Dan in Green Gables (2025) is a graphic novel adaptation of
L.M. Montgomery's novel
Anne of Green Gables, written by Rey Terciero (also known as Rex Ogle) with illustrations by Claudia Aguirre. The graphic novel is 256 pages in length, and it re-imagines the story of
Anne of Green Gables.
Publishers Weekly describes the plot as follows: "After being abandoned by his mother, a queer teen endeavors to cultivate a sense of home and belonging in this tender and heartfelt graphic novel reimagining of
Anne of Green Gables. Living on the road with his flighty mother, who has an alcohol dependency, forced pale-skinned 15-year-old Dan to assume adult responsibilities early in his childhood. His nomadic lifestyle abruptly ends when his mother takes him to rural Tennessee to meet his late father’s parents; the next morning, Dan is heartbroken to realize his mother is gone, leaving him with the grandparents he’s never known."
Rey Terciero spoke about his choice to re-imagine
Anne of Green Gables as a graphic novel for today's kids who have "less time than ever." In an essay at
Publishers Weekly, he writes, "...while I was daydreaming about reforging my required reading (and sometimes extra credit), I thought, 'Hmm. These would be so much better as comics.' So as an adult, I wanted to write stories for the younger me. I wanted to see myself reflected in these stories. With prose, it’s easy to say a character is white, or brown, or Black. But when you see these characters with the same skin color as you, something magical happens and awakens a hunger for more stories.
That’s why I wrote
Meg, Jo, Beth, & Amy. That’s why I wrote
Northranger. That’s why I wrote
Doña Quixote. And that’s why I wrote
Dan in Green Gables.
So if I’m going to write for teen me, I know he’s going to want something that’s not only fun and powerful and emotional and hilarious, but also...short. Graphic novels are quick reads for kids. So much so, that they often go back and read them again, and again, and again.
And if those kids are anything like me—and trust me, they are—they’ll want to start creating their own classics, so they can take well-known stories and re-imagine them to see themselves."
Here is the description of the book from
Penguin Random House:
In this modern reimagining of Anne of Green Gables, effervescent extrovert Dan Stewart-Álvarez is surprised to find home and community in rural Tennessee.
Despite a life on the road with his free-spirited mother, fifteen-year-old Dan Stewart-Álvarez has always wanted to settle down. He just didn’t think it’d be like this: with his mother abandoning him in rural Tennessee with two strangers—his gentle grandmother and conservative, rough-around-the-edges grandfather. Here, he is forced to adjust to working the farm, entering high school, and hardest yet—reckoning with his queerness in a severe Southern Baptist community.
But even as Dan grows closer to his mawmaw, befriends fellow outsiders at school, and tries to make a new life for himself in Green Gables, he has to discover whether he can contend with intolerance and adapt to change without losing himself in the process.
From award-winning author Rey Terciero and Eisner Award nominee and illustrator Claudia Aguirre comes a new retelling of Anne of Green Gables about unconventional families, queer identity, and finding the meaning of home in the most unlikely of places.
Reviews
"Animated, intricately detailed artwork by Aguirre (
Lifetime Passes) has a watercolor feel that evokes a nostalgic 1990s ambiance. Utilizing a bustling, distinctly limned cast anchored by a protagonist whose personality leaps off the page, Terciero (
Northranger) explores religion, generational trauma, acceptance, and self-worth with grace."
—
Publishers Weekly, starred review (
full review)
"The art style is detailed, especially in capturing the 1990s Tennessee setting, while still maintaining an appealing bright, bold look. VERDICT: a must purchase, especially for fans of Mike Curato’s
Flamer or those who enjoy the works of Ivy Noelle Weir and Kathleen Gros."
—
School Library Journal, starred review
"An energetic and enchanting YA graphic novel [that] embodies the spirit of L.M. Montgomery's
Anne of Green Gables while giving it a shiny new take that compassionately incorporates chaotic family dynamics, friendship, queer identity, religion, bullying, and—above all—love.
Dan in Green Gables stands alone as an uplifting and gratifying graphic novel, relatable to any reader who believes, like Dan, that 'happiness is a revolution.'"
—
Shelf Awareness, starred review
"The dreamy, whimsical illustrations are steeped in the sweet, slow feeling of a humid East Tennessee afternoon. Pops of saturated color flood the background of some panels, highlighting emotional moments and mirroring Dan’s vibrant personality. Satisfying thematic parallels and a spirited, vulnerable carrot-topped protagonist will satisfy fans of the original, which is refreshingly remixed by Terciero’s joyfully queer spin. An effervescent search for belonging and a heartfelt ode to a beloved classic."
—
Kirkus Reviews
"
Dan in Green Gables captures the charm and sincerity of the beloved classic with a new protagonist whose infectious energy and perseverance will enthrall fans of Anne Shirley. Terciero depicts the struggles of his protagonist with tenderness, striking an excellent balance between hardship and joy:
Dan in Green Gables never feels too demoralizing, nor too lighthearted...meanwhile, Claudia Aguirre’s lush illustrations capture Dan’s year in Tennessee in warm, inviting hues that imbue the characters with liveliness and depict a world you’ll want to revisit again and again."
—
BookPage
ISBN-13: 978-0593385586
Image credit:
Book cover of
Dan in Green Gables.
References:
Dan in Green Gables (March 31, 2025).
Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from:
https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780593385579.
Terciero, Rey (Rex Ogle). (June 3, 2025). Why Reimagining Classic Literature as Modern Graphic Novels Is So Important for Young and Reluctant Readers.
Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from:
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/97935-why-re-imagining-classic-literature-as-modern-graphic-novels-is-so-important-for-young-and-reluctant-readers.html.
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Created June 15, 2025. Last
updated September 17, 2025.
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