With a really cute modernized retelling of Anne of Green Gables by @ivynoelle and the cutest, most colorful graphics by @myishah, this is a total win for Anne of Green Gables fans. If you aren’t familiar with Anne, but you love the way The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels modernize the source material, this is totally still your vibe! Anne may do 2020s things like join robotics club and FaceTime Diana, but all the sweet and timeless themes of the original still shine through. Anne may not have been ~born and raised~ in West Philadelphia, but she totally makes her own space there with the help of Matthew, Marilla, Diana, and even Gilbert (eventually 🤪)

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.

Anne of West of Philly is a graphic retelling of Anne of Green Gables set very firmly in the here and now and I loved it.

The wonder of Anne of Green Gables isn't lost at all in this tale, you still have the exuberant Anne with an E (because it's important) who has a love for life and wonder of it all. However, she's very much a girl of the here and now and it makes it all the more relatable for those reading this book with either no knowledge of the original or a love of the girl who longed for more.

She's eager to fit in, sees magic in the mundane around her and is so appreciative of being given a chance every child should have - and that is to be happy and loved. No matter the telling, Anne is a child you just want to hug and experience the world through her eyes as she grows into herself with the Cuthberts who teach her to be her best self without losing her childlike wonder of all around her.

Again, Ivy Noelle Weir and Myisha Haynes ensure that the core part of the original isn't lost and I strongly believe that this adaptation will bring new readers to Green Gables. But it is also true to say that Anne of West of Philly is a book that stands proud in its own right with a wonderful tale of love and self-discovery, of acceptance and kindness.

I think this is a fantastic book for many reasons, its ability to retell a classic in a new way, its wonderful artwork, and also its own unique story.

I'm really glad I got to read and enjoy it, and I hope that Anne of West Philly got her happy ever after because she deserved it.

This was a fun and easy-to-read MG graphic novel. I read this in one sitting and I loved it so much. From the art style to the plot/story and from the characters to the themes explored, this was a great read.

Featuring a young black girl as the main character, I like that this book did not center on Anne’s trauma. While she has had a tough life before the start of the book (going through a couple of foster homes), this book starts on a fresh note for Anne. I like that a non-traditional family structure was featured in this book as well. This book was filled with awesome characters that loved and supported Anne.

She made friends, there was a bit of romance, and she gained a new family. I love the STEM aspect of the book so much! Anne is such a smart cookie and she got the chance to shine by joining Robotics Club. This book had heavy themes, sure, but it was ultimately lighthearted and heavy on the Black Girl Joy, which I loved.

The illustrations were great and I loved the movement of time through the seasons and the various iterations of Anne’s hair.

I really enjoyed this book and I’d def recommend it.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher for a tour. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Anne of West Philly

Author: Ivy Noelle Weir & Myisha Haynes (illustrator)

Book Series: Standalone for now

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Black foster care MC, Black characters, Hispanic characters, siblings living together

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, graphic novel, retelling, Anne of Green Gables retelling

Publication Date: March 1, 2022

Genre: MG Graphic Novel Retelling

Age Relevance: 10+ (sexism, foster care trauma, alcohol briefly mentioned, slight bullying, medical emergency)

Explanation of Above: Sexism and foster care trauma is discussed and shown slightly in the book. There is a very small brief mention of alcohol, but nothing was drunk in the book. There is some slight bullying that only lasts a few scenes. There is a medical emergency and hospital stay shown.

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 245

Synopsis: 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: I absolutely fell in love with this Anne of Green Gables retelling. Anne was one of my first book series that I fell in love with as a child and that I identified with greatly. She was feisty and spirited and didn’t take anything from anyone. And I feel like that spirit translates well to modern day retellings. I absolutely loved this iteration of Anne and she was everything I always remembered and loved most about Anne. The story of foster care kids is something that’s not really changed since L.M. Montgomery wrote Anne and making a retelling of Anne’s story can only help current foster care kids who are going through the system now. I also loved all of the updates to the story, including STEM! The character development of Anne was so well done, I love the illustrations and feel like they conveyed the heart of the story well. The world building was artistically illustrated and detailed. The whole book is a masterpiece that I would love to see in libraries and freely available to foster care kids.

The only issue I had with the book is that it did feel a little disjointed when we skipped times, but it was otherwise well done and I can’t wait to read another iteration of Anne of West Philly.

Verdict: I highly recommend this one!

Thanks his was a perfect contemporary retelling g of my all time favorite, Anne of Green Gables. I love that this format will bring this story to a whole new audience who can fall in love with Anne as well. The illustrations were great and the modern updates to this story were spot on.

