Look on the Bright Side by Lily Williams (review)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI:10.1353/bcc.2023.a907117

Meg Cornell

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Abstract

Reviewed by: Look on the Bright Side by Lily Williams Meg Cornell Williams, Lily Look on the Bright Side; written by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann; illus. by Lily Williams. First Second, 2023 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250834119 $22.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9781250834102 $14.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 7-9 In this graphic novel sequel to Go with the Flow (BCCB 01/20), Williams remains attendant to issues surrounding periods and developing bodies but expands to the messy teen dating scene for friend quartet Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha. First love entanglements quickly spur interpersonal drama: Sasha struggles to balance her schoolwork with her new boyfriend, her self-worth plummeting as she hides her failing grades from friends and family. Christine, gay and semi-closeted, sends mixed signals aplenty and works her friends' last nerves as she pines for Abby, who herself is trying to define her relationship to both her sexuality and her activism. In the most enjoyable storyline of the four, Brit finds herself caught in a love triangle with a smooth-talking bad boy and a gruff, erudite romantic straight out of her favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice. (The would-be Darcy turns out to be pro-menstrual equity himself, worried about a trans little brother having access to menstrual hygiene once at their school.) Although informative and with a diverse and LGBTQIA+ inclusive cast, dialogue and dramatic scenes are often stiff and didactic, then overcorrect in youthful saccharinity, and the teens rarely wink with realistic teen humor or savvy. Schneemann's digital art is nevertheless suited to this spirited bunch: the style is loose and cartoon-like, matte with brushed, rounded line work. Growing pains aside, this sequel is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Johnson's The Breakaways or Armstrong's Scout is Not a Band Kid (BCCB 05/22). Author's note on menstruation and gender diversity included. [End Page 78] Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

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《看光明的一面》作者:莉莉·威廉姆斯

梅格·康奈尔·威廉姆斯，《莉莉·看光明的一面》;Lily Williams和Karen Schneemann编剧;插图。莉莉·威廉姆斯著。在《随波逐流》(BCCB 01/20)的漫画小说续集中，威廉姆斯仍然关注着月经和身体发育的问题，但扩展到了朋友四重奏艾比、布里特、克里斯汀和萨沙的青少年约会场景。初恋的纠缠很快引发了人际关系的戏剧性变化:萨沙努力平衡她的学业和她的新男友，她的自我价值直线下降，因为她向朋友和家人隐瞒了她的不及格成绩。克莉丝汀是同性恋，也是半封闭的，她发出了很多复杂的信号，在她为艾比感到憔悴的时候，她的朋友们最后的神经都很紧张，艾比自己也在努力定义她与性取向和激进主义的关系。在四个人中最令人愉快的故事情节中，brita发现自己陷入了一场三角恋，一个是伶牙俐齿的坏男孩，另一个是粗暴、博学的浪漫主义者，就像她最喜欢的电影《傲慢与偏见》中的情节一样。(这位想要成为达西的人原来自己也支持经期平等，他担心自己的跨性别小弟弟在学校里有机会获得经期卫生服务。)虽然内容丰富，演员阵容多元化，LGBTQIA+也很包容，但对话和戏剧场景往往生硬而说教，然后在青春的甜蜜中矫正过正，青少年很少有现实的青少年幽默或机智。然而，Schneemann的数字艺术很适合这群充满活力的人:风格松散，像卡通一样，用拉丝和圆润的线条进行磨砂。撇开成长的烦恼不谈，对于喜欢约翰逊的《越狱》或阿姆斯特朗的《童子军不是乐队的孩子》(BCCB 05/22)的读者来说，这部续集是一个不错的选择。包括作者对月经和性别多样性的说明。[End Page 78]版权所有©2023伊利诺伊大学董事会

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The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

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