The Wendy Project

by Melissa Jane Osborne

Nouvelle-Angleterre, fin de l’été. Wendy Davies, 16 ans, perd le contrôle de sa voiture, qui plonge dans un lac, avec ses deux petits frères à bord. À son réveil, on lui annonce que Michael, le plus jeune de ses frères, est mort. Traumatisée par l’affreuse nouvelle qu’elle ne parvient pas à entendre , Wendy se persuade qu’il est vivant et sous la garde d’un mystérieux garçon volant. Pour l’aider, ses parents l’envoient chez une psychologue qui lui demande de dessiner ce qui lui passe par la tête. Convaincue que son frère n’est pas mort, Wendy raconte, à travers le dessin, les aventures extraordinaires qu’il vit, brouillant les frontières entre son imaginaire, la fiction et le réel. Un récit sensible et intimiste sur l’adolescence et le long et douloureux chemin du deuil.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Fantasy, Comics, Fiction, Retellings, Grief

96 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2017

Reviews

[Michelle Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

full disclosure: i work at the company that produced this book so...

the story:



the art:

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wendy Project by Melissa Jane Osborne is a wonderfully told modern retelling of the classic tale Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.

Wendy gets into a terrible car accident while driving with her two brothers, John and Michael, veering off a bridge and into water. When she wakes up in the hospital and hears that her youngest brother Michael is dead gone , Wendy goes into a state of denial. She shocks her family by insisting that Michael is still alive and out there somewhere, lost, with a boy who can fly.

Soon, her parents move her to another school, but Wendy is finding it increasingly difficult to differentiate between reality and fantasy as the people in her life being to resemble characters from Neverland. Meanwhile, she finds out that she isn't the only one who believes Michael may still be out there, so she searches for him at every given chance. Using the notebook her therapist gave her, Wendy draws her visions, but are her drawings a coping mechanism or can her journal really transport her to another world?

I love Peter Pan retellings so much that I didn't even realize that The Wendy Project is a graphic novel when I requested it. I don't normally read graphic novels, but I enjoyed this and I'm so glad I gave it a chance.

I loved how Melissa Jane Osborne took a classic tale (one of my favorites) and retold it in a more modern and believable way. Sometimes, though, it felt like there were missing parts to this story. I would have loved to see why she saw certain characters as ones from Neverland. I also really would have liked to see her relationship with Eben to be more developed than it was; to see more of a connection between them. The author uses quotes from J. M. Barrie and the original Peter Pan story which I thought was great and helped tie this novel together.

Veronica Fish's artwork is wonderful. I loved the expressions in her work and I especially enjoyed her use of color. I found myself staring quite a bit at her illustrations - great work!

This is perfect for anyone who enjoys graphic novels and Peter Pan retellings. I hope there is another volume to come because I would love to see more to The Wendy Project!


**** I received an eBook copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ****

[disco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new take on dealing with the grief of losing a loved one. The art and concept are definitely interesting, but I would enjoy more real life and less fantasy for this one.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendy is driving with her two younger brothers one night when she skids off the road into a lake. She wakes up to find her youngest brother is presumed dead. She refuses to accept it, so her parents decide to send her to a shrink and new school. All along she is seeing these allusions to Peter Pan.

A story of grief and loss with very fitting art from Veronica Fish. The sparse use of vivid color on a mostly black and white page provides some stunning visuals.

My only issue with the book is the hand written script for the lettering. I sometimes found myself trying to decipher what a word in the page was. The cursive was hard to read.

Received an advance copy from Super Genius and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an original and unique retelling of Peter Pan. Set in modern day times but with a nod to fantasy, Wendy has to come to terms with the death of her younger brother Michael. The use of color to portray what was reality and what was fantasy (or a part of Neverland) was excellently used.

[nitya · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heart just got ripped to shreds, how are YOU doing?

And as someone who only watched the Disney cartoon and 2003 live action Peter Pan movies... This retelling was both gorgeously haunting and brutal. The artwork is breathtaking, very much like a painting, and the (minimal) use of color is effective and smart. Gotta say, it was really nice to see the book text interspersed throughout, even if it was difficult reading some of the words.

I wish this wasn't so short though. More aspects of the story are worth exploring, like Wendy's connection to Neverland.

