Penguin Ladybird Wednesday A Novelisation of Season One.

by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Return to the hallowed halls of Nevermore Academy with Wednesday Addams in this delightfully dark novelization of season one of the hit show, Wednesday!

Wednesday is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ time as a student at Nevermore Academy. Follow along with her as she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore Academy. Relive the excitement and intrigue in this amazing novelization of the phenomenal first season.

Based on the characters created by Charles Addams.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Supernatural

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2024

About the author

TEHLOR KAY MEJIA (he/him) is a bestselling and award winning author of books for all ages.

His debut young adult novel, WE SET THE DARK ON FIRE, received six starred reviews, as well as the Oregon Spirit Book Award for debut fiction, and the Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award runner up honor for debut speculative fiction. It has been featured on Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and O by Oprah Magazine’s best books lists, and was a 2019 book of the year selection by Kirkus and School Library Journal.

Tehlor’s debut middle grade novel, PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS, was published by the Rick Riordan Presents imprint at Disney/Hyperion. It received four starred reviews, and was named Amazon’s best book of 2020 in the 9-12 age range.

Tehlor strives to create stories which showcase the importance of community, radical inclusion, and abolitionist values. He lives with his child, wife, and two dogs in his home state of Oregon, and is active on Instagram @tehlorkay.

Reviews

[readsnrambles · Rating 5 out of 5]

wenclair lives & thrives

[Izabella 🪐 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Where's Wednesday?" Enid is saying, wrapped in a pink coat, every inch of her covered in blood and viscera that does not appear to be her own. In truth, she's never looked more beautiful to me. More capable or strong.

Wenclair, you will always be famous 🙏🙏 Did I really go out and spend my hard earned money on a novelization of a show I’ve already watched, just so I can read the small crumbs of a sapphic ship that isn’t even canon? Duh 👏

[Toya (thereadingchemist) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this. It was just like rewatching the show!

[Zena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historia nie tylko dla fanów Wednesday, bo tych nikt nie musi namawiać do lektury ;) Mamy świetne urban fantasy z elementami thrillera, wątkiem detektywistycznym i sporym poczuciem humoru, a wszystko to w odrobinie groteskowej oprawie. Akcja dzieje się w Akademii Nevermore - szkole dla nienormatywnych, a bohaterami są nastolatkowie nazywani przez mieszkańców Jerycha "dziwolągami". Konflikt z lokalnymi dzieciakami, tajemnice z przeszłości, morderstwa do wyjaśnienia, a do tego poznanie siebie samej, to główne wyzwania przed którymi staje Wednesday. Książka powstała w oparciu o film i trzeba uczciwie przyznać, że Burtonowi świetnie udało się przedstawić główne cechy postaci, a nawet je z humorem przerysować - czego w książce do końca nie czuć. I nic nie zastąpi oczu Wednesday wbijających się z ekranu w widza. A co dopiero powiedzieć o słynnym tańcu bohaterki - to po prostu trzeba zobaczyć 🤭 W rankingu książka - film na prowadzenie wychodzi dzieło Tima Burtona. Lektura może być inspiracją do sięgnięcia po serial, albo stanowić udany powrót do Nevermore po obejrzeniu filmu - kolejność dowolna 😀

[Rebecca Chisam · Rating 5 out of 5]

is there any way I couldn't rate this five stars? (no)

This was excellent. It really expanded upon the show in such a natural way, giving more insight into Wednesday's brilliant but socially oblivious mind. XD

The only thing missing were a few (non crucial) scenes, and of course the wonderful cinematography and aesthetic.

And just... Wednesday! There were so many lines, some of which were added, that I just straight up laughed out loud at. XD

But the novelization really drew out the sweetness of her character underneath all the... y'know... serial killer vibes, especially towards Enid. Enid and Wednesday are seriously the strangest pair but I love them. Did you know that in this version of the story, Wednesday went on the second date with Tyler because she thought Enid would want to have someone to talk with about boys? That's literally so sweet aw. <3

Anyway yup, this was a great novelization of Wednesday; it improved upon an already excellent story, imo! Can't wait for season 2!

