Ari Folman and David Polonsky’s adaptation of Anne Frank’s Diary faithfully translates some of her text with illustrations depicting the scenes she described in her original writing or events that are documented in other historical records. They also drawc omparisons with other fights against facism, referencing the Danuta Danielsson’s 1985 hitting of a neo-Nazi with her handbag and setting it amid the growing resistance to the Nazis in 1940s Holland (pg. 119). When Anne describes the result of the family’s charade to hide their location from the Nazis as the enter the Annex, she mentions some of the rumors. Folman and Polonsky reference the events of The Sound of Music to visualize rumor one in which the family made it to the Swiss border (pg. 25).

One of their innovations was to use more imaginary imagery to evoke the mood of Anne Frank’s more depressive moments while also portraying her imaginary musings as she described them in her writing. Further, as the diary progresses and Anne became more confident in her writing, they begin to feature splash-pages that include large sections of text presented in their entirety in order to honor the power of Anne’s words, such as in her 15 July 1944 entry: “It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering, and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold on to my ideals” (pg. 141). Anne’s text and advice continue to resonate with readers of all ages due to the powerful honesty she displayed. Readers find connections with her text when they’re young and return later in life to connect to different parts.

The work was made with the approval of the Anne Frank Fonds Basel, which Anne’s father Otto Frank founded in 1963 to oversee the publication of her diary and to ensure faithful translations that shared Anne Frank’s life with people around the world. Folman wrote the TV series Be Tipul (In Therapy) and directed the film, Waltz with Bashir. Illustrator Polonsky was the lead artist for Waltz with Bashir. Fascists in Texas and Florida including Greg Abbott, Ron DeSantis, and the extremist group Moms for Liberty have worked to try and ban this adaptation and other editions of The Diary of a Young Girl, knowing that this adaptation makes Anne Frank’s text more accessible to readers who would learn from her courage and humanity and recognize the warning signs of fascism in their states. As Cornelia Funke wrote, “When people start burning books they’ll soon burn human beings.”

Folman and Polonsky’s graphic novel adaptation does not take the place of Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl, but it neatly compliments the original and can serve as an introduction to the material for students who aren’t used to reading diaries. ( )

I've read versions of her diary several times, both for school and for my own self. I hesitated to read this one because I didn't know how a graphic novel would treat the content. It treated it well and I relaxed a little. I chose to read a graphic novel, a format I usually dislike. I chose to read this as an -ebook- no less, and that is a -stressful- reading experience for me every time I do it. So that is why this is a three star rating. I can't really think of anything insightful to say or that I haven't said in other reviews of other versions of her diary I've read. There's a wonderful mini-series adaptation on Youtube for free starring Hannah Taylor Gordon. ( )

I read the English version of this graphic novel edition of the Diary of Anne Frank hoping to find another way to engage students with the story. Eighth graders in our district read the play version and study about Anne Frank, her life, and the times surrounding her diary. I found that while the play version engaged some students, it was harder to get students interested in it and it made the story more distant for them. The graphic novel version is a great way to encourage students who may not enjoy the play version to read the story and offers great options for comparing how the diary and story are presented in the prose diary, the play, the graphic novel, and even the movie. The art is unique and engaging and adds to the development of the story. Generally, Anne Frank's story pulls in many readers and I am pleased to say that this version also does that, while staying true to much of the contents of Anne's original diary. ( )

A full graphic adaptation of the Diary of Anne Frank is a big undertaking, but I think this gets it done well. Illustrations add tension, dialogue, and details to the exposition, and it's interesting enough that it grabbed my 9-year-old daughter's attention. At one point Mr. vanDaan gets his hands on a calf and shows his talent for sausage-making, they string sausages all over the Annex to dry. The strung sausages make a time-lapse backdrop for Mr. Dussel's first dentist appointment conducted with no painkillers, it lends both visual framing and a funny element to a tense scene.
The source material is mature, although the Illustrations don't make it more so. There is a real coming-of-age story in here, cut short at the end; it is part of why this piece is so powerful. I'd recommend for any reader ready to learn about the holocaust, perhaps as a first book of two or three on the topic.

Tras la invasión de Holanda, la familia Frank se ocultó de la Gestapo en una buhardilla anexa al edificio donde el padre de Anne tenía sus oficinas. Allí permaneció recluida desde junio de 1942 hasta agosto de 1944, fecha en que sus miembros fueron detenidos y enviados a campos de concentración. En ese lugar y en las más precarias condiciones, Anne, una niña de trece años, escribió su estremecedor Diario: un testimonio único sobre el horror y la barbarie nazi, y sobre los sentimientos y experiencias de la propia Anne y sus acompañantes.

El presente volumen recoge este estremecedor relato bella y delicadamente para volcarlo a la novela gráfica. Una nueva oportunidad de acercarse a una historia que ya forma parte de todos nosotros.