Following a similar structure as Invisible Emmie (2016), Libenson's sophomore illustrated novel tells parallel stories of two middle-school girls struggling to find a way to fit in. Brianna knows she's smart, but she's starting to chafe against her nickname, the Brain. When her mom, the new middle-school drama teacher, asks her to perform a scene for the talent show, she agrees despite her serious case of stage fright. Meanwhile, Izzy has been practicing for the talent show for weeks the detriment of her other school work t when her mom finds out she flunked an important test, she grounds her on the night of the performance. Sneaking out obviously isn't a great idea, but Izzy's determined to get her time in the spotlight. Libenson nicely touches on classic middle-grade tropes, such as shifting friendships, crushes, and developing confidence, while the combination of comics, which make up Bri's story, and sections of text with spot illustrations are particularly well suited to the themes. A poignant twist ending adds a heartening note to an already charming story.

This reader-friendly graphic/prose hybrid explores the lives of two very different girls who have an unexpected connection.Izzy and Brianna both, separately, navigate difficult middle school experiences. Brianna, whose story is told entirely in sequential panels, is studious, reserved, and a little lonely. Izzy, who tells her story in paragraphs broken up by illustrations, is an unreliable middle sister with a love for performance and a lot of indifference toward schoolwork. Izzy sneaks out against her mother's wishes to perform in the school talent show, while Bri's mother (also a teacher at her school) convinces her to fill in for a sick actor. Both girls juggle complex family dynamics, shifting friend groups, and boys in the hours leading up to their performances. The story is light but resonant for middle graders, with constant comedic asides in the illustrations. Both girls appear white (based on the color cover), with multiracial supporting casts, and both threads of the story skirt larger issues. The opening pages, in which Bri complains about labels, hint at a larger theme that recedes into the background as the two girls struggle with their interpersonal relationships. Readers primed by the back-cover blurb will spend the whole book waiting for the two stories to intersect, with a surprise reveal at the end that may call for an immediate reread.A solid, not particularly daring addition to the hybrid format for middle-grade readers, mixing drama with heart. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 9-12)