Anne of West Philly: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Anne of Green Gables

Anne of West Philly: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Anne of Green Gables (2022) is an adaptation of L.M. Montgomery's novel written by Ivy Noelle Weir with illustrations by Myisha Haynes. The graphic novel is 256 pages in length, and it re-imagines the story of Anne of Green Gables.

Anne of West Philly is part of a "Classic Graphic Remix" series, which includes Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero, which is an adaptation of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and The Secret Garden on 81st Street also by Ivy Noelle Weir, which is an adaptation of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

In an interview with Emma Kantor for Publishers Weekly, Ivy Noelle Weir talks about bringing Anne Shirley to the present day, saying, "I think the message of Anne’s story—about growing, learning, and remaining true to yourself throughout—is as relevant to young readers today as it was then. Approaching this adaptation, I wanted to bring those themes into the modern world and try to apply them to things young people still deal with today: friendships, family issues, school pressure, crushes. It sounds maybe a little lazy of me to say it was easy to bring Anne into the modern day, but it’s true! Anne and the things she experiences really are so timeless in many ways."

Ivy Noelle Weir went on to explain why she set her modern day Anne story in Philadelphia saying, "One major change was moving the story from Canada to Philadelphia. Reading Montgomery’s original text, it was so obvious that she loved Prince Edward Island with her whole heart. Born and raised in the Philly area, I knew that in order to capture that sense of home, I needed to set it where I was from and channel some of my own love for the city into it."

Reflecting on the many interpretations and adaptations of Anne of Green Gables, Ivy Noelle Weir said, "I think that every adaptation and interpolation of Anne also brings different perspectives to her, which to me is the essence of an iconic character. She’s classic enough to persist, but inspiring in a way that invites authors, and readers, to interpret her differently and add their own flavor to her."

In the same article at Publishers Weekly, Emma Kantor interviewed Myisha Haynes, the illustrator of Anne of West Philly. Myisha Haynes reflected on why the character Anne Shirley endures saying, "I think readers connect to Anne because that level of uncertainty when you’re growing up is familiar; determining your place in a family, a friend group, or a community can be scary, more so when you feel like a newcomer. No matter what the interpretation, Anne’s tenacity is aspirational and relatable. Readers can see themselves in Anne’s struggles and hardships, and take inspiration from how she navigates through them, while still being true to her core self."

Here is the description of the book from Little, Brown Ink:

Anne of Green Gables with a twist: in this follow-up to Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and The Secret Garden on 81st Street, this full-color graphic novel moves Anne Shirley to modern-day West Philadelphia, where she finds new friends, new rivals, and a new family.

When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert decide to foster a teenage girl for the first time, their lives are changed forever. Their redheaded foster daughter, Anne Shirley, is in search of an exciting life and has decided that West Philly is where she’s going to find it. Armed with a big personality and unstoppable creativity, Anne takes her new home by storm as she joins the robotics club, makes new friends in Diana and Gilbert, experiences first love, and turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. But as Anne starts to get comfortable, she discovers one thing she wasn’t looking for: a family.

Reviews

“Weir and Haynes have done an amazing job of updating this beloved classic to make it relevant today’s readers ... Readers will laugh and cry along with this re-envisioned Anne of 2022, just like they have with L.M. Montgomery’s original vision of her.”
—SLC, starred review

"Still, despite references to Instagram and quinoa, and robotics competitions instead of poetry recitations, 'Anne of West Philly' is a dutiful tribute."
—Catherine Hong, The New York Times

ISBN: 9780316459778


Image credit:
Book cover of Anne of West Philly: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Anne of Green Gables.

References:
Hong, Catherine. (November 4, 2022). Anne of Everywhere: Suddenly, remakes and adaptations of L.M. Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables” series are proliferating. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/books/review/anne-of-green-gables-reboots.html.

Kantor, Emma. (September 1, 2022). Kindred Spirits: Children's Authors Reimagine 'Anne of Green Gables.' Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/90208-kindred-spirits-children-s-authors-reimagine-anne-of-green-gables.html.

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Created March 8, 2022. Last updated May 1, 2024.
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