Anne’s School Days

Anne's School Days is the third installment in the Anne of Green Gables-inspired junior chapter book series, following Anne Arrives and Anne's Kindred Spirits. This volume is set in autumn, and Anne's experiences in her new school in Avonlea are explored, notably her relationships with fellow classmates. Meeting Gilbert Blythe for the first time, Anne is subjected to his irritating teasing and to the unfair punishment from her teacher after she enacts revenge. Thus, the strained relationship between Anne and Gilbert is explored in-depth, with the former even leaving school for some time to escape the latter. Months later, though, when Anne and her friends are playing in the water, Anne floats away on her raft and is stuck underneath a bridge, only to be rescued by Gilbert. The book ends with the possibility of forgiveness, and a tentative friendship appears to be in the offing.

It is not necessary to read the other titles in the series to enjoy this account or to have read the original work. George supplies readers with the background information necessary to understand and appreciate the story. For example, Anne's domestic arrangement is quickly summarized by a few short sentences explaining that she was adopted by a woman named Marilla and Marilla’s brother Matthew, who was "shy and understanding, while Marilla was stern." In this fashion, the story is complete unto itself. It reads as fresh and as imaginative as L. M. Montgomery's novel while paying homage to the original, even incorporating phrases such as "bosom friend" and "Lover's Lane", which were more commonly used in 1908, the year the original book was published.

The story matches well with the scenes from the novel, in particular, the fifteenth chapter, "A Tempest in the School Teapot”, and the twenty-eighth, "An Unfortunate Lily Maid". Minor changes are noted between the original and the adaptation: punctuation, as in "Lovers' Lane;" the addition of dialogue, such as "or pin a girl's braid," not present in the original; the passage of time, which is longer in the original (more than a year, as opposed to months); and, finally, the status of Anne's relationship with Gilbert (unforgiving in Montgomery's version versus hopeful and approaching friendliness in George's version). These differences, however, are well within the author's artistic license as applied in the adaptation process and will only be noticed by the closest of comparative readings. George successfully brings to the fore the most important scenes and phrases from these chapters of the original novel while modernizing the language ("dinner hour" to "lunch" and "paid no need" to "did not listen", for example). Anne's School Days is an accessible introduction to the Canadian classic, especially for a younger audience than was intended by its precursor.

Halpin’s illustrations, blending pencil and watercolour, are typically placed on every second page, although the occasional one appears over a two-page spread (noted especially is a particularly exquisite scene of Anne on her raft). They are colourful and vibrant, full of rich detail highlighting the splendid sight of the Prince Edward Island countryside. From golden to rusty to moss green, the hues and shading utilized by the artist capture the essence of autumntime. Character expressions are varied and appropriate to the text; readers can feel Anne's despondency, her misery and stubbornness, but also her joyful freedom and wonder. Readers will be curious about what happens next, perhaps explored in a future installment of the series.

Reference: Montgomery, L. M. Anne of Green Gables. Puffin: 2017.