Anne's Kindred Spirits: Inspired by Anne of Green Gables

Anne Chapter Book #2

by Kallie George, Abigail Halpin (Illustrator)

The sweet and funny second book in a new early-reader series, starring the spirited and outspoken Anne Shirley as she makes friends and settles into life at Green Gables -- with a few hijinks along the way, of course!

Anne is nervous and excited to meet Diana, a neighbor girl who she just knows will be a kindred spirit. She's even more excited when she learns that she's invited to her very first picnic! Until Marilla's precious brooch goes missing and it looks like it's Anne's fault. That is, Marilla is upset and Anne's picnic adventure is now in jeopardy. Ultimately, the misunderstanding with the brooch is resolved and Anne is able to go to the picnic. Anne and Diana's friendship blossoms and Anne's bond with Matthew and Marilla grows stronger.

Lovingly adapted by Kallie George with beautiful nostalgic illustrations by Abigail Halpin, this series is perfect for fans of Anne, new and old.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Classics, Historical Fiction, Chapter Books, Fiction, Historical

72 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2019

About the author

I’m an author, editor, and speaker living in Vancouver, BC, near the sea. When I’m not writing or editing, I’m teaching creative writing workshops.

I have my Masters of Children's Literature from the University of British Columbia.

I love picture books, fairy tales, beautiful art and music, and baking cookies.

Reviews

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last August I read the first book in this series, Anne Arrives, a beautifully illustrated adaptation of Anne of Green Gables aimed at early readers.

I have checked periodically to see if the second book was available, and I was fortunate to be given a copy.

As in the first book, there is a valuable lesson learned, perhaps by more than one person. Anne continues to be her spirited self, while at the same time she is nervous about meeting Diana. She wants to make a good impression because she is sure they will be the best of friends, her ”kindred spirit,” making her Anne’s first real friend in this new place. Anne is even more excited when she finds out that there will be a picnic, and – best of all – Diana’s mother says she “reads too much.” Clearly, they are two friends whom destiny has brought together.

With vivid, colourful and charming illustrations, this was an absolute delight to read.



Pub Date: 07 May 2019


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Penguin Random House Canada / Tundra Books

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada and Tundra Books for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review

The second chapter in a early reader's series, this story focuses on L. M. Montgomery's memorable Canadian orphan, Anne Shirley and her beginning friendship with Diana Barry, the Sunday school picnic, and the incident with Marilla's amtheyst brooch. An illustrated book, young readers will no doubt be attracted to the friendly vocabulary and colourful pictures.

Since Anne of Green Gables is the book that made me a reader, I love that the beloved story continues to capture a new generation of readers. A nice keepsake for Anne fans old and new.


Goodreads Review published on 27/04/19
Publication Date 07/05/19

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to see this follow up to Anne Arrives: Inspired by Anne of Green Gables. Much like the first book in this series, only one small part of Anne's story is told in an abridged manner. Each two-page spread has some story on one side and a lovely illustration on the other.



These books are a wonderful way to introduce very young children to the wonderful world of Anne of Green Gables. Perfect as a stepping stone between picture books and chapter books, this book would be wonderful to read together.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for providing me with a DRC of this book.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A follow-up to the the author's lovely Anne Arrives:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

The series introduces young readers to the Anne of Green Gables and her world, a story of that world told in very condensed chapter book fashion. The idea is to encourage them to read the actual books, but also maybe to accompany a parent/teacher/librarian reading. Lovely art, briefly captures the vivacity of Anne.

[Manybooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

After having absolutely and utterly despised the first of Kallie George's based on L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables chapter books, after totally hating Anne Arrives with every fibre of my being, I do have to admit that the second instalment of the series, that Anne's Kindred Spirits definitely is just a wee bit better and as such also somewhat more readable than Anne Arrives. However, saying that Anne's Kindred Spirits has been to and for me a marginally better reading experience than the first book, than Anne Arrives, really does not mean all that much either. For truth be told, I still have not really all that much found Anne's Kindred Spirits enjoyable (and certainly not in any manner engaging and delightful), with Kallie George's adapted text (from L.M. Montgomery's timeless classic, of course) still not in any manner having even remotely enough narrational substance to it and still showing not only Anne Shirley, but basically all of the featured and presented characters as thin as paper dolls cardboard cutouts with nothing to them except and indeed that they are seriously lacking in nuance and development. And although in the "amethyst brooch" episode, the author at least makes a few references to Anne's imagination and that her forced "confession" to Marilla is so believable because Anne is indeed imaginative enough to think of and perform a very believable confessionary act, even there, in my opinion, Kallie George basically just very quickly and lightly scratches the surface so to speak, so that at best with Anne's Kindred Spirits we are once again given mere outlines of what L.M. Montgomery's characters are supposed to be like, but nothing more (and yes indeed and truthfully, actually considerably less).