Again a big thank you to TBR Tours and Beyond for allowing me to review Anne of West Philly and to the Publishers for sending me a Netgalley Arc.

This is my second middle grade graphic novel written by Ivy and as soon as I saw the tour for Anne of West Philly I knew I really wanted to read this book and was not disappointed.

Again Anne is a POC and I loved that the illustrator Myisha Haynes kept the red hair and freckles and I thought the illustrations and writing matched like two peas in a pod. Ivy has followed the original story to a tee but then gave it a twist which I think alot of younger readers will like and that is the introduction of STEM through robotics and showed that girls were just as good as boys. I also believe that this could encourage more girls into STEM.

I also love Anne's character growth throughout the story and how she turned the ordinary into the extraordinary with the support of her family and friends. I cannot wait to see what Ivy does next and for all these reasons Anne of West Philly gets 4 stars

Content Warning: heart attack and hospitalization of parent

I have very little connection with Anne of Green Gables, despite it being a Canadian classic. So I have very little opinions on how closely this relates to the original material. That being said, this story was quick to get through. I enjoyed the inclusion of STEM programs, especially since the friend-group were all a part of the club.

Speaking of friend group. I didn’t connect with these characters. I found Anne to be very obnoxious at times – and I understand Anne was suppose to be misunderstood and optimistic, but I found it jarring is certain situations. I also found some of her actions to be manipulative, but this seemed to go away in the story, so the reader is left to assume that she learned a lesson or grew out of it. I did love her two best friends. I found them to be all around nice people. The characters interacting with Anne were purposeful: with the adults it was usually assumptions made on the adults part, blow up, adult learning their lesson, then apologizing to Anne. A lot of moments I felt things were exaggerated unnecessary- but then again when I was that age I do remember things being extreme and very much over exaggerated lol.

Although not my typical art style, I found that Myisha Haynes did a beautiful job. The entire graphic novel was colourful and expressive. The characters showed a large range in expressions that I don’t always find in Middle grade graphic novels. You could picture the full range of motions in your head to go from one panel to the next without it feeling clunky – you got a feel for each character and their personality. Honestly, I’m curious to check out Myisha’s web-comic, The Substitutes.

If you’ve been reading Ivy’s modern retellings so far then I think you’ll continue to enjoy this one. It was a good enough slice of life graphic novel following an 8th grader with a knack for coding – I think a middle grader would really enjoy this.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. It was so real and touched on a lot of issues for children as well as adults. The graphics were on point and the story was easy to follow. It was an emotional roller coaster, to say the least!

I really can’t say enough good things about this book. Very well done!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

***Five Reasons To Read Anne of West Philly***

#1. You have ever been a fan of Anne with an E (the E is important)

I’ll admit that I haven’t read Anne of Green Gables. That being said, I know a surprising amount about the story and its main heroine! I feel like this story really captured the heart and soul of Anne Shirley. It showcases her spunkiness, her wonder, and her tenacity. I think if you are at all a fan of the original, you’ll be pretty captivated with this retelling! I also think the author did a fantastic job putting a modern twist on the story.

#2. You like art that is so vibrant, it comes to life

The art in this graphic novel is truly stunning! It’s vibrant and expressive, to the point where the characters and setting really come to life in your imagination. I’m going to be honest, when I saw the cover for this in the sign up post, the art alone is what made me jump on-board! It’s such a lovely style that I think captures the spirit of Anne and her story perfectly. It certainly made me want to look up the illustrator’s other work!

#3. You want to read a book featuring a young, Black girl that doesn’t feature trauma

MORE OF THIS, PLEASE! It’s so refreshing to pick up a book with a Black protagonist and not have to deal with racism every few pages. I’m not saying Anne’s life is all kittens and rainbows, but the conflicts that arise in this story don’t center around her Blackness. They center around the fact that she’s a young girl in eighth grade. A young girl in foster care who is starting at a new school and while adjusting to life with her foster family. It focuses on what an amazing young woman Anne is and, though she goes through some tough times, it focuses on her joy. And I think that is really important for young, Black readers.

#4. You’re a fan of joy in book form

Speaking of joy, if I could use one word to describe this graphic novel, that would be it! I can’t remember the last time I smiled so much while reading a book! There were also tears, but they were happy ones. This is such a sweet and uplifting story that had me grinning, laughing, and wanting to hug my kids at several moments while I was reading. This is definitely something I’ll be passing along for them to read because I know they’ll love it, too. It will probably be a book I go back to when I need a little pick-me-up, as well!

