BOOK: Anne Frank, The Graphic Novel

[Frank W. Baker]

Last week, during a workshop for school librarians, I mentioned that I was a fan of the non-fiction graphic novel--having noticed graphic novel adaptations of the 9/11 Commission Report; the McCain-Obama Race for the White House; and more recently, the US Constitution.

Now, an ad in the New York Times has alerted me to:  Anne Frank, The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography, published by Hill and Wang, a division of Farrar Straus Giroux.  See the book website for details: http://us.macmillan.com/annefrank-2

Images from the novel can be seen on the Amazon.com site
http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Frank-Authorized-Graphic-Biography/dp/08...

The team that created the bestselling The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation reunites to produce a stunning biography of Anne Frank, a book as historically rigorous as it is personally engaging. The story begins with the youths of Anne's parents, Otto and Edith, then traces the family's trajectory through WWI, into WWII, and finally beyond it to Otto's postwar activities and his death in 1980. Anne's childhood is portrayed against the background of the Depression and the rise of Nazism. The narration mixes historical background and informative "snapshots" of events like Germany's Nuremberg Laws of 1935, Kristallnacht, and the concentration camps, with details about the Franks and their household. Personality and life are added not just through Anne's oft-quoted diary but other contemporary memoirs and narratives--all listed in a bibliography--along with a chronology of world events and Anne's life. The combination of history, memoir, and richly detailed graphic representations creates a powerful whole, a beautiful and important graphic novel that will be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Publisher's Weekly

The full-color graphic biography of Anne, whose Holocaust-era diary has been read by millions, goes beyond the time period she recounts… It brings to life the story of the Frank family, [and] is as visually and historically accurate as possible — down to the clothing worn by the Franks, the military uniforms of the Nazis, the furniture and layout of the Franks' secret apartment, and Bergen-Belsen, the camp where Anne died in March 1945 at age 15.” —Carol Memmott, USA Today

[Maureen Bakis]

Here's another link to a video of the authors talking about the creation of the book! Enjoy- my students loved seeing these guys togther especially after having read The 911 Report.