Anne of Green Gables: The Chapter Book Collection

Adapted by Kallie George

Illustrated by Abigail Halpin

Tundra Books

978-1-774887905

Ages 6–9

October 2025

 

Last year, the world celebrated the 150th anniversary of the birth of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. That book, published in 1908, continues to enamour its fans and new readers. While the book and its sequels have captivated readers of all ages, its language, particularly vocabulary, is more challenging for younger readers since it is generally more suitable for those 12 years of age and older. But it would be a shame for those younger readers to miss out on the enchantment that is Anne. To that end, Kallie George, writer of the Heartwood Hotel and The Magical Animal Adoption Agency series, and illustrator Abigail Halpin have found the perfect means to introduce early readers to this red-haired star.

Now, Tundra Books is releasing a boxed set of the six previously-published books of stories adapted by Kallie George and illustrated by Abigail Halpin from the Anne of Green Gables story. These are the six books that are included in the set:

1.    Anne Arrives (2018)
2.    Anne's Kindred Spirits (2019)
3.    Anne's School Days (2021)
4.    Anne's Tragical Tea Party (2022)
5.    Anne Dares (2023) 
6.    Anne Dreams (2024)
 
By dividing up Anne's story into six short (64-72 pages long) books, Kallie George's adaptation is manageable as well as thorough. And with Abigail Halpin's illustrations, the books are enriched with colour and detail.  

From Anne Arrives, adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin

Anne's story begins with Anne Arrives. All the key elements of Anne's beginnings, from Matthew picking her up at the station and being surprised by her being a girl, to Marilla's wanting to return Anne to the orphanage, and the altercation with Mrs. Rachel Lynde are included. There is a sweeter tone to the story than perhaps the original, though Anne's angst at being returned to the orphanage and her anger at having her hair compared to carrots are evident. 

That night, she cried herself to sleep. Not even the beautiful cherry tree outside her window made her feel better. (Anne Arrives, p. 27)

From Anne's School Days, adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin

Anne's Kindred Spirits focuses on the girl's friendship with Diana, while Anne's School Days highlights her relationship with Gilbert Blythe. Anne's Tragical Tea Party centers on Anne and Diana's relationship, from an infamous tea party that becomes a disaster because of some misguided sharing of cordial to Anne's redemption by caring for Diana's little sister.

The final two books in this adaptation show us Anne as she grows as a person, first finding the courage to take on some daring exploits including public speaking (Anne Dares), and then daring to dream of being a raven-haired beauty and going to college (Anne Dreams)

From Anne Dreams, adapted by Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin

Without giving us every part of Anne's original story, Kallie George gives us the key anecdotes and a true sense of Anne the girl. Her spirit and the foibles come through loud and clear in the stories, the dialogue and her thoughts. Making Anne the full character she is while using a reduced vocabulary and simpler text is an achievement, and it is one that young readers will appreciate, especially once they get to read the original. 

 

Abigail Halpin complements the story of Anne with her illustrations which are rendered in graphite, watercolour and coloured pencils and then coloured digitally. The artwork is plentiful, at least once on every double-page spread, and contribute greater detail than can be provided in the limited text needed for early readers. From Marilla's distress at Anne's green hair in Anne Dreams to the period clothing of the girls—oh, those puffy sleeves Anne wanted so desperately (Anne Dares)—Abigail Halpin takes us into the lives of Anne and her friends and family and to visit Green Gables, the schoolhouse and the Lake of Shining Waters. 

 

These six books have given us Anne. Her story may look a little different because of the text and the artwork but Anne, in all her splendour and simplicity, is truly here. And now, younger readers can meet her and experience why the world adores her.

"I am not changed," Anne said to Marilla. "Not really. I've grown and branched out. But me, the real me, is just the same. Where I go or how much I change on the outside won't make a difference." (Anne Dreams, p. 58)

Anne's Kindred Spirits

Adapted by Kallie George

Illustrated by Abigail Halpin

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-932-4

64 pp.

Ages 6-8

May 2019

I think many people take the making of friends for granted, knowing that they will meet many at school, at work or at organized activities and, with social media, having many "friends" would appear to be the norm. But I think we forget that historically and especially in rural areas, making friends would have been a very big deal. How would you communicate with them? How would you visit? For many families, your siblings became your friends, but if you were an only child, that wouldn't have been an option. So, for L. M. Montgomery's Anne, who inspired this story, making a friend would have been momentous and something for which she'd yearn.

From Anne's Kindred Spirits, adapted by Kallie George, illus. by Abigail Halpin

Anne is excited to meet Diana Barry, a reader like herself, but with hair "black as a raven's wing, not red." (pg. 15) When she asks her to be her "bosom friend, a kindred spirit who would be her best friend" (pg. 6), Diana accepts and the two make plans to attend the upcoming Sunday School Picnic. The picnic is all Anne can think about, though she is distracted by Marilla's amethyst brooch. But when the brooch goes missing and Anne admits to touching it, she is sent to her room until she confesses to losing it. 

From Anne's Kindred Spirits, adapted by Kallie George, illus. by Abigail Halpin

When the day of the picnic arrives and Marilla is determined that Anne will not attend, the imaginative and impassioned young girl admits, in a gloriously elaborate tale, to taking and losing the brooch.

From Anne's Kindred Spirits, adapted by Kallie George, illus. by Abigail Halpin

Of course, Marilla punishes Anne by not allowing her to attend the picnic and Anne is heartbroken. But when Marilla finds her brooch snagged on her shawl, she relents and allows Anne to attend the picnic and spend time with her new bosom friend, eating ice cream and boating on the Lake of Shining Waters.

"One thing's certain," she said at last. "No house will be dull as long as Anne Shirley lives in it." (pg. 63)

Kallie George's adaptation of several important stories from L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables are blended so well and effortlessly and yet so completely that those young readers who are still too new to reading to dive into the original book will get to know the beloved character well. Anne's spirit for storytelling and uncontrolled commentary, as well as lavish vocabulary, comes through time and time again. She is a wordsmith and a creator of emotional story because everything she does is heartfelt. From admiring a brooch or dresses with puffed sleeves to being heartsick at missing out on a picnic, Anne feels everything deeply and profoundly and expresses her thoughts and emotions with ardour, and Kallie George makes sure the reader knows this about Anne.

Abigail Halpin, who illustrated the first book, Anne Arrives (2018), in this new Anne of Green Gables-based early reader series as well as a number of picture books, gives young readers authentic visuals of a red-haired whirlwind and her new family and friends. But beyond Anne and Diana whose characters are reflective of their similarities and differences, Abigail Halpin gives us time and place that are real and heartwarming. There are the lupines of PEI and picnics, plain dresses and ones with puffed sleeves, and homes plain and decorated. There is the contrast of households and children and a melding of both in friendship.

I love that Anne of Green Gables will reach a new set of readers in a collection that early readers can gather into a special library. With colourful and endearing illustrations and accessible text authentic to the original, Kallie George and Abigail Halpin have honoured and poised Anne's story to reach not just a new generation but a younger one at that.  Irresistible.