Combined with the fact that I aesthetically also do consider Abigail Halpin's accompanying artwork as often rather visually ugly (the artificially red cheeks seem to look more like scratch marks and bruises to and for my eyes, Diana Barry is depicted, is visually rendered by Halpin as not just plump but basically totally squarely obese and Marilla, well, she continues to look mostly like a gaunt and witch-like creature to me), I still really cannot and will not consider more than one star for Anne's Kindred Spirits, a higher one star ranking than Anne Arrives of course, but no, not yet two stars by any stretch of the imagination (for to top it all off, just like with Anne Arrives, in Anne's Kindred Spirits, author Kallie George once again and sadly, frustratingly obviously does not feel the need to pay homage to L.M. Montgomery, to actually honour the original author of Anne of Green Gables, for while yes indeed, it is mentioned that Anne's Kindred Spirits is based on and inspired by Anne of Green Gables L.M. Montgomery's name is never once actually pointed out, which I for one totally and absolutely cannot accept and also do find majorly insulting to both Montgomery's memory and to her oeuvre).

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very cute. I read the original Anne of Green Gables back when I was around eight, and one thing I remember was getting bogged down by some of the vocabulary. If these books had been around back then, they might have been a better option until I was old enough to read Montgomery's novels without needing to look so much up in the dictionary!

This particular story tells the tale of the missing amethyst brooch and Anne's "confession". The author manages to capture the personalities and spirit of the characters quite well. And the illustrations add some more interest. Anne looks just like one would imagine: fiery red hair, lack of puffed sleeves, and freckles galore.

This is a strong early chapter book. I haven't had a chance to read the first one in the series yet, but as I was already familiar with the characters and the story, I didn't really need to. Still, if this is your first introduction to Anne, you'll probably want to read the books in order.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books (NY) for providing a digital ARC.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this new chapter book series. In this second book we witness the forming of the bosom friendship of Anne and Diana. Also included is the picnic/broach story and the gorgeous artwork of Abigail Halpin. Highly recommended.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugly illustrations and watered-down text that captures nothing of the beauty of Montgomery's writing. No one needs such a thing and exposing children to this before they are prepared for the real thing can only be detrimental.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This chapter book series provides a way to introduce younger readers to Anne Shirley. While the book is a chapter book, it is still heavily illustrated, although the illustrations are not as charming as some. This book tells the story of Anne's befriending Diana, the anticipated picnic, and Marilla's lost brooch. The stories are simplified from the original books, but don't deviate from the main story line. I received a copy from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program with the expectation of an honest review. My copy arrived while I was out of town and left in a cardboard mailer outside the front door. Quite a bit of rain fell that week so my copy was water damaged. I freeze dried the book so it was readable.

[Kathryn]

I really don't like abridged-for-littles books as a rule, but I finally checked this out just for curiosity's sake. I didn't even bother reading the text as the illustrations alone were enough to sour me to the whole book. Marilla was SO stern, Matthew was SO downtrodden -- it all felt so one-dimensional and not at all the picture I would want children to have of these characters. The rest of the aesthetic was not at all to my liking, either (despite the very cute cover). Just didn't give me the "kindred spirit" feel, though I have enjoyed other series by Kallie George. Just one person's opinion (clearly this is a popular series) but you're an Anne fan, I highly recommend previewing this before sharing it with your youngsters to see if you want this to be their first introduction to the world of Anne.

[Alyssa Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book. It reminded me of the TV series, Anne of Green Gables a bit. My son wanted no part of this book (although I suspect it was due to the 2 girls on the cover). The cover was by far the most beautiful part of the book. If you loved Anne of Green Gables, this would be nice edition to your collection of stories.

[Etienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5. This book has some old school/classical illustrations and present the character of Anne, from the classic books series Anne of Green Gables, through a short adventure. It is a good idea to introduce young reader to this characters/series/story, but if you’re a more advance reader, I would recommend reading the original work instead. Because, it’s the original... and it goes deeper into the story and characters development.

[Cami L. González · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como el anterior, es una belleza de edición con solo pequeños fragmentos y diálogos del libro original, con unas ilustraciones hermosas.

La historia es adorable y vemos a esta tierna e imaginativa Ana teniendo su primera amiga en la vida.

Ojalá también adapten los siguientes libros.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne of Green Gables is a classic book, well loved. And while I usually prefer to read the original, I must say these snipping up of the story into bitesized stories for younger readers is just fine as well. This manages to give a taste of the missing broach story as well of the story of how she met her bosom friend.

The illustrations are delightful. And the endpapers are done in old fashioned wall paper.





So if the series continues like this, a young reader could get the whole story in a series of books.

And I think this was a good idea to adopt this story, because it shows how misunderstandings happen. How Marilla wanted Anne to confess to something she didn't do, but the only way out was to confess to something that she didn't do.

I'm hoping that readers will read the original when they grow older, too.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Sonia | chaptersofautumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Non appena aveva messo piede a Green Gables, aveva capito subito che era la sua vera casa.»