Content warning: death of a child and underage drinking

[The Nerd Daily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Annie Burdick

The Wendy Project is a short, but poignant graphic novel based on the classic story of Peter Pan. It begins fairly grounded in reality–a car accident, a broken family, teenage drama–but slowly delves more and more into the magical realism sphere, ultimately coming to resemble its literary predecessor, Peter Pan.

First, the illustrations in this graphic novel are absolutely stunning. They incorporate colour effectively, consistently, and in a way that elevates the plot itself. It’s not often that I read a graphic novel which has illustrations and plot combining so seamlessly.

The plot itself is interesting, though seems a bit lacking at times. The book is very short and could absolutely be longer to give more depth and details to the story itself. While you’re able to get a good idea of what’s happening, and there’s a satisfying beginning, middle, and end, more plot wouldn’t hurt. There were a few instances that had me a bit confused about what was actually happening, but for the most part, it was an easy and pleasant reading experience.

This is a more emotional retelling of Peter Pan, that also plays with the belief that the original Neverland was a heaven of sorts for children killed in the war. This modern graphic rendition takes some of the classic elements of the original Barrie novel, adds 21st-century elements, and spins the plot to involve a grief-stricken and guilt-ridden Wendy, separated from her brother, and searching for him through art, dreams, and Neverland itself.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received from: Super Genius
Received Via: NetGalley.com

Why this book?
I love retellings

What I thought

One of the best graphic novels I have read! The graphics are beautiful and the storyline heart breaking. Can't wait for the next one.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good but suffers from being the book I read immediately after Patrick Ness' more powerful A Monster Calls. They are very similar in themes and structure, with fantasy elements being injected in a fuzzy way to help the main character cope with grief over the loss of a loved one. Peter Pan serves here in place of the large tree monster. Regardless, I like the way Osborne tweaks the Neverland mythos. I could have done without the circular old cliche of the book itself being the one a character in the book is creating throughout the story, but that's a small gripe.

Mostly, this reminds me that I have been eyeing an annotated edition of Peter Pan in my library for a while now, and I should just go ahead and read it so I finally get to know know the source of the hundreds of derivative works I have read in my lifetime. Peter and Wendy have to be up there with Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, Dracula, Dorothy and Alice as the most referenced fictional characters of all time.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so beautiful and sweet and sad. Gorgeous artwork and a bittersweet story.

Wendy and her brothers are in a car crash, and Wendy swears she saw her youngest brother Michael flying off with Peter Pan, but no one believes her. She gets in trouble at school, and sort of connects with a weird guy named Peter. He's enigmatic and unreliable, only interested in having fun, but Wendy believes he could lead her to her brother. Wendy's therapist tells her to draw in a journal, and she begins to document the things she sees that makes her believe her brother is alive somewhere in Neverland. Wendy's family is grieving, Wendy can barely sort through fact or fiction, and it's Wendy's other brother, John, who suffers the most. Can they find their way to Neverland and bring Michael back? or is he really dead?

This little book broke my heart in 96 pages. It's a surprisingly full story for such a short one. I love how such dark subjects like grief, the nature of reality, guilt, anger, and desire are all dealt with so gently and yet with a raw and honest quality. Wendy's reality is woven so delicately together with the story of Peter Pan, including characters, scenes, dialogue, and magic from the original Peter Pan story.

Wendy has such an original voice! Her character is immediately lovable and relatable, because she's broken and rebellious and full of faith. I think what throws the story forward is Wendy's forceful desperation to KNOW. I'm so in awe of the brilliant writing that created this deep and complex character!

The artwork is indescribably beautiful, and the way that the colors show the alternate reality that Wendy sees, while the world of other people remains in black and white... simply genius. I'm so delighted with every page! I just had to stop and stare at some of the illustrations for a little minute and drink it in.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Kadi P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and heartfelt graphic novel that evoked Peter Pan by making entirely no sense. But it didn’t need to make sense. It perfectly captured the muddled feelings of a young teen in grief through the use of sincere narration, original Peter Pan quotes, and gorgeous art and colours.

The pacing was great, and every moment really made you feel the depth of the protagonist’s emotions. A fantastic read through and through!

[Ale - viajentreletras · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m speechless.

I threw myself into this graphic novel without knowing what to expect and I’m very glad I did…

It was incredible. The drawings are magnificent (for their designs as much as their coloring) and the story grabbed me and transported me.

I was saying to two friends recently that I had trouble getting into comics because the characters weren’t as layered than in novels and I couldn’t really form a connection to them.
Well, I should have shut up because I was just proved wrong...

