Scan barcode
punkassbookjockey84's review
5.0
Perhaps because of Jacobson and Colon used the actual photographs of Otto Frank in their depictions, this graphic novel biography is especially haunting. As a result, the clothes they wear aren't just the style at the time, they're clothes the Franks really wore. The expressions on their faces are ones they often made. Drawing on historical documents as well as Anne's diary, this graphic novel captures not only the life within their hiding place, but everything around it as well. It continues past their capture and through Otto's eventual release, only to discover that he is the only one left, continuing to his publication of Anne's journal and creation of the Anne Frank House. This was a beautifully done graphic novel and I definitely recommend it to those wanting a further entry into Anne's life.
bookjockeybeth's review
2.0
Nice option to get an overview of the story, but the random bits of history interrupted the story.
lifeand100books's review
2.0
Having always had an interest in World War II and the Holocaust I was excited when my friend Adam found this graphic novel sitting on a table in Barnes and Noble. During my graphic novel kick I asked Adam if I could borrow it, to which he responded of course!
Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Novel tells the story of Anne Frank, a name that has become synonymous with the Holocaust. The book is a mesh of information about Anne’s life and also about what was going on in Europe with Hitler and the Nazis.
I feel absolutely terrible for saying this, but I was not a fan of this graphic novel. The idea of it was there, but it just wasn’t executed well. The novel intertwines the lives of the Frank’s and the history of the Holocaust together, side by side. Unfortunately the book becomes very choppy because of this storytelling technique. There are parts of the dialogue that are written over multiple boxes, making it difficult to figure out which order to read in.
The illustrations of the novel are fantastic. Ernie Colon did a wonderful job with the drawing the difficult subject matter of the concentration camps. His depictions of the camps give a clear picture of their horrendous nature, but are toned down slightly to give younger readers an opportunity to read and view this.
I would recommend this graphic novel for those looking for a new way to experience the story of Anne Frank. While the book is a bit disjointed and confusing, Anne Frank’s story is one worth pursuing.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://lifeand100books.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/80-a-review-of-anne-frank-the-anne-frank-house-authorized-graphic-biography-by-sid-jacobson-and-ernie-colon/
Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Novel tells the story of Anne Frank, a name that has become synonymous with the Holocaust. The book is a mesh of information about Anne’s life and also about what was going on in Europe with Hitler and the Nazis.
I feel absolutely terrible for saying this, but I was not a fan of this graphic novel. The idea of it was there, but it just wasn’t executed well. The novel intertwines the lives of the Frank’s and the history of the Holocaust together, side by side. Unfortunately the book becomes very choppy because of this storytelling technique. There are parts of the dialogue that are written over multiple boxes, making it difficult to figure out which order to read in.
The illustrations of the novel are fantastic. Ernie Colon did a wonderful job with the drawing the difficult subject matter of the concentration camps. His depictions of the camps give a clear picture of their horrendous nature, but are toned down slightly to give younger readers an opportunity to read and view this.
I would recommend this graphic novel for those looking for a new way to experience the story of Anne Frank. While the book is a bit disjointed and confusing, Anne Frank’s story is one worth pursuing.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://lifeand100books.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/80-a-review-of-anne-frank-the-anne-frank-house-authorized-graphic-biography-by-sid-jacobson-and-ernie-colon/
kelleemoye's review
5.0
I've been sitting here for a while and I just don't know where to begin. This is a precious book and it is hard to put into words how important it is and how well done it is. I am thoroughly impressed. It will be a great introduction to Anne Frank for many and will hopefully lead them to want to learn more about her and the injustices that happened during WWII.
A misconception I had was that I thought it was a graphic novel of Anne Frank's diary. It isn't. It is included, but this is a biography of Anne. It starts with her parents and continues all the way until the death of her father. It showcases Anne's life pre-hiding, during hiding, in the concentration camps and as her father makes sure that her legacy lives on. And it is done with primary sources woven in including Anne' diary, letters and interviews. The book even includes photographs of Anne and her family in the back along with a timeline of the Franks and WWII.
