I hate this war...

"'I hate this war,' said Rilla bitterly, as she gazed out into the maple grove that was a chill glory of pink and gold in the winter sunset."
-L.M. Montgomery
Rilla of Ingleside

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Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created March 11, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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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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Anne of Green Gables 13-Month Undated Planner and Diary

I came across a beautiful Anne of Green Gables planner and diary today on Etsy by CALIKET. It's called "Anne Story" and is a classic story diary. This 13-month undated planner can be used to keep track of your day-to-day tasks, and you can also fill it with drawings, quotes, and diary entries. It looks so pretty and has such sweet drawings of Anne Shirley.

The CALIKET Etsy shop sells several Anne of Green Gables greeting cards too, including one with the sweet image of Anne Shirley featured above and one with Anne under a blooming cherry tree.

Created February 7, 2022.
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For the first time in her life...

"For the first time in her life Pat found out what it was like to say good-bye to some one who was not coming back."
-L.M. Montgomery
Pat of Silver Bush

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Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created February 6, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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She wanted to stay there forever...

"She wanted to stay there forever, alone with the happy thoughts that came to her among its flowers and grasses."
-L.M. Montgomery
A Tangled Web

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Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created February 3, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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Joy and regret...

"Joy and regret struggled together in her heart."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea

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Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created February 2, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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And she was richer in those dreams...

"And she was richer in those dreams than in realities; for things seen pass away, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of the Island

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Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created February 1, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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Emily of New Moon Jigsaw Puzzle

Have fun completing this online Emily of New Moon jigsaw puzzle. Before beginning, you can rotate the puzzle pieces and increase the number of pieces to make the puzzle more challenging. You can also customize the background color.

The cover art is by M.L. Kirk for the 1923 version of Emily of New Moon published by Frederick A. Stokes Company.



Created January 31, 2022.
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One cannot get tired...

"One cannot get tired of really beautiful things..."
-L.M. Montgomery
Kilmeny of the Orchard

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Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created January 30, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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Crochet Yourself an Anne of Green Gables Doll

Have you ever wanted an Anne of Green Gables doll? Do you know how to crochet or wish to learn? Well, here's your opportunity to make your very own Anne Shirley doll!

Check out Literary Yarns: Crochet Projects Inspired by Classic Books by Cindy Wang. This book teaches the basics of crochet and provides tutorials on how to create cute and beloved characters from literature. You just need some yarn, a crochet hook, and a little patience. Along with providing a pattern to make an Anne Shirley doll, the book contains 21 other crochet projects to make amigurumi—sweet stuffed yarn creations. The literary characters include the monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the master detective Sherlock Holmes from the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Dorothy and friends from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the White Rabbit from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and many more.

I love to crochet, so Literary Yarns is now on my wishlist. I think an Anne Shirley doll would be a perfect companion for my L.M. Montgomery collection on my bookshelf.

Cindy Wang also has a fun website where she shares her wonderful creations called The Geeky Hooker (Not THAT kind of hooker. The kind armed with a crochet hook). Her latest project, little Grogu from The Mandalorian, is so stinking cute. From time to time, she drops off her little critters in various places for strangers to discover and adopt. It would be so special to discover a surprise like that. Check out her website and follow her on Twitter @GeekyHooker for more of her adventures!

Created January 29, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The sky above her...

"The sky above her was a wonderful soft deep violet."
-L.M. Montgomery
Magic for Marigold

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Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created January 28, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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Thoughts on "The 'Anne of Green Gables' V.R. Experience"

On Monday, The New Yorker published an article titled, "The 'Anne of Green Gables' V.R. Experience" by Weike Wang. The article appears in the "Shouts & Murmurs" section, which contains humor, satire, and funny observations. It's a curious piece, and I recommend reading it if you're an Anne of Green Gables fan.

The article begins without mentioning any history of Anne of Green Gables and fails to mention the novel's author, L.M. Montgomery, by name. These were odd omissions. But perhaps Anne is such an iconic character that she and Montgomery no longer need an introduction.

Rather than spending time on introductory matters, Weike Wang dives into a description of your Anne of Green Gables virtual reality experience. You (as Anne Shirley) have a choice in skin tones, but must have long red hair styled in two braids. Your journey in the carriage occurs in the autumn and without Matthew (unlike the book), and you meet the Cuthberts at Green Gables.

Later, your virtual reality experience continues in the classroom where your teacher leaves a vowel out of your name to your dismay. When your classmate Gilbert Blythe insults you, you have the option to hit him with a virtual arsenal of weapons including the standard slate, as well as a retractable prop dagger, a dead fish, and more. After class you go on "life-affirming adventures" with your bosom friend Diana Barry.

Then you must study, eventually graduating with your teaching license from Queen’s and winning the prestigious Avery scholarship, which allows you to attend a four-year college. Your friends, including Gilbert, celebrate you. Weike Wang notes that you can choose to end your virtual reality experience here, "feeling galvanized, like you can do anything," or you can choose to stay for the final two minutes. In these final minutes, your family loses their savings, Matthew Cuthbert dies of a heart attack, and you defer your dreams for a time and stay at Green Gables. Then you marry Gilbert, have seven children, and live in an idyllic home. Wang writes, "though you do leave the room less galvanized, you are relieved that the immense pressure to amount to something has resolved itself and, in the natural course of adulting, priorities must change."

The article had a bit of humor and weirdness, but it also left me thinking about the author's purpose. Was it simply a humorous piece, poking fun at virtual reality and Zuckerberg's metaverse, or was it more? Weike Wang brings up an interesting point, namely, that in this virtual reality version of Anne's story, you could stop your experience at a wonderfully high point in Anne's life. When Anne wins the Avery scholarship, she has so many ambitions and dreams ahead of her, and she's on the cusp of success.

Do many modern women truly want to live out Anne's full life story? When she's young, she's charismatic and passionate, and she doesn't conform. She's not ordinary. But later, she gives up her dreams of teaching and writing for her loving brood of children and devoted (but mainly absentee) husband. As Weike Wang notes, "A person can’t trailblaze forever; she has to slow down sometimes and take stock of societal norms." This piece left me wondering where I would choose to conclude my own Anne of Green Gables virtual reality experience and whether I would prefer to leave before those final two minutes.

Created January 27, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com