[Jay G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

After the death of her younger brother, Michael. 16 year old Wendy is convinced he's still alived, just up in the sky with a magical boy named Peter. Wendy is sent to a new school but begins having trouble differentiating between what is real and what is make believe. She is sent to a therapist, who starts her drawing in a notebook. Is the notebook just a place to express her feelings or could it be a portal to Neverland?

I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings, so I was very excited to find a Peter Pan retelling! Although I didn't enjoy the story that much, I loved the art work in this graphic novel and its use of colour. Most of the panels were black and white, but at important parts, the illustrator would throw in a dash of colour that really enhanced the story.

[Dov Zeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers in here!

...

There's a lot going on in this slip of a novel, framed as the journal of a high schooler named Wendy who's struggling to stay grounded in reality after a family tragedy. The journal is assigned by the therapist she's seeing and she keeps trying to rid herself of it, but eventually it becomes a meaningful way to process through her grief.

The book (journal) is drawn in grayscale with touches of brown and splashes of full color here and there. Then there are sections in full color. The color schemes divided along the lines of what is fantastical and/or magical (in full bright color) and what is mundane (more on the grayscale side.)

The novel begins with a car accident. Accidents can happen to anyone. In this case it's not clear what caused it. It seems perhaps that rain had caused low visibility and perhaps slick roads. But there is a moment when Wendy, trying to concentrate on driving, turns around to yell at her youngest brother-to keep the noise down--taking her eye off the road--and that is when the car skids out of control. The book doesn't delve to deeply into this. In her journal Wendy doesn't go over and over the details of the accident though she does continually return to the scene of it. This is, after all, a book about grief and guilt and a teenager's attempt to move on after the unimaginable happens.

Wendy is sixteen, when, driving with her two younger brothers, Michael and John, she gets into an accident that kills the youngest, Michael. To feel responsible for a younger sibling's death. How does one survive after something like that? Perhaps one lives, but is it possible to thrive? What kinds of stories do we tell ourselves in order to be able to bear an event that is in essence, life-shattering. That divides life into a before and an after.

After the accident Wendy struggles to distinguish between her fantasy--that her youngest brother is not really dead, but flew off with another flying figure into the night sky--and the reality. Her brother is gone with the kind of finality that only death can bring.

But this is also a Peter Pan retelling, and so there is an element of realness to Wendy's fantasy. It is not clear to me how to interpret or fully distinguish between "realism moments" and moments in which fantasy and magical realism interweave. For example, Eben, the Peter Pan character--how much is he an actual person in Wendy's life, a fellow student at her school, how much a "real Peter Pan", and how much a character drawn from Wendy's imagination? How are we to understand the "real" magical moments, culminating in Michael's body washing up on shore--after Wendy finally visits him in Neverland--inexplicably "whole"?

There is a lot about this book to admire, but I also found it frustrating. I don't get a sense of who Wendy is outside of her grief. The family dynamics are somewhat toxic. After such an accident it's not surprising that there is family tension and disruption. But it's unclear what kind of parents the parents are, how the family dynamics were before the accident-- it's not addressed thoroughly and it's all resolved a bit too quickly and "easily" at the end. And there are a lot of scenes that are just a bit vague, where I'm not entirely sure what's happening and how much of it is fantasy.

Just a note, in the introduction to the edition of Peter Pan I read I learned not only that two of the boys J.M. Barrie took over care of after their mother Sylvia Llewelyn Davies died committed suicide in their very early twenties (a bit chilling, the question of Barrie's abuse of these boys), but also that Barrie himself invented the name Wendy. It came from a young girl he met in the park, who called Barrie her "friendy", but she was missing her two front teeth, and it sounded like Wendy. Thus the name Wendy, at least according to this story, came into being when Peter Pan itself came into being.

One of my favorite moments in The Wendy Project is when Wendy is speaking to her grandmother at her brother's funeral and her grandmother says, "he'll come back. Just make sure to leave the window open." It reminds me of the sad and strange and beautiful end of Peter Pan:

"As you look at Wendy, you may see her hair becoming white, and her figure little again, for all this happened long ago. Jane is now a common grown-up, with a daughter called Margaret; and every spring cleaning time, except when he forgets, Peter comes for Margaret and takes her to the Neverland, where she tells him stories about himself, to which he listens eagerly. When Margaret grows up she will have a daughter, who is to be Peter's mother in turn; and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless."

