Anne of Avonlea

Gr 7 Up—The adventures of a more mature but still dreamy-eyed Anne Shirley. In Anne of Avonlea, the 16-year-old heroine begins teaching in her hometown and hopes to become an inspiration to her young pupils. In Anne of the Island, Anne is 18 years old, and she and Gilbert are heading to Redmond College. The ever-faithful Gilbert professes his love, but Anne turns down his proposal and finds romance with a dashing, rich young man. It is only after she almost loses Gilbert that Anne realizes her love for him. The language and customs described are quaint, flowery, and old-fashioned. Tara Ward reads with a formality that befits the book's age and setting, but does nothing to make it seem fresh and new. She attempts to voice the ladies and children in a higher-pitched voice, but her inflection is inconsistent, often varying within a conversation, and sometimes the voices of women and children are confusingly similar and change from one section to the next.