#5. You want a happy book that centers around a non-traditional family

I know there are plenty of novels that have non-traditional family units in them, but I feel like a lot of them are shown in a less than favorable light. At least that is what I’ve noticed in the stories I read! So it was refreshing to read about Anne and the Cuthberts, the brother and sister duo that foster her. The Cuthberts could teach all parents a thing or two about being patient and understanding with children. I adored Matthew and Marilla so much and it was beautiful to see their relationship with Anne grow. I need to find more rep of healthy and stable foster families because it was lovely to read.

Final thoughts: This was an incredible retelling that made my soul happy! I can’t speak to how faithful it is to the source material, having never read it, but I know a little of Anne of Green Gables and I feel like the author really captured her spirit. The art is amazing, the story is filled with joy, and I think this is a middle grade graphic novel is one I will be revisiting multiple times. It certainly has me excited to find more books by both this author and the illustrator!

I loved this book! I felt like this reimagining truly captured the energy of Anne's character from the original story, while adapting the setting to be more relevant to modern audiences. I really enjoyed Myisha Haynes' illustration style in this graphic novel! It was light, bubbly, and perfectly fit Anne's personality and the tone of the story. After reading Anne of West Philly, I am absolutely going to check out the two other books in this series, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and The Secret Garden on 81st Street.

My Recommendation-
If you (or any young readers you may have at home) love stories with strong-spirited female leads, you need to grab a copy of Anne of West Philly. I would especially recommend this graphic novel to fans of the TV series, Anne with an E!

I have to preface this review by saying that I have not read Anne of Green Gables although it is one that I want to read at some point, so I cannot comment on this modern retelling in comparison to the original. However, having read the author’s retelling of The Secret Garden I have great faith in that aspect of that book. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Ivy Noelle Weir has become a must-read to me throughout these two books, because she has such a wonderful way of telling stories that capture all the charm of these well-loved stories, and that feeling of losing yourself in the nostalgia of an older tale, with great emotional and a wonderful, not just modern but timely impact.

This is a middle-grade book, but the heart of this story and the lessons that can be drawn from it – are ones that stretch across the ages. From the struggle of trying to set down roots in a new location and making friends, to that impactful first love, to finding what you’re good at and embracing your own creativity, and learning how to apologise and work with others, it’s all here in this book – and done in a really relatable way that will appeal to a wide audience. I also loved the representation here – and this, in particular, is where it is so important for its target age range, because it embraces girls in science and robotics and celebrates it, and remembering some of the trouble I had in science classes where I was the only girl this is an important thing to showcase and it is done beautifully here.

The writing, of course, is beautifully paired with the art. The art style is fun and captures the spirit of this story perfectly, and it just adds another dimension to the story and to the characterisation, particularly with Anne. Her cheerful personality was just so well encapsulated by the art (and the variety of outfits), that it really helped her leap off the page.

An absolutely wonderful graphic novel, that deserves a space on every shelf.

this was such a fun and wholesome graphic retelling of Anne of Green Gables. I loved the artwork and the story was so fun. The illustrations perfectly matched the vibes of the book and the colours were so fun. I liked the inclusion of diverse characters and the additions made to the plot. The girl power was definitely increased a bit from the original which is awesome to see! The way some of the original plot lines were worked in and made more modern was super fun! Overall, a fun modern retelling of Anne!

This middle grade graphic novel brought me SO much JOY!! Reading more graphic novels is something that is really important for me to do more of this year and Anne of West Philly did not disappoint!

This is a modern retelling of Anne of Green Gables and it’s FREAKING FANTASTIC! I adored Anne growing up so seeing it told in graphic novel form, modernized, and with fantastic representation warms my heart.

When brother and sister Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert foster a spunky redhead teenage girl for the first time, their lives are turned upside down. Anne Shirley has an exploding personality and exceptional creativity that she learns especially excels in robotics and STEM. As she learns to navigate her new life in West Philly, she makes new friends, finds first love, fosters her creativity, and maybe even finds something she didn’t know she needed - family.

This story was done so well. The graphic novel adaptation + the modern twist worked fantastically together. You learn hard life lessons right alongside Anne from learning the importance of a heartfelt apology to how to work with someone who drives you nuts. The illustrations are wonderful, the story pulls you along, the lessons learned are perfect for the middle grade reader in your life (even though I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult), the actual book is BEAUTIFUL, and you just can’t help to fall in love with this spunky redhead. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, I can’t get enough of girls in science and STEM!! I need all the books that showcase girls thriving doing super cool stuff like competing in a robotics competition. I can’t get enough of it.

