Summary
Summary of Anne of Avonlea
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Anne puts her dreams into practice
Anne Shirley is sixteen when she becomes the schoolteacher of her farming village on Prince Edward Island. The girl who once dreamed of being someone else now has real children depending on her. She also helps raise two small orphans and joins her friends in trying to improve Avonlea.
Her imagination and good intentions give her plenty of plans, but responsibility brings surprises and funny mistakes. Anne begins to discover that caring for people means more than deciding what would be best for them.
Key idea 2
Kindness needs more than good intentions
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Key idea 3
A home makes room for others
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Key idea 4
Improvement begins with respect for neighbors
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Key idea 5
Rough words can hide real kindness
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Key idea 6
Listening can reach an old loneliness
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Key idea 7
Imagination can deepen care for others
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Key idea 8
Growing up need not erase wonder
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Key idea 9
A community helps shape a person
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
For readers who loved Anne of Green Gables and enjoy gentle, humorous stories of village life, friendship and growing up. Teachers and young people facing a first job will find much to enjoy in Anne's new responsibilities.
What this book is
What happens when a girl who dreamed of being someone else is handed a room full of real children? Anne of Avonlea, published in 1909 by L. M. Montgomery, picks up soon after Anne of Green Gables. Anne Shirley is sixteen and has become the schoolteacher of her farming village on Prince Edward Island. She also helps raise two small orphans and tries to improve Avonlea with her friends. She makes mistakes, some of them very funny. Along the way she learns that good intentions are not enough and that people matter more than plans.
In this summary
- 1Anne becomes the teacher of AvonleaFree
- 2Marilla takes in two orphan twins
- 3Anne and her friends improve the village
- 4Neighbors who teach Anne about people
- 5A stone house, an echo, and Miss Lavendar
- 6Paul Irving and the power of imagination
- 7Growing up means learning to keep your gifts
- 8Friendship and love come in many forms
- 9How Montgomery tells the story
Key point 1 of 9
Anne becomes the teacher of Avonlea
Anne Shirley, sixteen, wins the teaching post at the Avonlea school. Her old rival Gilbert Blythe is also a teacher. He teaches at White Sands, while Anne stays close to Marilla.
Anne has firm ideas. She does not want to rule by fear. She plans to teach by kindness and to avoid whipping her pupils.
Reality arrives quickly. The Pye family tests her patience, and Anthony Pye seems set on making her fail. She loses her temper and regrets it. A resistant child does not change after one kind afternoon. Her warmth does not fail, but it has to grow wiser, and her imagination now has to serve other people.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
What does Anne learn from trying to improve Avonlea?
Right. “She suggests that the wish to make a place better is a fine thing, and that it grows more useful with humility and tact.”Not quite. “She suggests that the wish to make a place better is a fine thing, and that it grows more useful with humility and tact.”
How does Anne respond to Paul Irving's imagination?
Right. “Anne offers the sympathy his fancies need.”Not quite. “Anne offers the sympathy his fancies need.”
What does Anne's growing maturity mean for her childhood gifts?
Right. “Maturity is not the loss of a child's gifts but the learning of how to use them well.”Not quite. “Maturity is not the loss of a child's gifts but the learning of how to use them well.”
Who’s who
- Anne Shirley
- Anne is a sixteen-year-old schoolteacher whose imagination and enthusiasm animate her friendships in Avonlea.
- Marilla Cuthbert
- Marilla is Anne's practical adoptive guardian, who also takes responsibility for the orphaned Keith twins.
- Gilbert Blythe
- Gilbert is Anne's former school rival, now a fellow teacher and friend who shares her ambitions.
- Diana Barry
- Diana is Anne's closest friend and a loyal companion in village projects and visits.
- Davy Keith
- Davy is Dora's mischievous twin brother, whose questions and adventures challenge Anne and Marilla.
- Miss Lavendar Lewis
- Miss Lavendar is the romantic resident of Echo Lodge whom Anne and Diana befriend.
- Paul Irving
- Paul is Anne's imaginative pupil, living with his grandmother while his father is away.
- Mrs. Rachel Lynde
- Mrs. Rachel Lynde is Anne and Marilla's outspoken neighbor, combining sharp opinions with practical concern.
- Dora Keith
- Dora is Davy's quiet, well-behaved twin sister, sharing his new home with Anne and Marilla.
- Mr. Harrison
- Mr. Harrison is Anne's gruff neighbor, whose teasing manner challenges her first impressions of him.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 92,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 6 h 10 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about Anne of Avonlea
What is Anne of Avonlea about?
It follows Anne Shirley at sixteen as she becomes the teacher of the Avonlea school, helps raise two orphan twins, and works with friends to improve her village. It is a gentle story of growing up.
Do I need to read Anne of Green Gables first?
It helps a great deal. This book continues directly from the first, and many characters and old quarrels are explained there. You can follow it alone, but you will enjoy it more after meeting Anne as a child.
When was Anne of Avonlea written and is it a true story?
L. M. Montgomery published it in 1909 as the second Anne book. It is fiction, though it draws on Montgomery's own memories of life and schooling on Prince Edward Island.
Who are Davy and Dora in Anne of Avonlea?
They are orphaned twins, relatives of Marilla, whom she takes in at Green Gables. Dora is quiet and well behaved, while Davy is curious and mischievous, and he supplies much of the book's humor.
Is Anne of Avonlea worth reading?
It suits readers who like warm, humorous stories of village life and character growth. It is more episodic than the first book, but it rewards a reader with memorable people.