Also throughout the biography, the authors periodically pause to give the reader a snapshot of a certain aspect of WWII that pertains to the story. It helps readers who may not have the prior knowledge of the war and Nazi power.
Snatch of text: Book Trailer at http://youtu.be/yLSvdEUA2wI
A misconception I had was that I thought it was a graphic novel of Anne Frank's diary. It isn't. It is included, but this is a biography of Anne. It starts with her parents and continues all the way until the death of her father. It showcases Anne's life pre-hiding, during hiding, in the concentration camps and as her father makes sure that her legacy lives on. And it is done with primary sources woven in including Anne' diary, letters and interviews. The book even includes photographs of Anne and her family in the back along with a timeline of the Franks and WWII.
Also throughout the biography, the authors periodically pause to give the reader a snapshot of a certain aspect of WWII that pertains to the story. It helps readers who may not have the prior knowledge of the war and Nazi power.
Snatch of text: Book Trailer at http://youtu.be/yLSvdEUA2wI
literaryk's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very dense graphic novel. At times it felt like an informative essay with pictures in the background. But as you continue to read, it gets easier to follow. I grew to appreciate the details not usually included in the Anne Frank story and I LOVED the text features (maps, timelines, family trees, etc) used throughout the story.
Our school has a class set now and I intend to use it during our Holocaust unit. If you're thinking of using it, be warned it is not a light read and will take many days to get through. I originally wanted it as a companion to the Anne Frank play, but will have to start the graphic novel first and continue after we finish the play I believe.
Our school has a class set now and I intend to use it during our Holocaust unit. If you're thinking of using it, be warned it is not a light read and will take many days to get through. I originally wanted it as a companion to the Anne Frank play, but will have to start the graphic novel first and continue after we finish the play I believe.
allmadhere106's review
3.0
This is a graphic novel version of Anne Frank's experiences living in hiding during WWII that is a little off the mark. I had never read Frank's story before, so that could be part of why I had a hard time getting into the book, but I don't really think that's the problem. The book was indeed text heavy and a little hard to read since there wasn't a clear reading pattern to the pages and images. I had to stop and reread pages to make things make sense, which slowed down the reading and made everything a little more difficult to get interested in. The art was okay, meaning that it wasn't anything flashy but anything more than what was given might have done disrespect to the story and that would have been a shame. I did enjoy how there was information about her family and events about the war during the story--this made everything fit into context and it was much enjoyed. I think that this book would be another good option to introduce the Frank story to new readers, though I'm sure the original book is better. I suppose I'll have to read that one when I can.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
informative
sad
3.75
The Hulu/Disney production "A Small Light" increased my interest in AnneFrank. I've heard of her of course, was familiar with her journal and story. After watching the show, I read the official diary, and then looked into the graphic novel adaptation. I also saw this, and added it to my list.
The drawings seemed a bit inconsistent to me, I didn't love the style - sometimes realistic, other times cartoonish and awkward. But the information presented, was actually one of the most informational. Not a direct adaptation of the diary (as is [book:Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation|35794821]) this provided a lot of extra information, background details Anne herself wasn't aware of, and the story of what happened after Anne's diary ended. There were still some direct quotes from the diary, easily attributable, with quotes and "Anne wrote" explanations, so the reader here still gets a taste of the diary directly.
The diary itself, whether the original (and what IS the original ... Anne's original, the one she started to rewrite in hopes of publication/changing names/writing FOR a reader more than a simple standard diary, the one her father compiled, the various translations ...), or the graphic novel, while interesting, also delves into the minutiae of a 14-year old girl and her talk of boys, of her body, of hating her mother ... that give insight into ANNE, but if reading mostly to learn about life during the war, can be distracting. THIS book focuses so much more on the overall situation, not only of Anne and the others in the annex, but of the world, before/during/after Anne's diary snapshots.
