Title: Anne of West Philly
Author: Ivy Noelle Weir, Myisha Haynes (illustrator)
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Contemporary
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 1, 2022
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
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 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:
Anne Shirley moves in with her new foster family, siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. This is their first time with a teenage girl as their foster child. Anne has a big personality, which contrasts with Marilla’s and Matthew’s quiet demeanors. Anne makes new friends, joins the robotics club, and takes this quiet West Philadelphia neighbourhood by storm.
This is a fun, modern adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. Anne had a spunky personality, which made her stand out from the crowd. It took a while, but she eventually wins over everyone’s hearts.
Most of the events from the original story were updated in a way that made sense for today’s world. The only part that I didn’t think fit in as well was the part where Anne gives Diana the cordial. In the original story, Anne accidentally gives her friend cherry cordial which makes them drunk, so that couldn’t be in a children’s book today. In this modern version, they eat too many chocolates with liquor that make Diana sick. I don’t think those chocolates would make her drunk like the liquor did in the original story, so it felt a little forced to me. Other than that part, I think this modern adaptation was true to the feel of the original story.
Anne of West Philly is a great, modern graphic novel adaptation of Anne of Green Gables.
Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and TBR and Beyond Book Tours for providing a copy of this book.
What to read next:
The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir, Amber Padilla (illustrator)
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero, Bre Indigo (illustrator)
Where to buy:
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0316459771/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anne-of-west-philly-ivy-noelle-weir/1139648074?ean=9780316459778
- Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Anne-West-Philly-Ivy-N-Weir/9780316459778?ref=grid-view&qid=1641836186740&sr=1-1
- Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/anne-of-west-philly-a/9780316459778-item.html?ikwid=anne+of+west+philly&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=6bb5ee47f905604bbcecd74430c9a0e3
- IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316459778
About the author:
Ivy Noelle Weir is a writer of comics and prose. She is the co-creator of the Dwayne McDuffie Award-winning graphic novel Archival Quality (Oni Press), the upcoming The Secret Garden on 81st Street (Little, Brown for Young Readers), and her writing has appeared in anthologies such as Princeless: Girls Rock (Action Lab Entertainment) and Dead Beats (A Wave Blue World). She lives in the greater Boston area with her husband and their two tiny, weird dogs.
Tour schedule:
February 28th
Jill’s Book Blog – Review
Book Notes by Athina – Promotional Post
Books with Michelle – Top 5 Reasons to Read Anne of West Philly & Mood Board
March 1st
Beneath A Thousand Skies – Review
Lily’s Cozy Blog – Review & Tik Tok
Rampant Reading Reviews – Review
March 2nd
Stuck in Fiction – Promotional Post
Not In Jersey – Review
Kerri McBookNerd – Top 5 Reasons to Read Anne of West Philly
March 3rd
Nine Bookish Lives – Promotional Post
Just a Gal and Her Books – Review
March 4th
dinipandareads – Review
The Book View – Review
Justice For Readers – Review
March 5th
The Book Dutchesses – Promotional Post
Oyinda Loves Books – Review
Kait Plus Books – Mood Board
March 6th
The Nutty Bookworm Reads Alot – Review
The Human Curveball – Review
PopTheButterfly Reads – Review
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