Alexis Bledel is revisiting the book that launched her career as a film actor.
Bledel will lend her voice to a new 50th-anniversary audiobook edition of Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting, Macmillan Audio announced in a news release. Bledel starred in the 2002 film adaptation of the book.
Babbitt’s children’s novel, published in 1975 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, tells the story of Winnie Foster, a 10-year-old girl who discovers a family that does not age, thanks to a magical spring. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the book “a stylistic gem about living forever.”
The novel was adapted as a television movie in 1980 and as a feature film in 2002, directed by Jay Russell and starring Bledel as Winnie. The movie also starred Jonathan Jackson, Ben Kingsley, William Hurt, and Sissy Spacek.
Bledel, best known for her roles in the television series Gilmore Girls and The Handmaid’s Tale, will narrate the new audiobook version of the novel, which will feature a foreword written and read by Gabrielle Zevin (Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow).
“It has been an amazing experience to revisit this world,” Bledel said in a statement. “Tuck Everlasting holds a special place in my heart, having played Winnie Foster in the film many years ago. Narrating this beloved story for its 50th anniversary edition is a wonderful journey back into a tale that challenges us to think about what it truly means to live a meaningful life. It’s a timeless piece that continues to inspire, and I’m thrilled to bring this magical narrative to life for a new generation of listeners.”
The audiobook version of Tuck Everlasting is scheduled for release on Sept. 2.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