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunting modern retelling of the Peter Pan story from Wendy’s perspective. A very deep musing on the psychological effects of grief and guilt. Highly recommended for grown-up readers: this is not a kid’s book (there’s nothing “mature” content-wise, but it does have some deep psychological themes).

[Alyson Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, poignant and heartbreaking.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting retelling of Peter Pan as an exploration of guilt and grief. The art is fantastic, and I love the way limited color is used to differentiate mundane from magical.

[IzamaRi H. Fabela · Rating 4 out of 5]

RESEÑA COMPLETA ➜ https://goo.gl/7sYqMG

Llevo más de una semana intentando hacer la reseña de esta novela gráfica y les juro que por más que lo intento no me sale. La razón es que es una historia muy hermosa pero muy sencilla y pequeña y de verdad me cuesta decirles de que va sin echarles a perder la historia. Así que al final decidí llenarnos de fotos de esta preciosa historia.

Como ya se habrán hecho a la idea, El Proyecto Wendy nos cuenta una historia pasada en el clásico de Peter Pan. En el tenemos a Wendy, una adolescente que tiene que lidiar con la muerte de su hermano menor pues sus sentimientos de culpabilidad no la dejan aceptar que él ya no esté.

Quiero aclararles esto, como dije es una historia basada no un retelling, es decir que si esperan encontrar un Peter Pan moderno en esta novela gráfica no lo van a encontrar, pero si  hallarán un viaje entre la realidad y la fantasía que a través de guiños a la novela de Barrie ayudarán a nuestra protagonista aceptar su luto y regresar a sus seres queridos. 

Sobre las ilustraciones debo decir que son totalmente hermosas. En su mayoría no están a color pero cuando Wendy comienza a ver el mundo de “Nunca jamás” comenzamos a ver vistazos de color aquí y allá y eso me ha encanto pues a mi parecer realzó muchísimo la historia.

En resumen, El proyecto de Wendy es una novela gráfica que cuanta una historia muy sencilla sobre el amor, la esperanza, el dolor y la tristeza que acompañada con unas preciosas ilustraciones hacen una suma bastante agradable. Una lectura que definitivamente no se pueden perder.

RESEÑA COMPLETA ➜ https://goo.gl/7sYqMG

[Kerfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those books I’d heard mentioned, but didn’t know anything about, this graphic novel blurs the line between fantasy and reality as a high school girl tries to come to grips with a car accident--she was driving and her younger brother died.

“Fault” is a slippery concept; guilt is hard to escape. Who is responsible? Is anyone?
And grief—how to hold it, name it, keep it from eclipsing all else?

Where is that child now? What is death? How can the living honor the dead, keep them, but also let them go?

This book doesn’t really answer those questions—are there really any definitive answers to the essential question of life and death? Can the void of the dead be “healed”?

“The Wendy Project” instead opens a map, containing ways of navigating between and with the difficulties of placing the self that is hurting, lost, and alone back onto the wheel--the circle that carries the connections holding both our endings and our beginnings.

[Yvonne Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book.
This book is absolutely STUNNING.
The illustrations had me heart eyed and drooling. I think I sent half the bok to my friends on snapchat because a illustration was just that gorgeous.
The use of color, the choice of color, the lack of color.
The only semblance of color in his book is whenever Wendy would see anything to do with "Neverland" or her brother. I loved every single stroke of it.
I'm speechless.
This graphic novel is absolutely marvelous.
(The story was great too, but it was more than elevated with the illustrations.)

Yes, Kari, I know you're reading this, and the answer is that yes, I recommend this, even though you don't read many graphic novels. Please read this one. (I love you!)

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendy drifts between fantasy and reality in this lovely and heartbreaking modern take on a classic. A poignant story of loss, fear, family, and hope--Wendy loses herself within her journal, the journal that is the graphic novel itself, and must find the strength within herself to return to reality and her family. While the retelling itself is brilliantly done, the artwork is the star here--using the slightest bits of color throughout black & white graphics, the reader feels Wendy's back and forth pull between her reality and fantasy and the complexity of her emotions...just gorgeous.

Received as an ARC from Netgalley.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

So, a word of warning, this is dark. The splashes of color and J. M. Barrie quotes don’t lighten it so much as make the delineation of light and dark even more dramatic. It is also astoundingly good. Readers who enjoy emotionally driven plots, realistic graphic novels, quick reads, or re-imagined literary classics will enjoy this book. Readers may also enjoy Second Star by Alyssa Sheinmel or Snow White by Matt Phelan. –Alexis S.

