A charming modern retelling of Anne of Green Gables - faithful in feeling to the original story and beautifully depicted and paced. I would’ve loved to see more about Philly itself throughout (we get a feel for the neighborhood in the beginning, but not much later on), but I’d generally recommend for a light but full-hearted read! ( )

So much I loved--a focus on the foster system, highlighting women in STEM

But I missed Gilbert!!!!

Truly a sweet retelling of Anne of Green Gables and an excellent introduction into Lucy Maud Montgomery's magical world. ( )

As with the original Anne, this Anne of West Philly is enthusiastic and optimistic, with a flair for the overdramatic. Unlike, the original Anne, this Anne is into robotics and coding, And her Gil is a reluctant teammate for the robotics competition which they eventually win and discover they work well together. Many of the key "Anne" scenes happen here, if quickly and with less depth. But as an African-American adaptation it's fun to see the story's potential. ( )

I love the art style of this, but the story is severely lacking the charm and whimsy of the original Anne (with an 'e.') It's a neat idea to subvert Anne's story in a way that she's a foster child in an urban setting, dealing with modern conveniences and issues. However, the reason I (and so many others) fell in love with [b: Anne of Green Gables|8127|Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)|L.M. Montgomery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1615094578l/8127._SY75_.jpg|3464264] is because Anne is super-imaginative, and can spend hours (and pages) waxing on about how beautiful a flowering tree or a starry sky is. I wanted to be a writer just like Anne. I fell in love with Prince Edward Island based on L.M. Montgomery's poetic descriptions of the landscape. I wanted to see what it was that captivated Anne so... I also grew attached to Anne's friends and found-family: Matthew, Marilla, Rachel Lynde, Diana, Ruby, and of course, Gilbert.

That connection is what I'm missing here... I don't feel inspired to visit West Philly (although I have been to Philadelphia before, as well as PEI, and they are vastly different but both fascinating in their own ways.) I'm not really all that attached to any of the characters, and although STEM was a good thing for Gilbert and Anne to bond over, it's not as fun as the literary, dramatic Anne I'm used to. (Also, who is Anne interested in as opposed to Gilbert? We're never told, and that still bothers me...)

Still, I think that this is a good introduction to the character of Anne for a tween/teen who's never been exposed to her stories before... (That's why I purchased it for my school library.) I just hope that it will be a bridge to the original books and not just another stop on the graphic novel train. ( )

This is exactly as advertised -- a modernized, race-shifted version of Anne of Green Gables in graphic novel format. As someone who loved the original I feel mixed about it -- will today's kids love it? I think so, and I think this is a well-done version. Did I love it? Meh -- I think it's well done, but it loses most of the magic -- the graphic novel format makes things much more skim-able, and the characters are significantly flatter. I like the art, I like the implied LGBTQ twist, but it lacks the emotional impact for me. It can also feel a little bit didactic, especially early on when Anne is learning the house rules. ( )