[nela.reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myślę, że rodziny Addamsów i Wednesday nie trzeba nikomu przedstawiać. Serial okazał się olbrzymim hitem i kiedy tylko pojawił się na Netflixie, od razu zabrałam się za oglądanie - lubię taki mroczny klimat, więc nic dziwnego, że produkcja przypadła mi do gustu.

"Wednesday. Adaptacja sezonu 1" - zazwyczaj dość sceptycznie podchodzę do tego typu wydań i adaptacji filmów/seriali, ale na Goodreads widziałam mnóstwo pozytywnych opinii i to właśnie one skutecznie zachęciły mnie do lektury oraz sprawiły, że ostatecznie sięgnęłam po książkę.

Z perspektywy osoby, która oglądała serial nie ma tu nic niesamowicie zaskakującego. Sceny w książce może nie są odwzorowane dokładnie 1:1, ale całokształt nie odbiega znacząco od oryginału. Te drobne różnice nie odebrały mi jednak przyjemności z czytania. Opisy i dialogi są świetne i myślę, że gdybym nie poznała wcześniej "Wednesday", nie odczułabym, że jest to "tylko" adaptacja serialu.

Najbardziej z całej książki podobał mi się humor i możliwość poznania myśli głównej bohaterki - cudowne doświadczenie! Nie zliczę ile razy się śmiałam sama do siebie. Książka okazała się być dla mnie naprawdę świetną rozrywką, idealną, kiedy człowiek potrzebuje przeczytać coś luźnego i chce oderwać się od swoich problemów.

"Wednesday. Adaptacja sezonu 1" poleciłabym zarówno fanom serialu, jak i osobom, które tę historię mają dopiero przed sobą. Niezależnie czy najpierw przeczytacie książkę, czy obejrzycie serial, powinniście się wspaniale bawić. Nie da się również ukryć, że listopadowa aura obecnie mocno sprzyja tej lekturze🤭 Może to dobry moment na dodanie jej do swojego TBR?

[Współpraca reklamowa z wydawnictwem Young]

------------

przyjemna, szybko się czyta i nie czuć w ogóle, że to książka na podstawie jakiegoś serialu👌🏻 teraz chyba trzeba zrobić rewatch "Wednesday"

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, okay I did not realize how many thoughts wednesday has, particularly about Enid. I love this insight very much. For a good 3/4th of the book it felt like I read a Fanfic of Enid and Wednesday. However this is like the official publication. The author has done a wonderful job of capturing Wednesday's thoughts. Overall a wonderful read and I can't wait for Season 2 with its new horror elements and the love triangle being removed.

[alexandra osborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’ve only read one wenclair fanfic that was better than the repressed sapphic pining fest that was this book and that’s saying a lot

[Ashley (Chris's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG what a read I wish I could give the book more than five stars Wednesday was a really good book for a girl that started out not having friends she ends up with friends. I still didn't see that plot twist coming as to who the monster really was.

[merlin agatowy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️/5
It's either a *strong* wenclair foreshadowing or *strong* queerbating because oh my god
That being said, I really enjoyed it

[victorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
serial duzo lepszy, tutaj brakowało mi rozwinięcia niektorych scen

[LlamaRojaEmpireo · Rating 2 out of 5]

La novelización de la primera temporada de Wednesday es, básicamente, la serie llevada al papel sin ningún tipo de cambio.

La historia es exactamente la misma: mismas escenas, mismos diálogos y mismo desarrollo. No añade información nueva ni profundiza más en los personajes o en el mundo que rodea a Miércoles.

Por eso, mientras lo leía, no podía evitar pensar que el libro se ha publicado aprovechando el enorme éxito de la serie más que por una verdadera necesidad de contar algo nuevo en este formato.

No es un mal libro, simplemente resulta innecesario si ya has visto la serie. Es una lectura sencilla y rápida, pero no aporta nada diferente a la historia que ya conocemos.

En mi opinión, es un libro pensado principalmente para los fans que quieran revivir la serie en formato papel.

