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Annie
In 1924, Harold Gray created “Little Orphan Annie” for the Chicago Tribune. Annie moved from the printed page to the airwaves in 1931, with a famous radio serial. Martin Charnin successfully adapted the story for the Broadway stage in 1977. The inevitable movie version followed in 1982. This book is an adaptation of the film screenplay (which differred significantly from the stage version), and was published to coincide with the release of the movie. Ms. Fleischer has written many other novelizations of screenplays, including, among others, Rain Man, and the Warren Beatty remake of Heaven can Wait, for example.
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First published January 1, 1982
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About the author
Leonore Fleischer
81 books30 followersLeonore Fleischer has written more than fifty novelizations of films. She and her five cats live in Upstate New York.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 21, 2025
You know how disappointed I was to find there are no songs in this book? I mean, it's a musical, shouldn't there be singing? Oh well. I've seen the movie so many times since I was a wee tot, and I've listened to the soundtrack so often, that my brain made up the deficiency and inserted everything in the appropriate place.
I didn't put this on my child-lit shelf. The movie is appropriate for children, and the book makes it 99% of the way there, but on occasion you run across something like this: The cop has just brought Annie back to the orphanage, Miss Hannigan has answered the door, and "he leered frankly down into her cleavage, such as it was." Miss Hannigan then thinks "he was exactly her type--horny." That kind of thing immediately disqualifies it for kiddie lit, and I'm sure it could've been tweaked to make it more appropriate. I assume the people who put this together would like for kids to read the book since it's definitely a kid's story, so why not make it 100% kid friendly? The language was a little advanced, but it's nothing parents couldn't help out with, and it's fine for older elementary age kids.
Speaking of Miss Hannigan, she's great in the movie, but that's all due to Carol Burnett's performance which doesn't translate well to the page. Movie Miss Hannigan is mean, and all, but you still kind of like her anyway. There is nothing at all likable about book Miss Hannigan. And why isn't the woman in jail at the end? They forgave her because she tried to help save Annie's life at the last minute, but still, her list of crimes is extensive.
This gets three stars and falls squarely in the mid-range as far as novelization quality goes. Meaning it's much better than some (e.g. anything written by Craig Shaw Gardner, et al.), but not as good as others (I'm still in awe of The Goonies). It's pretty much what I expect from novelizations.
As soon as I ordered this, I began to wonder why. After all, the main reason I love the movie is the singing and dancing even though I like other parts as well. (And not only are the songs good, "Tomorrow" actually provides the perfect background music for when you need to murder somebody with a leg of lamb because they won't be kind and rewind their rented VHS tapes.) The story is fine too, but it's nothing to write home about. The music, production, acting (Albert Finney as Daddy Warbucks and Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan... perfect casting); those are the things that make the story work, and you don't find any of that in written form.
Some stories need to be seen to be appreciated. The Back to the Futures, Indiana Joneses, Burton's Batmans. When the dressing is stripped away, what's left is subpar. I think Annie is a better story than those... maybe? But the others are better movies... maybe? They're hard to compare because they're so different. I guess it depends on my mood, and, well, honestly, if I were told I could watch only one movie again for the rest of my life, and I were given the ones I've listed as my options, I definitely wouldn't be picking Annie no matter how much I like it. If I found myself in the same scenario, but with the books instead of the movies... Well, shit, what did I do to deserve that? None of them are that good. The only reason I read novelizations at all is because I can watch the movie play in my head as I read. If I came to any of them fresh with no basis for comparison, I'm pretty sure I'd think all these books suck. Hell, I have the basis for comparison, and I still think most of them suck. Annie didn't suck, but it also isn't great... and maybe not even good... No, I think it makes it to "good," though it's the ending that gets it there. The last 20 or so pages were suspenseful, and then there's a happy ending, and oh, fa la la la la, joy, joy, but an ending can't carry the whole book.
I got to go see a friend's daughter perform in Annie, Jr.[1] a couple of weeks ago which is why I decided to go ahead and get this off the TBR list. Solidarity, and all that jazz. She played Mr. Bundles and was definitely the best person in the play even though she had just a couple of lines.[2] I enjoyed it... Well, I enjoyed the play, but I wish I could've seen it 20 years ago before smartphones infected society. The play was done in a small/mid-size church which doesn't have stadium seating, and I swear to Christ on his throne there were 100 people recording it. I sat at the very end of the pew by the middle aisle, but most of what I saw was phones in the air. And, look. I get it. You're a parent and want to record your kid, though I suspect 90% of the videos taken never get watched, and if I had my way, every smartphone on Earth would be chucked into the nearest active volcano, but this isn't the place for that diatribe.
