Anne of Avonlea

Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne Shirley is ready to start her first job, teacher of the one room Avonlea school. She is a grown up now, but she hasn't left all of her childhood behind. Besides her dreams and fancies, she still gets into scrapes as well.

Anne and her friends have formed the Avonlea Village Improvement Society (AVIS) to help beautify the village. They hope to plant more trees, maintain the graveyard, tear down buildings that are desolate eyesores, add flowers, spruce up buildings, and plant grass along the roadway.

Marilla and Anne have a new neighbor, Mr. Harris. He lives with a vulgar parrot and complains about Anne's jersey cow in his oats. Anne, being Anne, eventually wins him over. But Ginger, the parrot, calls Anne that "red-haired snippet" from then on. Anne and Diana also meet Miss Lavender, the 45-year-old maid that acts much younger than she is.

Marilla's distant relative dies and leaves six-year-old twins. The twins' uncle is in British Columbia. Marilla is the only other relative. Anne and Marilla take Dora and Davy until their uncle marries and can take them in the spring. Dora is the perfect little miss. Davy, on the other hand, is all busy, inquisitive boy.

Anne of Avonlea covers the next two years after Anne of Green Gables. Anne Shirley has a wonderful, settled home with Marilla Cuthbert in Avonlea. She becomes a beloved school teacher, stays close friends with Diana Barry, Gilbert Blythe, Jane Andrews, and the others from their group that stay in Avonlea. If you are new to Anne Shirley, this is not the book to start with. Anne of Green Gables is an absolute charmer. This is a good enough continuation, but doesn't quite catch the imagination. I still laughed out loud more than once at Anne's scrapes (she falls through a roof to her armpits, for example).

Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of the Island
Anne of Windy Poplars
Anne's House of Dreams
Anne of Ingleside