Summary
Summary of The Story Girl
Key ideas
Key idea 1
The brothers find a family home
Beverley and Felix King leave Toronto when their father takes work in Rio de Janeiro. Their mother died before they could remember her, so they go to live with Uncle Alec and Aunt Janet at the King homestead. The journey brings them into a place already familiar through their father's stories.
At supper they meet their cousins, Dan, Felicity and Cecily. Even before meeting the Story Girl, both boys are wondering what she will think of them.
Key idea 2
Her voice brings the orchard alive
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Key idea 3
Stories reach beyond the children's circle
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Key idea 4
Belief can leave a lasting mark
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Key idea 5
Household freedom brings comic troubles
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Key idea 6
A frightening rumor changes their priorities
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Key idea 7
Imagination brings wonder and fear
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Key idea 8
Games become arguments about belief
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Key idea 9
Every child has room to grow
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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
Readers who love sunlit farm summers, family humor, old orchards, and the sound of a good tale told aloud will feel at home, as will anyone who remembers a childhood friend with big dreams.
What this book is
Imagine a girl whose voice can make sour apples and pigs sound like magic. That is the Story Girl, and she rules one golden summer on Prince Edward Island. Beverley King tells the tale as a grown man looking back. He and his brother Felix leave Toronto because their father must go to Rio de Janeiro. They land at the old King homestead in Carlisle, among cousins, a hired boy and a frightened neighbor girl. Over the months the children raise money for a school library, play at preaching, write down their dreams and face a rumored end of the world.
In this summary
- 1Two brothers come home to an orchardFree
- 2A girl whose voice makes words live
- 3Church, a locked room, and a rich man
- 4Magic seed, a picture, and hard lessons
- 5A week with Uncle Roger and its mishaps
- 6The day the world is supposed to end
- 7Dream books, a witch, and a sick cat
- 8Sermons, apples, and a fight about prayer
- 9What the summer is really about
Key point 1 of 9
Two brothers come home to an orchard
Beverley and Felix King ride a train away from Toronto. Their father has taken work in Rio de Janeiro, and their mother died before they were old enough to remember her. So the boys go to Uncle Alec and Aunt Janet on the family homestead.
The drive to Carlisle shows them a gentle uncle with tired blue eyes just like their father's. In the dark they spot the huge willow that Grandfather King grew from a switch. Everything matches their father's stories, and the boys feel they have come home.
At supper they meet Dan, Felicity and Cecily. Later, in bed, they hear Felicity call Felix too fat. Still, both boys care most about what the Story Girl will think of them.
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 makes the Story Girl's storytelling so powerful?
Right. “Whatever she speaks of becomes alive, even talk of sour apples and pigs.”Not quite. “Whatever she speaks of becomes alive, even talk of sour apples and pigs.”
What prompts Felicity to speak to the Story Girl after their quarrel?
Right. “Fear spreads, and Felicity finally speaks to the Story Girl.”Not quite. “Fear spreads, and Felicity finally speaks to the Story Girl.”
What larger questions lie beneath the children's humorous adventures?
Right. “Beneath the humor, the book is about friendship, belief and the way children try out big questions.”Not quite. “Beneath the humor, the book is about friendship, belief and the way children try out big questions.”
Questions about The Story Girl
What is The Story Girl about?
It follows brothers Beverley and Felix King, who spend a season on their father's family farm on Prince Edward Island. With their cousins, a hired boy and the storyteller Sara Stanley, they play, quarrel, pray and tell tales.
Why is she called the Story Girl?
Sara Stanley is called the Story Girl because she tells tales so well, and because another girl nearby is also named Sara. She prefers the nickname to her own name.
Is The Story Girl a true story?
It is fiction, written by L. M. Montgomery and set on a farm in Prince Edward Island in a time of horses, lamps and orchards. The family, its customs and its tales feel real.
Is The Story Girl easy to read?
Yes, in the sense that matters: the chapters are short and each holds its own small adventure, with lively dialogue and plain, friendly language. The humor and the tales told by the Story Girl keep every page inviting.
What is the main message of The Story Girl?
The book shows how imagination, friendship and storytelling make ordinary days shine. It also hints that childhood has a magic that grown people can only remember, and that memory keeps it safe.
