Anne of Avonlea is a worthy sequel to Anne of Green Gables. Anne, about 17, fills the stage as a teacher, having given up college to help her adopted mother make ends meet and raise two young orphans. The reader follows her efforts and sometimes delusional thinking as she inspires her pupils to become all they can be, but challenges await her in and outside the classroom.

One of her challenges is a new neighbor who does not seem very friendly. He has a talking parrot that upsets Anne. Another is one of her students, a boy, who enjoys making things difficult. Visitors and interesting social situations dominate the book. One of the most moving is a middle-aged woman grieving an early romance gone wrong; the story adds much to the book’s character-building nature.

Overall, the author, L. M. Montgomery, brilliantly hints at the effects of true religion, the purpose of education, and the realities and goodness of love.