Saturday, November 3, 2012

Kid Konnection: A Wrinkle in Time The Graphic Novel


Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share with you a classic children's book that is being presented in an entirely new way.

Summary: The world already knows Meg and Charles Wallace Murry, Calvin O'Keefe, and the three Mrs--Who, Whatsit, and Which--the memorable and wonderful characters who fight off a dark force and save our universe in the Newbery award-winning classic A Wrinkle in Time. But in 50 years of publication, the book has never been illustrated.  Now, Hope Larson takes the classic story to a new level with her vividly imagined interpretations of tessering and favorite characters like the Happy Medium and Aunt Beast. Perfect for old fans and winning over new ones, this graphic novel adaptation is a must-read. --FSG

Earlier this year, I read and reviewed A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle; and I'm pretty sure it was my first time to read the entire novel! Crazy, right? As a pre-teen and teen, I wasn't into fantasy at all and had no desire to even pick it up; however, I am so glad that I finally got around to reading it as an adult because I absolutely loved it. When I learned that Hope Larson had adapted and illustrated Ms. L'Engle's classic novel as a graphic novel, A WRINKLE IN TIME: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, I jumped at the chance to read it.

I actually loved A WRINKLE IN TIME: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL almost as much as the original. I feel as if Ms. Larson captured the essence of Ms. L'Engle's book while also presenting it an a very unique way. I have tried to get Booking Daughter to read A WRINKLE IN TIME for months now to no avail; however, when she say me reading the graphic novel version, she immediately asked for it. I have no doubt that fans of the novel will enjoy this adaptation, but I also hope that this format might provide the opportunity for this fantastic story to get in the hands of an entirely new audience.

Ms. Larson's black and white (and blue) illustrations were just fabulous. She managed to capture the suspenseful aspects of the story, and she did a great job of expressing all of the characters' emotions. I was also extremely impressed with how much of the story she included in her version, and how she managed to stay true to not only the original story but also the chapter headings. I am fairly confident in saying that "new" A WRINKLE IN TIME readers will walk away from this story with a full understanding of it as well as a grasp of the major themes.

Just check out this video to get an idea of how awesome these illustrations are:



I loved A WRINKLE IN TIME: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL and I highly recommend it to kids of all ages. It would make a fantastic holiday gift.. if you're thinking along those lines already!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!

4 comments:

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Can you believe I haven't read it yet either? Gaah! Maybe I'd get farther with the graphic version! LOL

My Kid Konnection today is an amazing and wonderful book about Indian Schools in the 19th Century. There are actually 3 books in the series but I have only read this first one.

Beth F said...

I read A Wrinkle in Time about the time it first came out. I remember I read one or two other books in the series. I reread AWIT a few years ago and still loved it.

I love the idea of GN version and I like the illustrations.

Laura at Library of Clean Reads said...

I love when they turn classics into graphic novels. They make more books accessible to kids.

bermudaonion said...

I didn't love the original book and have a feeling I'd enjoy the graphic novel more. The illustrations look fabulous!