[Lisa, Bright and Dark] ends on a hopeful note, which seems not quite warranted. There is enough girlish prattle from Betsy to keep the book from being morbid; in fact, the writing has considerable flair and vitality. Although Lisa's condition as it develops is convincingly pictured, and her parents are so characterized that their obtuseness is believable, it seems dubious that the entire faculty of the school (in which a good deal of the action takes place) would refuse to take action and that only Lisa's friends do so.

Zena Sutherland, "New Titles for Children and Young People: 'Lisa, Bright and Dark'," in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (© 1970 by the University of Chicago; all rights reserved), Vol. 23, No. 6, February, 1970, p. 103.