Anyway, smartphones aside, there was also a fathead in front of me who insisted on moving his head directly into my line of vision every couple of minutes no matter how I shifted. (At least he wasn't holding up a phone, and I think he was trying to see around those himself.) I didn't want to do the same thing to the person behind me, so I stayed stooped and swiveled my head from left to right as needed. I eventually settled into a pose where I slouched and kind leaned into the aisle and cocked my head right until the action on the stage moved somewhere else, and I had to adjust as long as dude in front of me wasn't in the way again. I suspect I resembled a snake, and it's a wonder I don't have scoliosis.
As for the play, they took out anything that might be the slightest bit offensive in today's world... almost. There were a couple of political comments/jokes since Warbucks is a proud Republican and FDR is also in it for a scene, but they were very tastefully done and shouldn't offend anyone. However, both Punjab and the Asp were completely absent which is a shame because I liked them, especially Punjab who saves the day in the end.
"We got Annie!"
Punjab was nine feet tall in the book, six foot six in the movie, and zero foot nothing in the kid's play because he wasn't in it at all. He was played by Geoffrey Holder in the movie. I guess he was trying to make up for being such a meanie to James Bond as Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die. I assume he and the Asp were removed for racial sensitivity reasons, though I guess it's possible it could be due to time constraints as well since the play's only an hour long, at least when everything's going the way it's supposed to, and you'd have to make a lot of cuts to make it work, especially if you want to keep most of the music, which they did. You know, now that I think about it, I'm not sure if they were in the real play either, though it's been every bit of 25 years since I saw it... Gotta look it up...
Okay, they weren't in the original musical for whatever reason and were added for the movie adaptation. Well, that explains that. They aren't new characters, though, since they were in the original comic strip. Sorry for getting ready to go off half-cocked on a racial sensitivity political correctness gripe. I guess I'll have to save it for another day.
Anyway, there's no need for anyone to read this book since the movie gives you everything you could want from it, and more, and does it better.
[1]: The "Jr." thing is where a play is adapted for elementary/middle school age kids to perform. It's a summer day camp program that goes on for a week. The kids know about the play a couple of months in advance and get their parts, but they get together and rehearse for only a week, then put on an hour-long performance for their parents, family, friends, and whoever else wants to see it. There are always a few flubs with a mic that goes haywire, or part of the set falling over, an occasional forgotten line, and whatnot, but it's still great fun, and really, it's actually quite impressive for having only week to rehearse and get it all together.
[2]: Give me a break. Her mother is a GR friend and might see this review.
I didn't put this on my child-lit shelf. The movie is appropriate for children, and the book makes it 99% of the way there, but on occasion you run across something like this: The cop has just brought Annie back to the orphanage, Miss Hannigan has answered the door, and "he leered frankly down into her cleavage, such as it was." Miss Hannigan then thinks "he was exactly her type--horny." That kind of thing immediately disqualifies it for kiddie lit, and I'm sure it could've been tweaked to make it more appropriate. I assume the people who put this together would like for kids to read the book since it's definitely a kid's story, so why not make it 100% kid friendly? The language was a little advanced, but it's nothing parents couldn't help out with, and it's fine for older elementary age kids.
Speaking of Miss Hannigan, she's great in the movie, but that's all due to Carol Burnett's performance which doesn't translate well to the page. Movie Miss Hannigan is mean, and all, but you still kind of like her anyway. There is nothing at all likable about book Miss Hannigan. And why isn't the woman in jail at the end? They forgave her because she tried to help save Annie's life at the last minute, but still, her list of crimes is extensive.
This gets three stars and falls squarely in the mid-range as far as novelization quality goes. Meaning it's much better than some (e.g. anything written by Craig Shaw Gardner, et al.), but not as good as others (I'm still in awe of The Goonies). It's pretty much what I expect from novelizations.
As soon as I ordered this, I began to wonder why. After all, the main reason I love the movie is the singing and dancing even though I like other parts as well. (And not only are the songs good, "Tomorrow" actually provides the perfect background music for when you need to murder somebody with a leg of lamb because they won't be kind and rewind their rented VHS tapes.) The story is fine too, but it's nothing to write home about. The music, production, acting (Albert Finney as Daddy Warbucks and Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan... perfect casting); those are the things that make the story work, and you don't find any of that in written form.
Some stories need to be seen to be appreciated. The Back to the Futures, Indiana Joneses, Burton's Batmans. When the dressing is stripped away, what's left is subpar. I think Annie is a better story than those... maybe? But the others are better movies... maybe? They're hard to compare because they're so different. I guess it depends on my mood, and, well, honestly, if I were told I could watch only one movie again for the rest of my life, and I were given the ones I've listed as my options, I definitely wouldn't be picking Annie no matter how much I like it. If I found myself in the same scenario, but with the books instead of the movies... Well, shit, what did I do to deserve that? None of them are that good. The only reason I read novelizations at all is because I can watch the movie play in my head as I read. If I came to any of them fresh with no basis for comparison, I'm pretty sure I'd think all these books suck. Hell, I have the basis for comparison, and I still think most of them suck. Annie didn't suck, but it also isn't great... and maybe not even good... No, I think it makes it to "good," though it's the ending that gets it there. The last 20 or so pages were suspenseful, and then there's a happy ending, and oh, fa la la la la, joy, joy, but an ending can't carry the whole book.