[Gabrielle ✿]

no doubt i'll be adding this to my lgbtq shelf when season 2 drops bc (ಠ_ರೃ) HAROLD..........
-
Unfair to give this a star rating since it's such a faithful screen-to-page adaptation. 100% entertaining though, just like the show!

[Tango · Rating 3 out of 5]

i mean it's basically the first season as a book, and frankly i still thought it was a lot of fun. some of the twists don't hit as good as it does on the show, but i liked having wednesday's inner monologue. especially because her inner monologue makes her sooo much gayer. the book makes wenclair more obvious. which for me, i liked.

[Emblue26 Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

love wednesday addams tv show but I couldn't get into the book

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ It’s Good!

I haven’t actually seen the show, so this was a new to me plot and I enjoyed it! I have talked to friends who’ve watched it and it definitely sticks almost identically to the TV show. Could be a fun way to remember what happened on season 1 before season 2 starts, or a way for people like me to be introduced to it!

I really enjoyed the characters and thought Wednesdays dry inner voice was really fun. The characters were all captured really well and I feel like it painted a vivid picture of everyone.

What didn’t work as well for me though was at times you could absolutely tell this was just the show script slightly adapted to book format. Things like montages, foreshadowing, memories and visions didn’t transfer well to a book and I wished they had been changed to feel less clunky and more natural to the story. If it had multiple POVs or was in 3rd person it would have made more sense, instead it’s things like “I never could have imagined what was happening outside” and then a play by play description of what’s happening that she can’t see. For those aspects, the literal translation of show to book just didn’t work well.

It definitely made me interested to watch the show even though I am not really a TV person. It was an entertaining read that super fans of the show will enjoy.

[zuzia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Świetnie się bawiłam!! Tak jak się spodziewałam, ta adaptacja wyszła równie dobrze, jak serial. Zaczynając od bohaterów, kocham całą rodzinę Addamsów, każda z postaci się czymś wyróżnia. Ogromnie podobał mi się stale towarzyszący czarny humor, jest on chyba nieodłączną częścią postaci Wednesday. Sama historia niezwykle wciągająca, pełna zwrotów akcji. Zagadka bardzo dobrze poprowadzona, części z niej się domyśliłam, a część była dla mnie ogromnym zaskoczeniem. Na początku trudno było mi wciągnąć się w lekturę, możliwe jednak, że to z powodu mojego zastoju czytelniczego. Bardzo podobało mi się nawiązanie do klasyku literatury (nie zdradzam jakiego, żeby nie było spojlerów) oraz mroczny klimat. Z chęcią przeczytam adaptację drugiego sezonu. Wydawnictwo Young, proszę mnie nie zawieść!! ☝️

[współpraca reklamowa] Wydawnictwo Young

[Pola · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 🖤

Spodziewałam się, że będzie gorsze.

Niedługo pełną recenzja, zapraszam na ig - ksiezycowe_stronyy.

xoxo, P. 🌙

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one of the very few people in America to not have a Netflix account, I opted to pick this up as the trailers for Wednesday always intrigued me. In truth, this did not disappoint.
The plot was amazing. There were so many twists and turns. I was a willing captive audience. The author had portrayed Wednesday Addams perfectly. She was exactly as you would expect and more. Being inside her head is not as scary as one would think.
My only complaint of the book is that the author recreates segues that work on screen but not much in a novel. Especially one written in a first person perspective. Other than that, it was a great read.
I highly recommend this. It has an X-Men meets the Addams family vibe with a dash of Sherlock. Perfect for the Halloween season.

[Aude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coup de cœur 🖤

Comme j’ai aimé retourner à l’Académie Nevermore.

Retrouver tous les personnages que j’avais tant aimés en regardant la série télé m’a réchauffé le cœur.

Le roman est très fidèle à la série télé. On y retrouve la même intrigue mais avec petit plus.. un accès privilégié aux pensées de Mercredi.

En parlant de Mercredi, j’ai adoré la façon dont elle est représentée dans cette nouvelle série. J’aime la nouvelle dynamique dans laquelle on la découvre et j’ai complètement fondue pour le triangle amoureux qui se forme entre elle, Xavier et Tyler.

J’ai aussi un énorme faible pour sa relation avec Enid. Elles s’aiment sans condition malgré leurs nombreuses différences. Leur loyauté est irréfutable.

J’ai toujours été une grande fan de la famille Addams.

Mercredi est l’un de mes personnages fictifs préférés depuis très longtemps. Je me suis toujours reconnue dans son ironie, son sarcasme et sa passion pour tout ce qui est morbide.

J’ai ri fort durant ma lecture.
Et j’en suis ressortie comblée.

Ce roman est vraiment parfait pour découvrir (ou redécouvrir) la série 🖤

[Vivianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Książka sama w sobie swietna ale praktycznie zero funu z czytania, jak się serial oglądało

[Meritxell Paz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3'5 ⭐

En la novela al menos no tienes que pasar por las sobreactuaciones de algunos actores, aunque podrían haber puesto más descripciones, que si no has visto la serie te puedes perder.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope there's a second book 😊

[Edwin Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the series, then this novel is for you. Meijia manages to keep the book a page-turner and you get a little bit more into Wednesday's head, adding some insight into how and why she acted in the series. There is little description outside of what is minimally necessary as it is assumed the majority of the readers have already seen the series and know the characters' looks and what the various locales are. Still, there is enough for those who haven't seen the series to get the basic idea and can form their own images as they wish. Would recommend for a leisurely mystery read.

[SplatterGunk · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are a handful of clever and witty lines in Wednesday’s inner monologue and it wasn’t entirely poorly written, I was far from impressed. I marathoned this entire book because I refused to DNF it, even though I had my moments where I wanted to.

The Positives:

The clever and witty moments that occasionally occur in Wednesday’s inner monologue.

The writing isn’t entirely horrible.

It’s (mostly) faithful to the canon of the show.

Wednesday, through her introspection, does display and demonstrate character development, which is something I didn’t think I was going to get out of this book.

The Neutral:

Wednesday and Enid’s exaggerated relationship. I’m glad for all the Wenclair shippers that get their moment in the sun. It’s not something that I love, but it’s not something that instills a burning hatred within me.

The Negatives:

The absolute angsty-ness of Wednesday in this novel is over-the-top and quite hilarious. She doesn’t reflect herself the same way she does in the show and her witticisms that occur in her dialogue or her voice-over monologues aren’t present in the book. It feels like what Wednesday (the show) might have been before Jenna Ortega stepped in and spoke up about how Wednesday’s persona should be played.

Plot progression. The lack of transition from scene to scene and cause and effect. The book doesn’t feel very plot or character driven. This does tend to happen with novelizations of major properties sometimes, but I felt as if I was just reading “and the I did this, and this happened *forty paragraph of introspection,* the next day I went here.”
It just didn’t flow smoothly as a narrative.

The relationship between the characters in the show versus Wednesday’s portrayed relationships in the book. This is by far the biggest sin this book commits. Wednesday’s hatred for Bianca and Xavier is longer lasting than it was in the show and relatively inexplicable. Especially how she somehow just goes from hating Bianca to trusting her suddenly. Ajax is almost nonexistent (likely so the author wouldn’t have to deal with the awkwardness of Wednesday perceiving Ajax in a Wenclair-centric narrative, but also admittedly because Ajax doesn’t give much in service to the plot), and the lack of utilization of Wednesday and Eugene’s friendship. Those, though, are only the basics of the relationship dynamics that were underserved.

Wednesday’s relationship with Thing and Thing’s appearance in this adaptation is rather disappointing. Thing only comes up when it serves the plot and is never seen aside from that. Wednesday’s emotional attachment and Thing’s importance is hollow and underserved. (I could also say the same about Goody’s appearance in this novel.)

By far the most underserved and underrepresented part of this novelized adaptation is Weems and Wednesday’s tenuous but powerful bond. Weems and Wednesday are such important opposing forces to one another in the show and Weems is only used as a plot device. Wednesday had no thoughts about her or bond with her in this book. That strange, adversarial mother/daughter, mentor/mentee relationship between them is gone. Which is a shame because it is such an important dynamic that should have been preserved. If any other relationship should have been a focus in this book aside from Wednesday and Enid, it should have been Weems and Wednesday for sheer purpose of its importance to plot and Wednesday’s character development.

A lot of people who read this book, loved it. Far be it from me to ruin that experience for them or for me to be “judging a novelization of a teen drama show” too harshly.

I have my fun when reading fanfiction, but a published work contracted by a company to be written by a professional author (for even more money and promotion of the Wednesday/Addams Family/Tee and Charles Addams Foundation Brand) is something I rightfully feel I can review as harshly or keenly as I would any other regular book. I feel I can demand a bit more from the content I choose to consume.

[Jack Ó Dubhuir · Rating 4 out of 5]

CAT REVIEW: [🐾🐾🐾]
We listened to the audiobook together, and it kept them mildly entertained while I did some chores. They didn’t follow me around as much as usual and instead opted to hang out wherever I put my phone or go about their business adjacent. I’d like to think this was a pleasant experience for all of us :)

Altogether a nice way to pass the time while making headway on my to-do list. The writing very much comes off as “16 year-old girl attempts to sound more grown-up,” which I found entertaining and fitting—especially as we see her world-view and social ability/knowledge put to the test. It was kind of like watching a speedrun of growing up and realizing your parents are also just people, too. Listening to her internal monologue change throughout the book was a wonderful illustration of her character arc in the show.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Vincent Baltzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as the show.
It's Wednesday's POV, so some events are missing. Not too much to not get through without having seen the show. But I think it's aimed at the show's audience anyway.
On the upside, there's more insight into W's psyche, some good enlightenment to be had.
Very few deviations, just details. Some are interesting.

The content would be Wenclair and that would be official.
I find that this content remains in the realm of subtext. Which allows me to understand that from an official point of view, it passes without a problem. It remains open to interpretation. It's a bit of a shame. Hence the missing star for me.
In any case, W.'s feelings for E. are deep and unique.

[Hanna☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ (Free Palestine)]

I… cannot believe I essentially read the transcript of a whole show I watched but it wasn’t unenjoyable to be honest lol. I will say that it did make me think how writing emotions and connections between characters is no easy feat at all. Maybe it was because I’ve already experienced the story, but I didn’t feel the same bond between Wednesday and Enid that I did while watching the show.

[prettylittleliar · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable book follows the exact plot of the show

[donutdot · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆ out of 5 because i love wednesday season 1.

okay i don't know where to begin but this book captured wednesday's voice so perfectly in that slightly infuriating morbid way she always speaks, even the parts that weren't narrated in the show. going into this i know the plot so nothing much surprised me. the mystery of who the hyde and subsequently the master is was always gonna be peak, especially the reveal when tyler flipped and told her everything. i love that it gave me chills in both the show and the book.

one thing i didn't expect though? so many wenclair implications? okay i started shipping wenclair during that hug at the end of season 1 after enid saved wednesday, but this got very shippy early on, and it was full blown sunshine x grumpy roommates to bestfriends (lovers in the fanfics). because why was the tension so real??

i have so many quotes i liked but below are my favourites:

"i turn to enid, death stalking me like a spectre, drawing ever closer. our eyes meet in the darkness and i'm struck by the thought that this might be the last time i see her."

"... wrapped in a pink coat, every inch of her covered in blood and viscera that does not appear to be her own. in truth, she's never looked more beautiful to me. more capable or strong."

"while my normal reaction would be to push the offendong hugger away, i find myself hugging her back. loosening in her embrace, the full weight of all that has befallen me tonight finally given a safe place to land."

and many many more.

my controversial take is that i know the creators confirmed wenclair are never going to be canon, but in all honesty the whole thing with xavier was kind of hot? don't come at me, but the tension, the jock who liked her and she used him to solve a mystery, falsely getting him imprisoned but taking an arrow for him in the final fight? everything between them feels charged and it can't be for nothing. but then again xavier didn't even appear for season 2 so i guess it was all for nothing.

sat waiting for season 2 novelisation and season 3 on netflix.