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Middle school truth

Cover of Picture Day
A review of Picture Day by Sarah Sax

It's school picture day at Brinkley Middle School and Viv decides to shake things up by giving herself a haircut. In the bathroom. While waiting for her turn to have her photo taken. This is brave, bold, and possibly regrettable. But Viv embraces the change. When her mom schedules an emergency appointment at a salon to have her hair "fixed," Viv shares her vision with the stylist and ends up with a cool angled bob. She becomes famous for being true to herself, even though the road was a little bumpy at first.

And so begins a journey for Viv as a self-help guru encouraging other students to trust or refine their own visions, whatever those might be. Unfortunately, Viv gets so caught up in the positive PR of helping others be true to themselves that she doesn't take time to listen to those who want to stay under the radar. There are some predictable and uncomfortable middle school ups and downs as kids use their phones to record and share absolutely everything about each other with each other, but overall, Viv finds success helping others. Recognizing that your truth may not be someone else's truth is a life lesson for us all and the ultimate message of self-acceptance is a positive one.

Apr 8, 2024