Chronicles of Avonlea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chronicles of Avonlea

First US edition
Author	Lucy Maud Montgomery
Country	Canada
Language	English
Series	Anne of Green Gables
Genre	Short stories
Publisher	McClelland & Stewart (Canada) L.C. Page (US)
Publication date	1912
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages	236 pp
Followed by	Further Chronicles of Avonlea

Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It is connected to her famous Anne of Green Gables series. This book is filled with tales about the people and places in the fictional Canadian village of Avonlea. It was first published in 1912.

Even though it's sometimes sold as an Anne Shirley book, Anne herself only has a small part. Out of 12 stories, she is the main character in just one ("The Hurrying of Ludovic"). She also has a small role in another story ("The Courting of Prissy Strong"). Anne is only mentioned briefly in five other stories.

Other characters from the Anne series are also mentioned. These include Marilla Cuthbert and Mrs. Rachel Lynde. Diana Barry, Reverend Mr. Allan, and his wife also appear briefly. A character named Alice Penhallow from "The Winning of Lucinda" is mentioned later in Anne of the Island. In fact, the wedding Anne talks about attending in Anne of the Island is the setting for "The Winning of Lucinda."

Most of the stories, however, are about people from Avonlea who are not in the Anne novels. This is because many of these short stories were written and published before L. M. Montgomery even thought of Anne of Green Gables. After Anne of Green Gables became very popular in 1908, and its sequel Anne of Avonlea in 1909, Montgomery's publisher wanted more stories about Anne. So, she changed some of her older stories to include Avonlea and its characters. This made the book a companion to the Anne series.

The book is dedicated to "MRS WILLIAM A. HOUSTON, a dear friend who has gone beyond."

Stories in the Book

Here are the stories you'll find in Chronicles of Avonlea:

• "The Hurrying of Ludovic": Anne Shirley helps Ludovic Speed finally propose to Theodora Dix after they had been dating for a very long time.
• "Old Lady Lloyd": Old Lady Lloyd is thought to be very rich. She meets the daughter of someone she used to like and tries to help her.
• "Each in His Own Tongue": Reverend Stephen Leonard tries to stop his son Felix from playing the violin. He thinks it is not right.
• "Little Joscelyn": Aunty Nan hears that Joscelyn Burnett is back on Prince Edward Island. She really wants to hear her old friend sing.
• "The Winning of Lucinda": Lucinda and Romney Penhallow had a long-standing disagreement. This story tells how it finally ends.
• "Old Man Shaw's Girl": Mrs. Peter Blewett tries to ruin Old Man Shaw's hopes. He is waiting for his beloved daughter Sara, also called "Blossom," to return.
• "Aunt Olivia's Beau": Olivia Sterling is being courted by Malcolm McPherson.
• "Quarantine at Alexander Abraham's": Angelina "Peter" MacPherson doesn't like men. She gets stuck in quarantine for smallpox with Alexander Abraham Bennett. He is a man who hasn't let a woman in his house for years.
• "Pa Sloane's Purchase": Pa Sloane quickly buys a baby at an auction. He then has to deal with all the unexpected things that happen.
• "The Courting of Prissy Strong": Stephen Clark tries to win over Prissy Strong. Her sister Emmeline is strongly against their relationship.
• "The Miracle at Carmody": Judith Marsh doesn't believe in God. She and her sister Salome try to raise a young boy named Lionel Hezekiah.
• "The End of a Quarrel": Peter Wright and Nancy Rogerson meet again. This happens many years after a disagreement about his grammar caused them to break up.

Other Books and TV Shows

Chronicles of Avonlea was followed by another book in 1920. It was called Further Chronicles of Avonlea. This book also shared stories about families from the fictional Avonlea area. Some of these stories were later used for the popular television series Road to Avonlea.

Anne Shirley's Story

Montgomery wrote many more books about Anne Shirley. Here they are in the order of Anne's age in each story.

Here are other books where Anne Shirley appears, but plays a smaller role.