I struggle with some of the reading in graphic novels ... I go with a physical book, because it's just hard to navigate digitally (and of course with graphic novels, audio isn't really an option, as the drawings are a huge part of the presentation). Some may be learned (the order in which to read the blocks of text, etc). Unlike digital, I can't enlarge the text, and I'm so used to reading with a backlight, it was always hard to find enough light to make the pages visible without glare. But it was worth the effort, and I appreciate authors/adapters/illustrators coming up with different ways to present stories and information, as everyone has different preferences in how they learn. Having this in a graphic novel format may reach some people that wouldn't get the information otherwise.
The drawings seemed a bit inconsistent to me, I didn't love the style - sometimes realistic, other times cartoonish and awkward. But the information presented, was actually one of the most informational. Not a direct adaptation of the diary (as is [book:Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation|35794821]) this provided a lot of extra information, background details Anne herself wasn't aware of, and the story of what happened after Anne's diary ended. There were still some direct quotes from the diary, easily attributable, with quotes and "Anne wrote" explanations, so the reader here still gets a taste of the diary directly.
The diary itself, whether the original (and what IS the original ... Anne's original, the one she started to rewrite in hopes of publication/changing names/writing FOR a reader more than a simple standard diary, the one her father compiled, the various translations ...), or the graphic novel, while interesting, also delves into the minutiae of a 14-year old girl and her talk of boys, of her body, of hating her mother ... that give insight into ANNE, but if reading mostly to learn about life during the war, can be distracting. THIS book focuses so much more on the overall situation, not only of Anne and the others in the annex, but of the world, before/during/after Anne's diary snapshots.
I struggle with some of the reading in graphic novels ... I go with a physical book, because it's just hard to navigate digitally (and of course with graphic novels, audio isn't really an option, as the drawings are a huge part of the presentation). Some may be learned (the order in which to read the blocks of text, etc). Unlike digital, I can't enlarge the text, and I'm so used to reading with a backlight, it was always hard to find enough light to make the pages visible without glare. But it was worth the effort, and I appreciate authors/adapters/illustrators coming up with different ways to present stories and information, as everyone has different preferences in how they learn. Having this in a graphic novel format may reach some people that wouldn't get the information otherwise.
kricketa's review
3.0
(in case you haven't noticed) i have a thing for graphic novels relating to world war 2.
this particular title is a mixed bag-
good:
color artwork, feast for the eyes
the additional perspective of what was happening during the war as anne wrote. she mentions some things in her diary but wasn't aware of everything (she couldn't be).
additional info about what happened to the residents of the secret annex after they were arrested
bad:
the dialogue. oh god. the authors try to summarize events and personalities by having the characters say trite ridiculous things to each other or themselves.
some of the artwork is better than others.
of course by the end i was in tears, especially reading this excerpt from otto frank's letters:
"I hope Anne's book will have an effect on the rest of your life so that, insofar as it is possible in your own circumstances, you will work for unity and peace.
this particular title is a mixed bag-
good:
color artwork, feast for the eyes
the additional perspective of what was happening during the war as anne wrote. she mentions some things in her diary but wasn't aware of everything (she couldn't be).
additional info about what happened to the residents of the secret annex after they were arrested
bad:
the dialogue. oh god. the authors try to summarize events and personalities by having the characters say trite ridiculous things to each other or themselves.
some of the artwork is better than others.
of course by the end i was in tears, especially reading this excerpt from otto frank's letters:
"I hope Anne's book will have an effect on the rest of your life so that, insofar as it is possible in your own circumstances, you will work for unity and peace.
pamiverson's review
4.0
Interesting re-relling of Anne Frank's diary, some long sections written out, others in a more graphic form. If it helps a younger generation understand the horror of the Holocaust, it is an important re-telling.