Anne's School Days by Kallie George and Abigail Halpin

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It will be released July 6, 2021 by Tundra Books.

Anne's School Days is the third in Kallie George's illustrated chapter book adaptations of the famous Anne of Green Gables series. I loved the first two for their rich and authentic representation of the original novels. They capture the heart and essence of Anne Shirley and her escapades.

This book deals with Anne's experiences at school. Anne is smart. She enjoys school and spending time with her best friend Diana. Then she meets Gilbert Blythe. Gilbert is a handsome lad who likes to tease the girls and pull their braids. When he calls her Carrots, trouble ensues. "Anne's red hair was her lifelong sorrow." He persists in teasing her until Anne breaks her slate on his head. I appreciate that when Anne gets in trouble, Gilbert tries to take responsibility for his actions. Unfortunately, their teacher, Mr Phillips, only punishes Anne.

Things get worse. After lunch one day, Anne, having wandered among the trees daydreaming, comes into the classroom a bit late. While the boys were also late, she gets punished again by having to sit beside Gilbert.
Anne decides to quit school. Marilla and Matthew, her adopted family, take her side and allow her to stay home. 

Eventually Anne misses her friends and returns to school where she completely ignores Gilbert. Soon enough Anne gets herself into trouble again. While the girls are acting out a poem, Anne pretends to be the heroine. She climbs onto a raft and begins floating down the river. When the raft starts leaking and starts to sink, she ends up rescuing herself by hopping onto a bridge post. She is stranded there until Gilbert finds and rescues her.

Abigail Halpin's illustrations are just gorgeous. Her "illustrations blend traditional and digital media, mixing watercolor, ink, pencil and collage."



I adored the original Anne of Green Gables series and the first books in this adapted series. I've been thinking of gifting it to my oldest granddaughter who will turn four this year. I will definitely get her the first two, but a few things in this one are problematic for me. First, the girls at school accept Gilbert's teasing of them as normal. (Thankfully Anne does not.) Second, while Anne partly saves herself, she ultimately has to be rescued by Gilbert, a boy. I admire Anne's spunk and that she stands up for herself. I'm just not sure if I want to expose my granddaughter to these other messages - at least not quite yet. 

I can't help but wonder how Lucy Maud Montgomery would have portrayed Anne if she was writing today.

Don't miss this or the first two books in this series, Anne Arrives & Anne's Kindred Spirits.