I got to go see a friend's daughter perform in Annie, Jr.[1] a couple of weeks ago which is why I decided to go ahead and get this off the TBR list. Solidarity, and all that jazz. She played Mr. Bundles and was definitely the best person in the play even though she had just a couple of lines.[2] I enjoyed it... Well, I enjoyed the play, but I wish I could've seen it 20 years ago before smartphones infected society. The play was done in a small/mid-size church which doesn't have stadium seating, and I swear to Christ on his throne there were 100 people recording it. I sat at the very end of the pew by the middle aisle, but most of what I saw was phones in the air. And, look. I get it. You're a parent and want to record your kid, though I suspect 90% of the videos taken never get watched, and if I had my way, every smartphone on Earth would be chucked into the nearest active volcano, but this isn't the place for that diatribe.
Anyway, smartphones aside, there was also a fathead in front of me who insisted on moving his head directly into my line of vision every couple of minutes no matter how I shifted. (At least he wasn't holding up a phone, and I think he was trying to see around those himself.) I didn't want to do the same thing to the person behind me, so I stayed stooped and swiveled my head from left to right as needed. I eventually settled into a pose where I slouched and kind leaned into the aisle and cocked my head right until the action on the stage moved somewhere else, and I had to adjust as long as dude in front of me wasn't in the way again. I suspect I resembled a snake, and it's a wonder I don't have scoliosis.
As for the play, they took out anything that might be the slightest bit offensive in today's world... almost. There were a couple of political comments/jokes since Warbucks is a proud Republican and FDR is also in it for a scene, but they were very tastefully done and shouldn't offend anyone. However, both Punjab and the Asp were completely absent which is a shame because I liked them, especially Punjab who saves the day in the end.
"We got Annie!"
Punjab was nine feet tall in the book, six foot six in the movie, and zero foot nothing in the kid's play because he wasn't in it at all. He was played by Geoffrey Holder in the movie. I guess he was trying to make up for being such a meanie to James Bond as Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die. I assume he and the Asp were removed for racial sensitivity reasons, though I guess it's possible it could be due to time constraints as well since the play's only an hour long, at least when everything's going the way it's supposed to, and you'd have to make a lot of cuts to make it work, especially if you want to keep most of the music, which they did. You know, now that I think about it, I'm not sure if they were in the real play either, though it's been every bit of 25 years since I saw it... Gotta look it up...
Okay, they weren't in the original musical for whatever reason and were added for the movie adaptation. Well, that explains that. They aren't new characters, though, since they were in the original comic strip. Sorry for getting ready to go off half-cocked on a racial sensitivity political correctness gripe. I guess I'll have to save it for another day.
Anyway, there's no need for anyone to read this book since the movie gives you everything you could want from it, and more, and does it better.
[1]: The "Jr." thing is where a play is adapted for elementary/middle school age kids to perform. It's a summer day camp program that goes on for a week. The kids know about the play a couple of months in advance and get their parts, but they get together and rehearse for only a week, then put on an hour-long performance for their parents, family, friends, and whoever else wants to see it. There are always a few flubs with a mic that goes haywire, or part of the set falling over, an occasional forgotten line, and whatnot, but it's still great fun, and really, it's actually quite impressive for having only week to rehearse and get it all together.
[2]: Give me a break. Her mother is a GR friend and might see this review.
May 9, 2008
The musical was performed at school, I'd seen the movie, so reading the book just had to happen! I loved them all!
December 2, 2019
Well done. I was the same age as the actress in 1982 and I read everything I could about this movie. The book explained somethings that were absent in the movie. I loved everything about Annie.
August 10, 2017
A movie novelization is a book written based on the screenplay of a film. I have loved movie novelizations since I was in middle school. It's very different from reading a book that a movie is based on. Movie novelizations usually end up being pretty close to what you see on the screen though you will occasionally read some scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor prior to the film being released. Novelizations fill in some of the gaps that are left in the movies.
December 19, 2019
Read Full & Detailed review: https://cynthology.blogspot.com/2019/...
The novel by Leonore Fleischer is based on the screenplay of the 1982 film by Carol Sobieski. I had watched the film as a young kid. I had a mop of curly hair then and imagined that I was some kind of an Annie myself.
