Look on the Bright Side

by Lily Williams, Karen Schneemann

Overview

The creators of Eisner-nominated Go With the Flow Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann are back with a funny and heartwarming story following four best friends Brit, Abby, Christine, and Sasha in the graphic novel, Look on the Bright Side. Perfect for fans of Maria Scrivan's NAT ENOUGH series!

With feelings running high and hearts on the line, will their friendship get them through a year at Hazelton High?

Old friends. New Loves. The future is looking bright.

A new year of school is starting, and Brit finds herself struggling with feelings for a seemingly rude boy from class who might have a soft side. Meanwhile, Christine can't deny that she likes her best friend Abby...as more than just a friend. The only question is, does Abby have feelings for Christine, too? And will their feelings for each other mess things up in their friend group?

Misunderstandings, betrayal, and jealousy are bound to get in the way.

But hey! Look on the bright side: They’re in this together. Always.

Heartful, romantic, and sizzling with the excitement of navigating first love, Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann's brilliant follow up to Go With the Flow is a bright spot you will not want to miss.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250834102
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	173,868
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Lily Williams is the author and illustrator of many books including the nonfiction picture book series If Animals Disappeared, and graphic novels Go With The Flow and Look On The Bright Side. She grew up in Northern California and worked in feature animation before moving to Colorado. Lily seeks to inspire change, engage audiences, and educate people of all ages with her artwork.

Karen Schneemann grew up in Northern California. She received her first undergraduate degree in engineering from UCLA and her second in animation from California College of the Arts. In addition to being an engineer, artist, and writer, Karen is also a mom to two adorable kids. She lives and works in foggy San Francisco, California.

Editorial Reviews

★ 2023-08-11
Four friends grapple with everyday challenges.

For Hazelton High juniors Sasha, Christine, Abby, and Brit, the new school year brings new trials. Sasha struggles to balance her love life and academic aspirations. Scholastically minded Brit finds herself in a love triangle between a good-hearted grump and a handsome playboy. Abby feels anxiety about her once-popular blog and putting a label on her sexual orientation when confusing new feelings emerge. Christine fears coming out to Abby (although she is out to Brit and Sasha), on whom she’s harbored a long and tortuous crush that she worries will destroy their friendship. The girls navigate timely and important issues like establishing and communicating boundaries, defining one’s sexual orientation, righting miscommunications, and (staying in the vein of its predecessor, 2020’s Go With the Flow) menstrual equity. Williams and Schneemann’s warm and engaging graphic novel is a welcome return to this world, with vibrant art; short, episodic chapters; fast pacing; and the right blend of tension and sweetness. The group’s dynamics and communication skills as they work through their issues are commendable, modeling openness and honesty and leaving aside cattiness and drama. The main cast is diverse and inclusive, showing a range of skin tones, body sizes, and sexual orientations.

A warm hug of a tale. (authors’ note) (Graphic fiction. 11-16)

Kirkus Reviews

08/28/2023

Collaborators Williams and Schneemann return to Hazelton High, where besties Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha, the protagonists from Go with the Flow, encounter myriad challenges as they navigate their junior year. Abby advocates to expand menstrual product access in all bathrooms because “trans, genderqueer, and nonbinary students all deserve to feel included”; Brit finds herself caught in a Darcy-and-Wickham-type love triangle with peers from her AP English class; Christine fears coming out as queer to Abby, whom she’s been crushing on; and Sasha struggles to balance her new relationship and increased schoolwork. Via the tweens’ nuanced dialogue, Williams crafts explicitly trust-filled friendships in which the girls meet each other’s anxieties and blunders with actionable solutions and gentle but firm suggestions for accountability without judgment. Schneemann’s character-focused illustrations deepen the intricacies of the friends’ conversations by zeroing in on facial expressions and body language; reds and pinks effectively denote each figure’s feelings of frustration, fear, and joy during critical emotional moments. Back matter includes an authors’ note that reaffirms the creators’ commitment to reducing period stigma no matter one’s gender identity, and to “leaving the world a kinder and gentler place… by being good to the people around us.” Ages 10–14. (Oct.) ■

Publishers Weekly

*A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year*
*A Bank Street Best Book of the Year*

★ "Williams and Schneemann’s warm and engaging graphic novel is a welcome return to this world, with vibrant art; short, episodic chapters; fast pacing; and the right blend of tension and sweetness." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "A standout graphic novel that should be in every library." — School Library Journal, starred review

"This endearing sequel...bursts with movement...to create a relatable and charming bond between readers and the character. This Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsesque story will have readers laughing and cheering for Sasha, Brit, Christine, and Abby." - Booklist

"[Williams and Schneemann] craft explicitly trust-filled friendships in which the girls meet each other’s anxieties and blunders with actionable solutions." - Publishers Weekly

"Informative and with a diverse and LGBTQIA+ inclusive cast...this sequel is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Johnson’s The Breakaways or Armstrong’s Scout is Not a Band Kid." - BCCB

From the Publisher

★ 11/01/2023

Gr 5 Up—The sequel to the Eisner-nominated graphic novel Go with the Flow begins where the previous volume left off. A series of wordless panels show pad and tampon dispensers being placed throughout the women's bathrooms at school, thanks to the efforts of Abby, Christine, Brit, and Sasha. Abby hopes to make these necessities available at a wider level, working with the principal and the school's Unicorn Club so they can also be installed in the men's rooms. Brit is home recovering from her endometriosis surgery, and once back at school, has two very different classmates interested in being her boyfriend. Sasha is learning to balance schoolwork and having a boyfriend, and Christine struggles with telling Abby that she likes her more than a friend. The art is colorful, bright, and eye-catching; characters reflect a variety of racial and body diversity. As with the first book, this is an engaging, realistic, positive, and inclusive slice-of-life story about navigating high school, friendship, and crushes. Pair with Cathy G. Johnson's The Breakaways and the "Lumberjanes" series. VERDICT A standout graphic novel that should be in every library.—Marissa Lieberman

School Library Journal