Picture Day by Sarah Sax is a delightful middle grades graphic novel — recommended for a wide range of readers. The story is fun and compelling, as well as relevant.

"Picture Day" is a captivating graphic novel that follows the journey of Viv, a confident and determined protagonist in search of her true purpose. With relatable characters and stunning artwork, this book strikes a perfect balance between lightheartedness and depth. It will undoubtedly appeal to graphic novel fans, offering an enjoyable and thought-provoking reading experience. "Picture Day" is a must-read for anyone seeking a charming tale of self-discovery.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my e-ARC of Picture Day!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🫥 have ever felt invisible
🛼 enjoy rollerblading
✂️ gave yourself a haircut at any point in time
📖 love graphic novels

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

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?

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

Such a fun, cute, and quick read! I loved everything about this story. I really related to Viv’s mom (can you tell I’m a mom myself?) and how she wanted to protect her daughter from cruel people and comments. Growing up in a world full of technology is understandably harder than it was when I was growing up, so I related more to her than Viv, but I loved watching Viv grow not only into herself but also accepting that her friends are their own people as well. The pictures were so fun and well drawn. I recommend this to anyone who is trying to figure out who they really are.

I could tell that this book is going to be a hit with the middle schoolers as soon as I read a few pages. It is such a cute story and I loved reading it. I can't wait to have it in my library's collection.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC. Timely story for middle grade students about the pressures of social media and consequences of letting it interfere with their life, including the quest for likes and views. Also deals with finding yourself and being true to yourself while honoring friendships and being a good person. Cute story!

This is a super cute graphic novel where we follow Viv, a seventh grader who just wants to be noticed. Her two friends, Al and Milo want to focus on their cosplay outfits for the upcoming convention. After Viv becomes an overnight sensation by live streaming cutting off her braid, it seems like everyone at school wants her help with something. Will she have time to do all of the new stuff that she wants to do as well as help her friends? You'll have to read and find out!

Overall, this was really cute and a great message about figuring out who you are. If you are a fan of Raina Telgemeier or Kayla Miller then definitely check this one out as well!

It’s middle school picture day and Viv has had enough of blending in. She steps into the school bathroom and chops off the braids she wore to school that morning in favor of a bold new hairstyle. This sets off a chain of events that turns Viv into a social media influencer while alienating her longtime friendships and putting them at risk of being broken beyond repair.

The graphic novel does a wonderful job of exploring the relatable themes of finding your true self and navigating friendships--and relationships with parents. It also incorporates some of the issues middle schoolers face with the use and pressures of social media. The artwork is vibrant with easy-to-read text. Readers of Raina Telgemeier, Kayla Miller, and Svetlana Chmakova will be excited about adding this one to their reading rotation.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC of this title.

*Received as a free ARC*
This was SUCH a cute story. The themes were excellent and I really enjoyed Viv's character growth. The interweaving of social media through the narrative was right on point- middle schoolers are using it and need positive examples. Viv starts out with not the healthiest relationship to social media and develops a better one. I'd absolutely recommend this for middle schoolers.

This is a great realistic middle grade graphic novel. I found the characters very grounded while still being full of personality. It would likely be really popular with readers who enjoy the Babysitters' Club graphic novels.

Hello Again!

I love when I make time to read graphic novels. I try to make time weekly to read at least one but there are so many that I am wanting to give a try. Lately, I have been grabbing stacks of graphic novels and getting cozy to read a bunch! One of the graphic novels, I recently picked up was an E-ARC copy of Picture Day. (Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions)! Without further ado, let’s jump into Picture Day!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Viv is a middle schooler approaching picture day. Her mother means well but dresses Viv the same way each picture day. Viv however, has other ideas and right before her picture is supposed to be taken, she cuts her hair in the school bathroom. Viv, feels more like herself with the new haircut but of course her mom freaks out when she finds out. Viv wants to keep feeling more like herself and help her classmates feel the same way. But what if one of the ways Viv tries to help backfires? Or what if it goes absolutely amazing and risk was worth it?

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Every child experiences picture day in different ways and it was interesting to see how Viv handled this and how it led to her finding her passions and helping others do the same. I will admit much like Viv’s mother, I did worry that she might be getting herself in over her head at times. Outside of the story, I loved the design and art in this graphic novel. The images were all vibrant and amazing. This graphic novel comes out on June 27th 2023, I highly recommend giving it a try!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

***Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Picture Day is a great graphic novel about Viv, who is in the midst of middle school and trying to figure herself out. The familiarity of the topics in this story- self discovery, parental expectations, social media, friendship- will make this story one that kids will really relate to and enjoy,

I think the title of the book should be something different the book was really not about picture day it started out that way then flipped to other items and storylines. Book jumped around a lot

Picture Day, by Sarah Sax, is a refreshing new graphic novel that encourages being yourself. The protagonist Viv, wants a new bold look for picture day so she can stand out. She takes matters into her own hands and chops off the braid her mother gave her. In an effort to be bold and different, Viv makes a few decisions that almost cost her friendship with her friends. Heartwarming and fresh, readers will enjoy this graphic novel.

I loved this book! I cannot wait to add it to my classroom library. While my students (5th graders) are younger than the characters (7th graders), the lessons that the main character Viv learns hold true for any age. Viv worms to reinvent herself and in turn, loses who she is and becomes obsessed with her social media presence. Many students today are worried about their views, likes, and follower counts that often they lose themselves (much like Viv). While the adults in their lives may tell them not to worry about those things, how often do kids really listen to us? Picture Day reinforces those messages we try to share with students, but in a more visually appealing way.

Utterly adorkable!
Viv is sick of being invisible, so she starts going SUPER extra trying to get online likes, whithout ever considering how the new her is really messing up her friend's lives, and making some parts of her life way worse.
Cute art, a heartwarming story, Halloween shenanigans and COSPLAY! YES PLEASE!

Fans of middle school realistic fiction graphic novels have another one that they need to add to their TBR. Picture Day is about Viv who is embracing who she is and wants to try to help everyone be ask happy as being herself makes her. But she doesn’t pay attention to those she is bulldozing on her way…

PICTURE DAY by Sarah Sax is a middle grade novel that will appeal to any teen or tween who has experienced the awkwardness of traditional middle school rituals, such as the aforementioned picture day, but also school dances, pep rallies, and shifting friendship groups. The main character is Viv, who after giving herself an impulsive hair cut minutes before picture day, becomes a social media influencer like her hero, Quinn Sparks. When her new found popularity threatens some of her oldest friendships, Viv has to decide who she really wants to be. This graphic novel features realistic tweens whose problems are relatable and humorous. Definitely a must get for middle school or upper elementary readers.

A lovely comic story about Viv, who longs to be somebody, accomplish something, and catch people's attention.

But if you don't know what people want, how can you be loyal to yourself while also trying to help others?

I felt Viv was a fantastic character and I adored how self-assured and assured she was of herself. Fans of graphic novels will undoubtedly love this.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The characters are diverse, and it’s easy to relate to and sympathize with their interactions and feelings. The graphics are colorful and nice I’m not sure that all kids will relate to the skating aspect, but I will definitely share this title with our middle school teachers and encourage students to read it.

This is so wildly cute. Viv just wants to be her true self, which is a lot louder and more in your face than her mom is comfortable with. It's both a mother/daughter story, about how grown ups try to protect their kids and why that doesn't always work, as well as a story about friendship and respecting that your true self might be different from your friends'. All in all, cute fun, would be happy to give to any middle schooler.