Annie is one of 60 orphans at the Hudson Street Home for Girls. The keeper, Miss Hannigan, is mean and mistreats the girls, reserving all her love for her gin. But Annie is unperturbed. She has a Dream that someday her parents will return to fetch her. They will claim her and the proof of recognition will be the halves of a locket they and she have.
When she is invited to live with billionaire Oliver Warbucks for a week as part of a PR exercise to make him appear human, she quickly endears herself not only to the staff members and Grace Farrill, Warbucks’ secretary, but also to Warbucks himself.
So much so that that Warbucks even wants to adopt her. But Annie won’t have it. She still pines for her parents. To fulfill her dream, Warbucks offers the windfall of $50,000, a bumper amount, to the parents. But will Annie find her loving parents or is there foul play in store for her?
What I liked about the book, apart from the rags-to-riches story, was the historical, political and social context that made the story real.
The writing was indulgent towards all the characters, even the villainous ones, even in the midst of the caricaturing. There was a generous dose of sensitivity and humour.
The introduction of Sandy, the dog, and his first, in hindsight, fortuitous, meeting with Annie is beautiful.
The author paints such a realistic picture of life during that time, complete with the action on the street in New York.
There’s even a chapter devoted to Warbucks and Annie’s meeting with President Roosevelt, which allows us to see a marvelous invention, the helicopter, in action. It is an invention which will play a crucial role later on in a thrilling rescue sequence.
The novel by Leonore Fleischer is based on the screenplay of the 1982 film by Carol Sobieski. I had watched the film as a young kid. I had a mop of curly hair then and imagined that I was some kind of an Annie myself.
Annie is one of 60 orphans at the Hudson Street Home for Girls. The keeper, Miss Hannigan, is mean and mistreats the girls, reserving all her love for her gin. But Annie is unperturbed. She has a Dream that someday her parents will return to fetch her. They will claim her and the proof of recognition will be the halves of a locket they and she have.
When she is invited to live with billionaire Oliver Warbucks for a week as part of a PR exercise to make him appear human, she quickly endears herself not only to the staff members and Grace Farrill, Warbucks’ secretary, but also to Warbucks himself.
So much so that that Warbucks even wants to adopt her. But Annie won’t have it. She still pines for her parents. To fulfill her dream, Warbucks offers the windfall of $50,000, a bumper amount, to the parents. But will Annie find her loving parents or is there foul play in store for her?
What I liked about the book, apart from the rags-to-riches story, was the historical, political and social context that made the story real.
The writing was indulgent towards all the characters, even the villainous ones, even in the midst of the caricaturing. There was a generous dose of sensitivity and humour.
The introduction of Sandy, the dog, and his first, in hindsight, fortuitous, meeting with Annie is beautiful.
The author paints such a realistic picture of life during that time, complete with the action on the street in New York.
There’s even a chapter devoted to Warbucks and Annie’s meeting with President Roosevelt, which allows us to see a marvelous invention, the helicopter, in action. It is an invention which will play a crucial role later on in a thrilling rescue sequence.
July 20, 2018
Heartwrenching and delightful.
May 5, 2025
I read this novelization many, many times as a child. Finally my copy tore in half.
June 13, 2019
Annie is musical/play featuring (insert title here). Annie lives in an orphanage along with other girls. Miss Hannigan is their heartless caretaker, that seems to be only in it for the money. One night Annie decides that she has had enough and runs away to experience a bit of what the city life is. She meets a stray dog who she names sandy, and things were great until she is caught by the police and brought back to the orphanage. When she arrives she is greeted by Grace Farrell, the person that soon gives her the biggest life opportunity she’s had yet.
Annie was overall a great short story that was fun to read and act. The humor was surprisingly sufficient and you get to know every character and enjoy every one of them. I would recommend this if you love cheesy, sweet stories that you want to be able to pick up and finish in one sitting.
Annie was overall a great short story that was fun to read and act. The humor was surprisingly sufficient and you get to know every character and enjoy every one of them. I would recommend this if you love cheesy, sweet stories that you want to be able to pick up and finish in one sitting.
October 28, 2022
This was a huge favourite when I was a tween. I don’t even know how many times I re-read it. Me back then would have given 5 stars. Now it’s still a 4-star book, but some of the stylistic elements keep it from the full 5 (in particular, the narrator introducing “I” commentary, which broke me out of the story).
Definitely worth reading for fans of the movie.
Definitely worth reading for fans of the movie.
March 10, 2022
Normally, I’d give this book a rating somewhere around four stars now that I’m reading it from start to finish a second time after several years, but I’m a sap and just really love almost anything relating to the Annie universe. Cliches aside, it is a sweet retelling of the movie.
August 17, 2010
This is kind of a boring book, so I wouldn't suggest it. :(
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews