As you might know, “Wednesday” is one of the most popular shows Netflix has ever had, but it didn’t come from nowhere. In fact, the show has its origins in the “Addams Family” comic strip that first appeared in “The New Yorker” all the way back in 1938! Since then it has had numerous book, tv, movie and video game adaptations and had a considerable influence on pop culture. Not bad for a one-panel comic without any words. Let’s have a look at some inspired by and related works available at your local library.
The Addams Family and The Addams Family Values
I would be remiss if I left out this pair of films from the early 90s. While not the oldest live-action adaptation they are arguably the most definitive. The effects hold up well, there are numerous top-tier actors and of course, they have Christina Ricci in a very familiar role.
Let’s branch out a little bit. I imagine that you are also familiar with Tim Burton and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” so there’s no need to recommend that. But did you know that there is a sequel? A book sequel in fact called
“Long Live the Pumpkin Queen” by Shea Ernshaw. This book picks up right after the end of the first film and has sally trying to adjust to her new life as the queen of Halloween Town. Just Like Wednesday, Sally is a woman of action and being stuck with royal duties is not going to be enough for her. She will have to go on her own quest and decide her place in the world.
Enjoying the action, mystery, and monsters that the series brings? Try sinking your teeth into “Eat Your Heart Out” by Kelly Devos. A group of teens is sent to fat camp, but much like Nevermore, not everything is as it seems and soon this ragtag group is the only thing standing between the world and an outbreak of skinny zombies! The book rotates through the main characters’ perspectives on a chapter-by-chapter basis so you can get different perspectives and responses to the exciting/scary action.
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars
If you don’t mind a little bit of murder, mermaids, and mayhem in your stories then let me recommend “Fierce Femmes” by Kai Cheng Thom. Wednesday may be on her own in the series, but she has the good fortune of growing up with a loving and well-intentioned family. Not every girl is quite so lucky and Thom tells a story that blends the surreal with her own life and a murder mystery to boot. When a killer is targeting a group of trans girls they’ll have to band together and make their own family, then take the fight to the enemy!
The Addams family and Wednesday herself are heavily influenced by gothic horror, so let’s give it up for the original goth herself, Mary Shelly! “My Imaginary Mary” by Cynthia Hand takes the real historical figures of Ada Lovelace and Mary Shelly and puts them in a world where magic and science fiction are real and very soon quite literally anything becomes possible when Mary gains the ability to make imagination real. The book lovingly plays fast and loose with history through a snarky narrator and commentary on the standards of the time, some of which still applies today. If you want some historical fiction with an unstoppable teen girl duo, then look no further!
How about another school where not everything is as it seems and a crime needs solving? Two crimes even, at least! “Truly Devious” by Maureen Johnson draws inspiration from the modern popularity of the true crime genre, but make no mistake the world in this one is not quite our own. The main character is an amateur detective and has made it her personal mission to solve the mystery of what happened to the wife and daughter of the school’s founder decades earlier, but is the supposed murderer back to torment the academy again? How is this possible? You’ll just have to read it to find out!
Let’s look at another quirky off the wall school, but this one is more fabulous and fantastical than my last recommendation. “Carry On” by Rainbow Rowell is considered to be her riff on the Harry Potter series, but it’s more than just a name swap and some jokes. For one thing, there’s a whole lot more smoochin’ going on in this romantic, magical, mystery. Rowell has a unique take on the rules that make the magic work and what it means to be a chosen one. And it’s really hard to be a chosen one if your nemesis won’t even show up!
Let’s not forget about Jenna Ortega. She’s the one making all this possible with her portrayal of Wednesday Addams, but on top of being a hugely talented actress, she’s a writer too! Jenna was only 18 at the time that this memoir has published, but being a child star means that she’s already had a lot going on and a lot to tell us about. Advice, memories, faith, family, and love are the topics she talks about the most and if you want to know the inner thoughts of the woman who brought Wednesday to life then this is the place to find them.
Let’s finish out with one more off-the-wall recommendation. “Gremlins 2”, yes you read that right. There’s no direct connection here per se, but “Gremlins 2” is just as iconic as the original “Addams Family” in being both dark and utterly zany. You can skip right to the second movie without missing much and I recommend doing so if you want to laugh out loud at crazy creatures and ridiculous antics. The whole movie lampoons the idea of creature features and unnecessary sequels in much the same way that the Addams family was making fun of the “traditional family” all those years ago and still is today.
