Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel

Gr 4 Up–Much like with her graphic novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby, Woodman-Maynard achieves the seemingly impossible task of enhancing a much beloved classic novel. Adapted from Babbitt’s original text, with the encouragement and support of Babbitt’s family, this graphic novel features the story of Winnie Foster, a 10-year-old girl trapped in a rigid life of societal and familial expectations. When Winnie tries to run away from her gilded cage, she stumbles across the Tuck family and discovers their unbelievable secret—immortality after drinking from a magical spring. Through lush, atmospheric watercolors, Babbitt’s lyrical and descriptive language is brought to life, creating palpable visualizations of abstract concepts, like the imagery of a wheel to represent story structure, the cyclical nature of life, and the ticking of a clock. Also included in this edition is a conversation between the artist and Babbitt’s daughter, Lucy; a “making of” vignette on the process of creating the graphic novel; and primary sources of Babbitt’s handwritten drafts, paintings, and life. Winnie, her family, and the Tuck family are white.