School Library Journal Starred Review

Gr 4-8 Spanning the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, Phelan's noir-esque adaption of the classic fairy tale is atmospheric, clever, and touching. Samantha White, affectionately called Snow White by her ailing mother, is sent off to a boarding school as her father, the King of Wall Street, grieves his wife's death by marrying the dazzling Queen of the Follies. Banished from her home by her stepmother, the young woman returns a decade later after her father's mysterious death. Not content with the fortune left to her in her husband's will, the menacing bob-haired villain dispatches Mr. Hunter to kill off Snow, who gets lost in Hooverville, where she encounters the Seven, a group of diverse street kids who take her in. The graphic novel plays with the source material, using the trappings of the time period to add depth and nuance to the narrative. With the dramatics, pacing, and mostly black-and-white palette of a silent film, the lush and stark watercolors showcase the good and evil aspects of the era to tell a timeless tale of love, betrayal, and family. Splashes of red are economically and strategically used to add drama to the presentation, from the drops of blood on Snow's mother's handkerchief to the scarlet of the poisonous apple. Themes of class are also explored here, making this a title worth sharing and studying at multiple levels. Especially resonant are the relationships that the heroine builds with her young protectors. The last few colorful pages will tug at heartstrings as Snow, the Seven, and an intrepid Detective Prince get their happy endings. VERDICT A stunning, genre-bending graphic novel for all middle grade and middle school collections. Shelley Diaz , School Library Journal

ALA Booklist

In a series of silent-movie-like vignettes, Phelan puts a Jazz Age spin on the classic tale of Snow White. Born to a wealthy steel magnate, Samantha White, known as Snow, wants for nothing until her mother dies, her father falls hard for a Ziegfeld girl, and her new stepmother ships her off to boarding school. When her father suffers an untimely death and her stepmother starts receiving villainous messages from a stock ticker, Snow runs away, finding refuge among a gang of seven street kids. Phelan punctuates his fittingly noirish palette of smoky, shadowy grays with bursts of pink and red ft, aqueous patches for cheeks and lips with more saturated tones for apples. At times, the murky nighttime scenes are inscrutable, but readers will be charmed by subtle references to the iconic Disney film version, such as a street kid who's always sleepy and the stepmother's death by electrocution via a faulty wire on the Ziegfeld theater marquee. Readers hungry for graphic adaptations of fairy tales will find their appetites slaked here.

Horn Book

After poisoning her wealthy husband, Samantha "Snow" White's stepmother decides Samantha is next; fleeing, Samantha is rescued by seven street boys in a New York City Hooverville shantytown. Pencil, ink, and watercolor images (in mostly sepia tones) provide a cinematic noir sensibility, enhanced by the feel of movement, varied panel sizes, and judicious use of text. An original, darkly beautiful take.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Phelan (Bluffton) delivers a spectacular 20th-century update of -Snow White,- transplanting the story to Jazz Age and Depression-era New York City, where themes of jealousy, beauty, and power find a comfortable home. Years after tuberculosis has claimed the life of Samantha -Snow- White-s mother, her father, -the King of Wall Street,- finds a regal match in the -Queen of the Follies,- whose Louise Brooks bob is as sharp as her glare. She soon dispatches her husband, only to learn that Snow stands to inherit his wealth; one of many exquisite touches is Phelan-s use of a stock ticker as the magic mirror, rattling away like Poe-s tell-tale heart as Snow-s stepmother-s ambitions shift into madness. Moody gray and sepia panels carry the story forward, punctuated by splashes of lurid red-for an animal heart, procured at a butcher-s shop, or an apple tainted with a syringe. Snow-s affectionate relationship with -the Seven,- a group of street children, is among this adaptation-s most potent elements. The boys are hesitant to tell Snow their names, but readers will want tissues on hand when they finally do. Ages 10-up. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)

Voice of Youth Advocates

In 1918 New York, young Snow loses her beloved mother to tuberculosis. Ten years later, her father falls hard for a haughty Ziegfeld star who promptly dispatches Snow to boarding school. When the stock market crashes, Snow's father inexplicably comes through unscathed, which makes him look sideways at his enigmatic, luxury-loving wife; she sees things in the ticker tape that he does notsuch as that Snow is more beautiful than she. She also sees that her soon-to-be-deceased husband loves Snow more than he loves her, though his leaving his fortune to Snow comes as a nasty surprise. She naturally sets out to ensure that only she will inheritbut does not factor in the moral limits of her employee's devotion, nor the rough kindness of street urchins.This noir retelling of Snow White works surprisingly well in its Jazz-Age setting, if readers will allow a little dark magic. The street urchin "dwarves" are particularly touching, living the harsh reality of homelessness while retaining an innate kindness. Phelan's wonderfully expressive and realistic faces do most of the storytelling, and readers will linger on the dynamic structure of each page, as the artist's characteristic soft edges contrast with interesting page layouts. While the adventure leading to the evil queen's ultimate fate is a bit more unbelievable than the balance of the story, readers will still find it ironically apt and well-deserved. Fans of Brian Selznik's books will enjoy this one.Rebecca Moore.The tale of Snow White is timeless. This is proven in Phelan's artistic imagining of the classic tale. The art is gorgeous, capturing the hard edges of the 1920s while maintaining a softness that keeps the story hopeful, even in its darkest moments. Although this is not means a new story, Phelan's historical reimagining and beautiful art allows Snow to easily keep her title as fairest of them all. 4Q, 5P.Victoria Friend, Teen Reviewer.