Fairest of All

This graphic novel was adapted from the 2012 publication Fairest of All, the first in the “Whatever After” series.
The premise of the story takes Abby and her younger brother, Jonah, through a magic mirror in their basement and into the fairy tale of Snow White. Because the children are familiar with the premise of the Snow White story, when they see the woman with the apple, Abby is immediately suspicious. Because Jonah is hungry and wants to eat the apple, he interrupts the storyline. Snow White realizes that this woman is her stepmother and tells Abby and Jonah that her stepmother has been trying to kill her. However, the siblings’ interference prevents Snow White’s “happily-ever-after” where the prince awakens her with a kiss. Abby and Jonah’s new mission is to right their mistake and successfully complete the story before finding a way to return home.

The original was a well-written novel for the intended age group, and this quality was duplicated in the graphic novel. The humour was well-chosen. The children had unique ways to solve the problems that they encountered, and the story did not have the typical ending where the prince saves the day. The artworks was colourful and assisted with the progression of the storyline. Dialogue was fast moving and easy to follow and understand. The novel was divided into 17 chapters, each with a descriptive title. The format of the graphic novel would allow Fairest of All to be enjoyed by a younger audience. We would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes graphic novels and fairy tales with a twist.