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Review: Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel

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Written by Natalie Babbitt
Adapted and Illustrated by K. Woodman-Maynard
New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2025. Comics. 256 pages.

10-year-old Winnie Foster feels trapped like a bird in a gilded cage. She lives with her parents and grandmother in a large home on the edge of a sleepy town, and she is already bored with the expectations put on her by her family and society. While dreaming of adventure, Winnie comes across a young man named Jesse Tuck drinking from a spring in the woods near her home. Winnie becomes involved with the entire Tuck family, and learns their secret - after drinking from that spring 87 years before, the Tucks became immortal. Now Winnie must choose whether she wants to live forever or live a normal life with a beginning and end.

Tuck Everlasting is a modern classic for good reason. The story balances deep philosophical questions with an enticing plot, and it does it in a way that respects children and never talks down to them. Though I am sometimes weary of graphic novel adaptations of classics, this one is the very best kind. This beautiful book enhances the original story and makes you want to revisit it in a new way. The panels, drawn with ink and watercolor, are gorgeous and incredibly evocative. This graphic novel is a faithful adaptation that will make readers consider a classic novel even more deeply.


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Ms. Yingling said…
I agree! This one was so beautiful, and I enjoyed seeing the picture of Babbit's house that inspired the cover. I bought a new copy of the original book because the library one was so worn out. Some students love it, others are lukewarm, but it's SUCH a good story!
October 5, 2025 at 3:18 PM
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