Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Is the new thing in middle-grade unlikable main characters being stupid, learning a lesson, then making up with their friends with a grand gesture? Because I think every middle-grade graphic novel I've read this year has been that.

Viv is a social media obsessed seventh grader trying to make this year the one she stands out. It's picture day and instead of the boring braid her mother wants her to have, Viv lives her own truth by chopping off her hair right before she takes her school picture. She becomes the "be true to yourself" school mascot and begins helping others solve problems, but leaves behind her responsibilities with friends Milo and Al.

Pros:
-The artwork is cute with full-color illustrations and diverse character designs.
-Great message about being true to yourself but also a good friend.
-Viv's relationship with her mom also contains an excellent message for middle-schoolers

Highly recommend it to sixth and seventh graders, especially those who don't run with the "popular crowd" but want to like Viv.

80%

I think what I liked best about this book is that it's inadvertently teaching mindfulness and awareness of both the self and of others through action, rather than just telling you to be mindful: showing moments of pausing and taking deep breaths exemplifies that self care doesn't necessarily have to take a lot of time, and that it's more about consistency than anything else.

The main message I took away from here is that while it's important to stay true to yourself and to follow your own arrow, it's also important to realize that your own wants/needs are different from other people's - even close friends and family.

A good book that hits a lot of marks: inclusive characters in situations that feel organic and not forced, an appropriate theme for the grade level, and fun illustrations. Though it's not much of a standout, it is a quick and pleasant read.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes The review is a little spoilery.

A great story about balancing some of the pressures of being a middle schooler. It addresses the desire to grow and change and make new friends and try new things with listening to those who are closest to you. I think that the desire to be liked, and maybe even to be famous, is something that many kids can relate to. I am partial to books about friendship and forgiveness and this one fits that bill.

I loved the moment when Liv saw the notification at the end but ignored it to focus on her friends. It showed her effort to change and be a better friend in a way that her words to them alone could not.

A wonderful new option (that looks like a series) great for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Shannon Hale!
Viv is in 7th grade and looks up to an influencer online. This role model’s inspiration may be her ticket to learning that not everyone likes being in the spotlight. Will she forget her friends in the process? Will they forgive her for her well-intended antics that go awry?

A beautiful book about figuring out who you are while balancing friendships. Viv wants to find herself. She's tired of being unnoticed and not feeling like she's being true to herself. She starts live streaming her transformation, becomes popular because of it, but starts to lose herself and her friends in the process. See how she figures out who she wants to be and repairs her broken friendships in this MG graphic novel!

Aaaaaahhhhhh, The dreaded School Picture Day . . . I remember those days with fondness and fear.

Picture It! Me. The late 80s. Sophomore Year In High School—the day before picture day, my parental (aka. Me Ma) took me for a haircut. Allow me to repeat…

The. Day. BEFORE. Picture. Day!

*eye leakage commences*

Basically, my hair was cut into a mullet with realllllllyyy short bangs in the front that exposed my high forehead. Keynote, I did not ask for this type of haircut.

Kids, for those of you who don’t know what a Mullet hair cut looks like, just ask your grandparents or Google it if you daaaarree, Muahahahahahahahaaaaa… it’s scary.

*Ahem*

Back To My Review…

PICTURE DAY: The Brinkley Yearbooks, Book 1 – by Sarah Sax – Graphic Novel

Here it is, once again, school picture day at Brinkley Middle School, and Seventh Grader Olivia ‘Viv’ Sullivan wants to stand out among the many Olivias in the yearbook, to be memorable, to be bold and daring like Internet Celeb, Quinn Sparks, who’s motto is, ‘[B]e true to yourself and the world will notice.’

With scissors in one hand and her phone for live-streaming in the other, will Viv create her true self by cutting her hair in a drastic move to be different?

Will Viv remain true to her best friends, Al and Milo, as she seeks internet fame and followers?

You have to read the book and find out! ;)

No spoilers, but I will say, as a reader and former Middle Grader, I love the ending, and as a grandparent, I love the message—Highly Recommend!

