can't wait for the next installment!

My students love this! I bought two copies to start the year and it is one of my most requested books!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this graphic novel immensely. The graphics were nice and colorful and the story was interesting. I hope there are more in this series.

I appreciate what this book is doing. It does the standard middle grade plot of exploring popularity at the expense of established friendship. Our protagonist isn't especially likable in her decision-making but it's realistic. And I like that we don't have the standard mean popular girl. Our protagonist's betrayal of her friends is entirely of her own making. It's and uncomfortable read but probably all the more important as a result.

Perfect middle grade graphic novel for fans of Raina Telgemeier. Perfectly captures the trials and tribulations of being a kid. Highly recommend.

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this DRC.
This graphic novel takes the horrors of picture day and middle school and throws in influencer craziness, for a fun ride. Middle school was a nightmare for me and it’s hard to imagine how much harder it today with phone and media. This book is a good snapshot of the ups and downs of navigating it all.


#PictureDay #NetGalley

This was a cute read for any middle grader. Thank you to NetGalley.

As a librarian this will definitely be a suggested read.

Viv is a 7th grader struggling not to fit in, but to stand out and be recognizable from her peers. Viv and her two best friends, Milo and Al, are all obsessed with the TV show Rocket Team Skate Force, which they work through the entire book making costumes and learning a skate routine based on the show to debut at comic con. Through our book, Viv starts doing more things to stand out and be like her roll model, Quinn Sparks, in order to make a good impression and end up on Sammi's, popular girl and internet influencers, social media page. From cutting her hair, to cutting other people's hair, to helping with clothes and costumes, to even planning elaborate promposals and parades, Viv tries it all to get on Sammi's page. The one thing that does finally work is when she talks Milo and Al to debut their skate routine at the school Halloween dance early; but when things go south they still end up on Sammi's page, but become the laughing stock of the whole school. Al and Milo put their foot down and ask Viv if she really wants to be friends with them, since it seems their interests have since parted- but after some serious thought and practice, Viv chooses Milo and Al and the Rocket Team Skate Force comic con costume.

Overall, the book was fine, it had a great linear story that progressed really well with the passage of time and showed how friendships grew and changed because of each characters actions. However, I didn't love this. Viv's mom shares her own story with Viv about what it felt like to be forced into the spotlight when she would've rather stayed blended into the crowd, and Viv interpreted this as how her friends must feel from her doing the same to them at the Halloween dance, which while true misses a bigger point. I think it's vital to realize that as you grow as a person and discover more of who you are as a person, sometimes you outgrow friends that all you have in common are common interests. There is nothing wrong with staying friends with someone simply because of common interests, you should absolutely feed and grow those relationships as well. But let's face it, Viv is a natural extrovert, whereas Milo and Al are clear introverts that are happy with just each other and Viv- Viv needs her classmates (and strangers) to know who she is, she wants to stand out and be noticed. And from being in a friendship like this- it's hard when personalities are just so different. I wish this book would've explored that it's okay to outgrow your small friend group and hangout with other friends and grow and change as you age, AND that you don't have to drop the other friends in the process either. I feel like Viv easily could navigate two friend groups and I wish that had been the way this book ended, over her choosing to essentially only hangout with Al and Milo and (from the looks of it) give up her quest to be outgoing and have the eyes of the world on her. She could've had both, and she clearly wanted both.