Books & Audiobooks
This summer, the Stratford Festival is presenting a charming production of Anne of Green Gables. It is a brand new interpretation of the story, which involves a book club’s imaging of the novel. The play includes a contemporary spin that I just fell in love with; it made me think of all the interesting new adaptations that have been presented in the literary world as well. Just this summer I read three different graphic novel versions. If you love the character of Anne as much as I do – are “bosom friends,” “kindred spirits,” “glad to live in a world where there are Octobers” – you may want to revisit the classic or check out these new takes as well.
Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel
by Mariah Marsden and illustrated by Brenna Thummler
Mariah Marsden’s Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel is a retelling of the original novel. All of our favourite elements are still here but now we get to see gorgeous visuals of Anne’s escapades too. Lovely, delicate illustrations by Brenna Thummler bring to life the landscape of Prince Edward Island and the details of Anne’s life at Green Gables. Green is indeed the prominent colour used in the images, which makes for a very lush and organic feel. Being a graphic novel, the story is tighter than the novel, so in a way it feels a little rushed, but my 11-year-old son really enjoyed reading this one and still came away loving the character of Anne as much I do.
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Anne: an Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort of)
by Kathleen Gros
Kathleen Gros is a cartoonist from Vancouver BC, who presents us with a contemporary version of Anne. Prior to renewing Anne’s story, she released Jo: An Adaptation of Little Women (Sort of). While there are updates – like The Avon-lea is now the name of the apartment building Marilla and Matthew live in and “bosom friend” becomes “best friend” – Gros does stay very true to the spirit of the character of Anne. Anne has always been celebrated for her incredible imagination, and here she makes use of it by creating “zines” as part of a school club.
Gros’ illustrations are bright, cheerful and include nice touches, such as the visuals of Anne’s notebook – we get to see how she draws and writes about her experiences and feelings. I did think that some of Gros’ big swings were less successful than others; for instance, Marilla takes a liking to Anne almost right from the get-go…and I always loved the slow build of their relationship in the original work. In the end though, it is still a refreshing and fun contemporary take on Anne.
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Anne of West Philly: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Anne of Green Gables
by Ivy Weir and illustrated by Myisha Haynes
Ivy Weir’s retelling of Anne demonstrates the character’s appeal the world over. Weir, and the book’s illustrator Myisha Haynes, are both American, and here Anne is now a foster kid living in Philidelphia. She’s a middle schooler who has been passed from home to home in the foster care system and has finally ended up with siblings Matthew and Marilla.
What I’ve always loved about the character of Anne is that she is a smart, curious and passionate person, and Weir’s West Philly Anne has all of those same qualities too. Updates on many of the key stories from the source material work really well here – for instance, giving herself a bad haircut rather than dying her hair green, which results in a super trendy side shave. Also, Anne uses a smart phone, Instagram and codes with Scratch at school, all references that kids today would get and connect with.
The book’s illustrator, Haynes, worked as a video game artist for many years and her images have a crispness that read like a game or animated movie…the figures in particular are Disney-esque. I was taken with this version of Anne and think many young readers will be too!
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