“Cursed to Dance? Not Quite!” — Review of "School Dance" a Graphic Novel That Finds Its Footing
- Kim Bartosch
- Aug 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 22
Middle school dances are terrifying. Just ask Milo, the unlucky star of School Dance, the newest entry in Sarah Sax’s Brinkley Yearbooks graphic novel series published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. If you’ve ever fumbled through your own awkward adolescent milestones, this book is like a nostalgic slow dance with all the fun—and a little secondhand embarrassment.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the book and my honest review. This book tour is sponsored by Toppling Stacks Tours.
This graphic middle-grade novel is a vibrant, laugh-out-loud continuation of Sax’s signature style: quirky but tender storytelling, dynamic illustrations, and characters you can’t help but root for. From the first page, Milo’s “curse” is hilariously relatable—he’s convinced that dancing is his doom. Cue flashbacks of faceplants, cake disasters, and Halloween horrors. It’s no wonder the school dance feels more like a haunted house than a social event.
But where this story really shines is in its characters. Milo, Al, and Viv are the kind of friends you wish you had in middle school—loyal, goofy, and absolutely determined to get each other through life’s chaos. Their banter is both heartfelt and sharply funny, with dialogue that sounds like it was pulled straight from a real-life group chat. Bonus points for Abuela, Milo’s warm, dance-legend grandmother who sweeps in with sass, style, and wisdom that gently nudges Milo toward self-acceptance.
The illustrations, also by Sax, bring a fresh and expressive energy to every page. Her art captures movement and emotion with ease, making even the most mundane scenes (like Milo spiraling into panic) feel dynamic and memorable. The humor really lands visually—sight gags, exaggerated expressions, and little background jokes keep the pages turning fast.
I flew through School Dance in one sitting, smiling the whole time. That’s how good the pacing and storytelling are—it hooks you early and never lets go.
That said, there were a few panels where the scene arrangement and color choices felt a bit off. A couple of spreads had layout decisions that pulled me out of the moment or made the action harder to follow. It wasn’t a deal-breaker, but for such a polished book overall, those moments stood out.
Still, those are minor quibbles in a book that otherwise totally nails it. Sarah Sax’s work continues to impress, balancing comedy with coming-of-age depth in a way that resonates with both kids and adults. School Dance fits perfectly into the Brinkley Yearbooks lineup alongside Picture Day and Tryouts, giving readers another thoughtful, funny story about growing up, making mistakes, and learning to trust your own rhythm—even when you're sure you’ve got two left feet.
🎉 Final Thoughts:
Whether you’re a longtime Brinkley fan or jumping into the series with this one, School Dance is a graphic novel that dances circles around awkwardness and lands confidently on joy. I highly recommend it for middle-grade readers, educators, librarians, and anyone who remembers the pure panic of a gymnasium full of twinkle lights and pop music.
🩰 For fans of: Kayla Miller’s Click series, Raina Telgemeier’s Drama, and Terri Libenson’s Emmie & Friends.
✨ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½Charming, funny, and full of heart—with just a few minor stumbles in scene flow—School Dance deserves a spot on every graphic novel lover’s shelf.
Title: School Dance
Author & Illustrator: Sarah Sax
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publishing date: August 26, 2025
Synopsis:
Get ready to brave the most intimidating event of all time—the middle school dance—easier said than done for Milo, who is convinced he can’t dance because he’s cursed. Another yearbook-worthy graphic novel from the creator of the Brinkley Yearbook series and bestselling Picture Day!
Milo wants to get excited for the school dance, but he can’t—because he’s cursed. Every time he tries to dance, something goes horribly wrong. Like at his cousin’s wedding, when he tripped into the cake… Or on Halloween, when he nearly got a concussion after an ill-timed wipeout…
His best friends, Al and Viv, are determined to help Milo break the curse—and find the confidence to enjoy the dance. And they’re not alone, because Milo’s abuela, a legendary dancer, is moving in. Abuela knows Milo has what it takes to follow in her—literal—footsteps.
But with several new mishaps in his way, does Milo have any chance of putting his best foot forward?
Readers won’t want to miss this next installment in the Brinkley Yearbooks series that’s all about finding your footing, your confience, and yourself!
Look for the whole Brinkley Yearbooks
PICTURE DAY • TRYOUTS • SCHOOL DANCE
About the author:
Sarah Sax grew up in St. Louis on Uncle Scrooge and Sailor Moon comics. She studied storytelling and sequential imagery at Hampshire College and worked in education and gaming in the Bay Area before starting her publishing journey. She is the illustrator of the first three books (Escape This Book: Titanic; Escape this Book: Tombs of Egypt; and Escape This Book: Race to the Moon) in the inventive, interactive Escape This Book series, which has been translated into eight languages. Picture Day, her first of four graphic novels in the Brinkley Yearbook series, was published in June 2023. Tryouts, the next graphic novel in the series came out in May of 2024. Sarah lives and works in Portland, Maine with her husband and a small menagerie of pets.
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