Thank You, NetGalley and Borzoi Books (Alfred A. Knopf/Random House Children’s Books), for providing me with an eBook of PICTURE DAY at the request of an honest review.

Scheduled For Release, Though Subject To Change – June 27, 2023
Reading Age: 8 – 12 years
Grade: 3 - 7

The CUTEST graphic novel about a girl wanting to make a BIG change to stand out. But is she trying to change in order to fit in or to stand out to the wrong crowd?

Picture Day was delightful and I'll be sure to look out for it when it comes out to buy it for my nieces. Picture Day delivers fun characters, great illustrations, and a relatable story-line. Recommend for those readers who devour graphic novels on the daily.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this graphic novel. This was a book that I think many student will enjoy. I felt like it took a long time to get to the point of the story, and truly see the intent. Because it took so long, it seemed to wrap up super quickly.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Honest review from my ten year old daughter.

This book was sweet, goofy and fun. I liked and connected to it a lot, especially sloth girl. Loved the illustrations.

But I did find the main character, Viv, unlikeable.

I really like all the positive reactions to the changes Viv is making, as well as the message to be true to yourself and your friends. I wish the mom was a little more supportive at first, but her tension is understandable.

Well, this was just a delight of a graphic novel. The story focuses on Viv who decides to listen to her inner voice on school picture day. When her new look goes viral, others seek her out to help them find their own inner voice. Viv is excited by all the attention, but this also then explores what your inner voice really is. Specifically, it contrasts our actual inner voice with the one we put out there for others to see. It was also a really great exploration of friendship and hearing those voices, too. It was so wonderfully illustrated and just stuff all around. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this June 2023 release!

A cute graphic novel about friendship and learning from your mistakes. It also covers a bit of the coming of age/ gaining independence category. Loved the artwork. Great book elementary students.

Viv is ready to reinvent herself, and what better way to do that than getting onto Sammi's vlog--Sammi, the classmate with the huge follower rating. But in order to become her "true" self, Viv might have to leave parts of herself behind. Will it be worth it?

I've seen this plot played out quite a few times, but I did appreciate that Viv is a vibrant character with confidence and spunk. It does what it's trying to do well, and there are a lot of fun moments. It's a quick and compelling read that will appeal to fans of Best Friends and Smile.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Viv is tired of blending in and just being another kid at school. It's picture day, and she wants to stand out. So, inspired by her favorite blogger, she takes matters into her own hands and cuts her own hair. She also records it and uploads it so everyone can see. Suddenly, Viv stands out and starts inspiring other kids. But her friends are happy with being themselves and they don't want the attention. How do you grow and become who you want to be, but still stay true to yourself and your friends.

Picture Day is a graphic novel from Sarah Sax. This is about a 7th grader named Viv who is preparing for picture day at school. She wants to stand out in a big way since she feels like she is often overlooked. She decides to change her hair drastically right before she gets her picture taken. This helps her become an influencer. Along the way, she loses sight of what truly matters.

Fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller will be sure to enjoy this. The illustrations were amazing, and the plot was believable. Students will be able to connect with the character.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Picture Day follows Olivia Vivian Sullivan, who has decided to go by "Viv" because there are so many other Olivias in her grade. Inspired by her favorite vlogger, Viv dreams of standing out, "living her truth," and helping others do the same. On picture day, she takes matters into her own hands by chopping off her braid against the wishes of her mother, and having her friend film her doing it. Her classmates take notice, and soon are coming to Viv for help making their own splash: asking a crush to the dance, drawing notice to activism efforts, and cheering on the mathletes.

Meanwhile, Viv's BFFs Al and Milo begin to feel abandoned, especially as they're supposed to be prepping for a group cosplay and performance at an upcoming fan convention. Viv's mother is flabbergasted by her daughter's outgoing personality, and worries that Viv isn't considering how tough middle school can be when you stand out. When things come to a head and Viv is in danger of losing her friends forever, she learns to accept that everyone's "truth" is different, and some people don't want to be in the limelight. Can she and her friends find a middle ground, or are they done-zo for good?