[laura (bookies & cookies) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of This One Summer, but with a Peter Pan retelling twist. Caution Warning for Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, and PTSD.

[Jazmin Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

El proyecto de Wendy es una novela gráfica bastante cortita, pero con un mensaje muy especial sobre el duelo y la pérdida. Si bien siento que al ser tan corta no termina de desarrollar algunas ideas, la idea central sigue siendo la manera en la que Wendy maneja su duelo. Actuando como una especie de retelling de Peter Pan, esta novela gráfica muestra lo difícil que puede ser decir adiós y sentirse listo para despedirse, cuando aún una parte de tu corazón no se siente listo para hacerlo. Es una historia muy bonita, y definitivamente la recomiendo si están pasando o han pasado por un duelo muy fuerte.

[Laci Carrera | Book Pairings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a stunning modern retelling of the J.M. Barrie classic Peter Pan. I had high hopes going into it, but was completely blown away by the artwork and character development achieved in such a thin volume.

The story follows Wendy after she crashes her car into a lake one night with both of her brothers in the car. When she wakes up in the hospital she is told her youngest brother, Michael, has not been found and is presumed dead. Normally level-headed Wendy surprises everyone when she claims to have seen a flying boy take her brother. She is then put into therapy to deal with the loss and guilt that her parents believe are causing these outlandish claims. Once encouraged by her therapist to draw her story, Wendy discovers the truth of what really happened and travels to Neverland to retrieve her brother.

As the story drifts between fantasy and reality seamlessly done. The art lends itself to black in white when Wendy is experiencing reality, then transitions into these beautiful scenes full of color. I really cannot do these illustrations justice with my words.

I absolutely loved this chilling Peter Pan retelling. It deals with heavy emotions such as anger, guilt, and loss while maintaining some whimsey. I loved the character development that was achieved as well. Wendy is portrayed as a very complex character in so few pages. This graphic novel was deftly written and illustrated which is why I give it 5 stars.

[Chelsea Elwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations and lovely story. This reinterpretation of Peter Pan stands on its own (really, I liked The Wendy Project better than the original).

[Tatiana Shorokhova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Венди с двумя братьями не летит за Питером Пэном, а падает в машине в воду, где погибает Майкл. Венди ходит в школу, посещает психотерапевта, ругается с родителями - и все потому что верит: Майкл жив. Тело-то не найдено? Значит, он где-то рядом. Или в другой стране. Пытаясь справиться с утратой, Венди не замечает, что все глубже пытается спрятать страшную правду. Майкл погиб по ее вине, и его уже не вернуть.

Или нет…?

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Pan adaptation is my favorite genre actually!

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

After a terrible car accident, sixteen year old Wendy Davies wakes up in hospital and is told that her youngest brother, Michael, died in the accident. However, Wendy is convinced that Michael is alive and is in the custody of a mysterious flying boy. Convinced that Wendy is in shock, her parents move her to a new school and Wendy starts seeing a therapist. The Davies family members are all dealing with their grief in their own way, but Wendy and her brother, John, aren't ready to say goodbye just yet.

Osborne has created a mystical and chilling Peter Pan retelling that had me trying to figure out the story at every twist and turn. Original J.M. Barrie quotes were used here and there, with a word or two altered to fit this new story, and it worked really well. Heavy emotions like anger and guilt were gently and wonderfully dealt with. I really appreciated how much depth Wendy's character held and how complex the story was without being very wordy.

This story captured so much of what it's like when you allow something to take over your life so much that you become isolated from the world. At some point, Wendy's behavior became self destructive and I could feel her confusion between reality and fantasy to the point at which I was tempted to stop reading. It was so powerful. I only wish that Wendy's relationship with Eben could have been explored more. I feel like that was a mini plot hole that could've been filled a bit more.

Veronica Fish, the illustrator, did an absolutely magnificent job. The artwork and the colors and shapes and lines were all so consuming and really blended well with the story. I would totally buy this graphic novel just to rip some of the artwork out and put it up on my walls.

This story was thought provoking and the illusion of reality was incredibly well done. So much was said in so few words and the way in which Fish's artwork entwined with the story was amazing. I was enthralled, to say the least. This was one of my first steps into the world of graphic novels and it has definitely encouraged me to read more of this genre! If you like graphic novels or are thinking of venturing into the genre but don't know where to start, this is a good place.

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