Adapting The Giver: A Framework for Scholars and Educators When Considering Graphic Novel Adaptation.

This essay offers a framework for scholars and educators to use when considering graphic novel adaptations that is exemplified by a close-reading of P. Craig Russell's 2019 graphic novel adaptation of Lois Lowry's The Giver. I apply comic book and adaptation theories to argue that Russell's adaptation refocuses the narrative from the novel's philosophical societal questions toward a heartfelt emotional core: what can two people who care about each other do to help a community that has been lost? Russell shifts focus from the cerebral to the emotional by leveraging a limited color palette and a color braid throughout the text to deepen the relationship between Jonas and The Giver. The limited color palette allows Russell to comment editorially throughout the narrative. His graphic novel adaptation shifts focus to emphasize reflection, relationships, and emotions. While students love graphic novels, teachers are often at a loss as to how to utilize them in a classroom. Drawing on picture book and comic book code and adaptation theory, my work provides a framework for teaching graphic narrative in the classroom to support teachers in the inclusion of graphic narrative into the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]