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll be a lot of things in life, Anne. But you keep that integrity. Few things are as good as being trustworthy.”

I read this graphic novel as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up!

When I saw that Weir was coming out with another graphic novel adaptation I jumped at the chance to read it because I enjoyed the first adaptation she made for The Secret Garden, which I read last year. This is another popular childhood "classic" that I never got around to reading, so I can't comment much about the accuracy of the adaptation, but for the most part, I did enjoy it.

I very much enjoyed the art style and the colour palette which was so vibrant and fitting with Anne's exuberant personality. I particularly liked how the work captured the character's various expressions so well! Much like in Weir's other GN, this does have a lot of dialogue/text but it doesn't overwhelm the art.

As the main character, Anne goes through a significant amount of growth by the time we get to the end, and despite a fairly rocky start, I really appreciated how her character develops. She's rambunctious, curious and willful but also very smart. She's a teenager in the thick of her adolescent years but a lot of the time, especially at the start, she came across as quite childish, bratty and a bit petulant. Ngl, I was a little worried that I wouldn't like her because of how much I didn't enjoy this attitude, but her character really matures as she adjusts to her new foster home, makes close friends, and settles into school. Her friendship with Diana was wonderful but the relationship that held the limelight for me was her friendship with Gilbert. They get off on the wrong foot and he starts out as her nemesis, but I loved how they developed a strong connection through the robotics club and coding, which eventually formed into a best-friendship that was so genuinely supportive and sweet! I also loved how her relationship with her foster parents evolved—it was very much a rocky start there, especially with Marilla, but they grew to really appreciate and love one another by the end. It was very heartwarming!

It didn't particularly impact my enjoyment of the story but I will point out that while it's meant to be set in West Philly, I found there was nothing in the setting of the artwork that stood out to me as being part of that area. Then again, I've never been there but the setting came across as a fairly generic suburb or residential area, so this really could've taken place anywhere. Though I suppose this makes it more 'relatable' as readers can easily imagine this story taking place in their neighbourhood area!

Overall, this was a fun and enjoyable graphic novel that I sped through in one sitting. Even without any knowledge of the original story, I was still able to appreciate Anne's coming-of-age journey and it was really satisfying to see her character find happiness and peace after a tumultuous beginning in her life. Her passion and optimism was honestly pretty infectious!

This is the second book I read by Ivy Noelle Weir and I really enjoyed it. It is a modern retelling of Anne of Green Gables in a graphic novel form.
This time Anne is in West Philadelphia where she finds new friends and a new family that she wasn't expecting.
The art style is really beautiful and it matches really well with the story. I liked the turn the story took and I also enjoyed the character development.

I super enjoyed this retelling! I'm a big fan of 'Anne of Green Gables' so I was intrigued by the premise and diversity this book offered.

There are lots of similarities to the original book series, but also so much that made this book stand out and completely its own. For example, the activism in this book is somewhat original to this retelling, but still a very Anne thing to do. The plot was engaging and moved at a great pace. 'Anne of Green Gables' can be a somewhat dark and tough story to tell, but I felt the author and illustrator did a great job of lightening things up for the younger audience for whom this novel is intended.

Also, I loved all the characters. Like, every single one. They were bold, refreshing, and still, somehow, felt original. Anne, of course, was my favorite with most of her friends being a close second.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the amazing illustrations. They were colorful, captivating, and truly conveyed the characters feelings and emotions throughout the story. I loved seeing the characters come to life in this way. Also, as I mentioned above, the illustrator did a great job of making this book feel lighter and more "kid-friendly" than sometimes 'Anne of Green Gables' retellings can be.

Ultimately, my expectations were met and this book was thoroughly enjoyed. And I'm so glad this could be told in graphic novel form! I think it really elevated the story.

This was a cute reimagining of Anne of Green Gables. I liked that it was made more diverse and moderenized for a new generation. The artwork was a lot of fun and very colorful.

This is such a great retelling with an updated character that is really relatable. When I was kid, I found Anne of Green Gables a little dull as a kid because I didn’t feel like I could relate to her, but I really enjoyed Anne in this iteration. I definitely recommend!

I adore modern retellings of classics and the fact that this was a graphic novel was the icing on the cake! While I'm not familiar with the original story, nothing felt out of place in the retelling. The illustrations were bright and colorful, and Anne's desire to do good and be her best were sweet and heartwarming.