I really loved Viv! I don't relate to her at all, haha, I could only dream of having her confidence. But I really admire how optimistic she is and willing to put herself out there. She's not naive: contrary to her mother's fears, she knows that not everyone will be nice and accepting of her. She doesn't care that some may mock her, because her goals are about loudly sharing her true self with the world, and forget the haters! Unfortunately, she doesn't notice that her friends don't feel the same way, and sort of railroads them into performing in front of the whole school before they're ready.

Here's where my feelings about Picture Day become a little muddled. While it's true that Viv wasn't paying as much attention to the needs of her friends as she probably should have been... I think her friends were just as much at fault for the falling out of their friendship. Al and Milo didn't understand Viv's desire to stand out any more than she understood their desire to remain invisible. They weren't very supportive of Viv's pursuits and seemed to blame her for not giving them her entire focus like they were used to. Viv's idea to practice their skating routine at school was a good one, even though it forced Al and Milo out of their comfort zones. If they really didn't want to do it, they should have told Viv so instead of letting her push them into it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ When the performance didn't go perfectly, they were embarrassed and blamed Viv for that feeling, even though Viv had a positive attitude about it. Milo ended up breaking a piece of his costume and seemed to blame Viv for that as well, even though it was a result of his own carelessness! Viv spends the rest of the book trying to apologize while they avoid her in school and refuse to answer her texts. Al and Milo contemplate not going to the con at all because I guess they don't think Viv is committed enough, even though it was her idea to practice their routine???

While I think there should have been more nuance to the situation, with some apologies from the friends in addition to Viv's apologies, I do appreciate that Viv's character arc doesn't result in her learning that "popularity is bad, actually" or "social media is evil" which would have been some extremely cold takes. In the end, Viv learns to meet her friends at a level they're comfortable with, while also pursuing her own goals and continuing her new friendships. She even has a great heart-to-heart with her mom, who realizes that her daughter doesn't feel the same way about "being weird" as she did in middle school. So even though there's a happy ending, I still feel a little uncomfortable at how villainized Viv was, when I think her friends could have learned a lesson or two as well.

Overall, I might be thinking more deeply about this comic book than I ought to be. However, I really love a lot of what Picture Day brings to the table. In particular, Viv remains confident and positive throughout the story, even when she makes some mistakes. Social media and popularity are not used as scapegoats for the story's conflicts, and are in fact part of the solution. There is no implication that Viv's choices (cutting her hair, wanting attention, pursuing popularity) are bad, as is so often the case in children's media. It's clear that Viv was changing for herself, rather than going against her nature to seek approval. The mother-daughter relationship was lovely. I just wish there had been some accountability for the friends' behaviors in addition to Viv's, which would have made this a pretty perfect book for middle schoolers in my eyes. I'm very curious what the sequels in the series will be like, and whether they will each focus on different characters.

This was a delightful graphic novel about Viv who desperately wants to be someone and do something and be noticed. But how can you be true to yourself and help others unless you know what people actually want? I thought Viv was a great character and I loved that she was so confident and sure of herself. This will definitely be a hit among graphic novel fans.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publisher through NetGalley.
Sax takes readers on a journey through seventh grade. The need for friends, the need to be noticed, the need to belong, the need to be someone, and the self focused times which cause pain and heartbreak to themselves and others they value.
Viv longs to figure out who she is and to stand out. She is obsessed with a podcast of someone who encourages everyone to be themselves. She succeeds but discovers how much it costs almost too late. She gets so caught up in what she wants that she misses hearing what her friends want. Fortunately, she figures out what she really wants and works hard to mend relationships with her two best friends and her mom. I appreciate how the mom is portrayed and the way their relationship survives the arguments.
Definitely one to have in the libraries so students recognize they are not alone in their challenges.