Published: 2022
Series: Modern Classic Retellings (Follow-up to Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and The Secret Garden on 81st Street)
Author: Ivy Noelle Weir
Illustrator: Myisha Haynes
Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Retellings, Fiction, Comics, Contemporary, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, LGBT
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades 4-7
Number of Stars: 4-Stars
Goodreads Link: Anne of West Philly: a Modern Retelling of Anne of Green Gables
Triggers: Foster care system, parental abandonment (implied)
Review By: Molly Clark
Publisher’s Summary:
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.
Review:
The original Anne of Green Gables series is one of my all time favorites. I listen to the Sleep Story version on the Calm app several times a month. A few years ago I ordered a graphic version of the original, adapted by Mariah Marsden, but it was disappointing and never really took off in my library. I was nervous about this modern remake, and, while West Philly lacks the charm of Prince Edward Island, I think this version is going to be more relatable to today’s students. Anne comes to the Cuthbert home after being in a string of foster homes. I appreciated that the author choose to retain all of the original main characters’ names and relationships while bringing them into the 21st century. The characters are diverse in skin tone, assumed ethnicity, and socio-economic status. There’s even a subtle hint that Anne is more interested in Diana than Gilbert. I found this title very satisfying and I look forward to reading the other modernized classics by Ms. Weir.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- English Language Arts (ELA): This title provides an excellent foundation for comparative literature studies. Students can compare the plot, setting, characterization, and themes of L.M. Montgomery’s classic Anne of Green Gables with this modern graphic adaptation.
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Highly useful for addressing identity, building relationships, navigating foster care systems, finding belonging, and overcoming social/economic differences.
Diversity & Representation:
This adaptation brings outstanding diverse representation to a classic story. The characters reflect realistic diversity in terms of skin tone, assumed ethnicity, and socio-economic backgrounds. Furthermore, it gently explores LGBTQ+ representation with a subtle narrative hint pointing toward Anne’s romantic interest in Diana rather than Gilbert.
Readalikes:
- Dan in Green Gables: A Modern Reimagining of Anne of Green Gables by Rey Terciero
- Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of) (Sort Of Adaptations, #1) by Kathleen Gros
- Winging It by Megan Wagner Lloyd