Questi piccoli volumi illustrati hanno il potere di riportarti a casa e dai personaggi a cui sei affezionatə 🧡 Due edizioni adorabili e dolcissime, che possono fare avvicinare i piccoli lettori e far scaldare il cuore ai più grandi 🧶🧣
Grazie infinite a Il Castoro per questa preziosa opportunità 🫂

🌿 Il primo racconta l’arrivo di Anna a Green Gables, l’affetto di Matthew Cuthbert che nasce subito per quella bambina bizzarra, e di come piano piano Anna riesca a fare breccia nel cuore più severo di Marilla.
Il secondo invece racconta l’incontro con Diana Barry e la nascita della loro amicizia, infine la vicenda della spilla perduta di Marilla 🗝️

«Ma non immagina mai le cose in modo diverso da come sono davvero?»

Le illustrazioni e i dialoghi hanno reso la lettura estremamente vivida, rievocando quella sensazione di familiarità e di casa che è Green Gables, un luogo che rimane nel cuore per il suo calore e che accoglie sempre il lettore ad ogni ritorno 🦊🫖

«Una cosa è certa. Nessuna casa sarà mai noiosa, finché ci vivrà Anna Shirley.»

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm loving this series more and more with each new book. George has perfectly captured the spirit of L. M. Montgomery's style in this adaptation for younger readers.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Anne with an e," said Anne.
"And how are you?" Mrs. Barry asked.
"I'm good in body, but rumpled in spirits, ma'am," said Anne. Then, to Marilla, she said, "That wasn't too strange, was it?"

An early chapter book series that began with the wonderful Anne Arrives, Anne's Kindred Spirits is the dazzling second title in Kallie George and Abigail Halpin's series. Anne's Kindred Spirits opens with Anne looking forlornly at the "plain, sensible dresses"- all without puffy sleeves- Marilla has brought to her attention. Anne is on the way, with Marilla, to meet neighbor Mrs. Berry and her daughter Diana- a character who will soon become Anne's "bosom friend". While Anne and Diana immediately click and excitedly plan to meet at an upcoming picnic, major trouble brews at Green Gables when Marilla cannot find a brooch and directs the blame on Anne! Continuing the sincere, heartfelt, and sweetly funny rhythm and feel of the first title, Anne's Kindred Spirits is a terrific story. Anne's depth of emotions and wonderful imagination are on full display in this tale, and readers will likely find themselves deeply and happily satisfied with the conclusion. This series brings a refreshingly modern yet recognizable Anne to a younger, ready-for-chapter-books audience: author Kallie George has done such a marvelous job with capturing the heart and passion of the classic series, and Abigail Halpin's art simply shines with energy and emotion.

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Tundra Books/Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[Monique the Book Geek · Rating 5 out of 5]

“One thing’s for certain,” she said at last. “No house will be dull as long as Anne Shirley lives in it.”

This book follows Anne’s relationship with her guardians, siblings Marilla and Matthew, shortly after they adopted her, as well as the beginnings of Anne’s friendship with Diana. The text and images in this book are simple and charming. This is overall a beautiful book that I really enjoyed reading and now want to have a physical copy of.

I received a free digital copy of “Anne’s Kindred Spirits” from Penguin Random House via NetGalley to read and review, for which I am very grateful!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very easy to read book was beautifully illustrated. It captured the the true character of Anne.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in an early reader series about Anne of Green Gables. I read the first book in this series, Anne Arrives, a beautifully illustrated adaptation of Anne of Green Gables aimed at early readers last year. These books follow the story of Anne, Matthew and Marilla, so it is best to read these books in order. This short chapter book covers the meeting of Anne and Diana and their wonderful friendship that develops. I wish this series had been around when I tried to read Anne to my young daughter. It is very true to the original story with wonderful illustrations that appear vintage so as not to take away from the time period of the story. They do a wonderful job of depicting the storyline. This would make a beautiful series for a parent and child to read together while introducing them to the world of Anne with an "e". Even with this shorter version, the personalities of Anne, Marilla, Matthew and Diana shine through. This is a great book to introduce young children to a classic piece of literature. The publisher, Penguin Random House Canada - Tundra Books, generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions stated are my own.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this set of Anne of Green Gables retellings. They are absolutely beautiful and they work as an introduction to the story for early readers while remaining true to the source material.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: The day dawned bright and cheery at Green Gables.

Premise/plot: Anne Shirley is staying at Green Gables. Her dreams are starting to come true. But will she find a bosom friend? Will she find a best, best friend and kindred spirit? Perhaps. Okay, she does! Her name is Diana. But life still has its hiccups. Marilla misplaces a brooch—a family heirloom—and blames Anne. Anne confesses to the crime so that she can go to the Sunday school picnic. But will Marilla let a “naughty” girl go? In this one, the two must learn how to communicate better!

My thoughts: I love the original novel. I do. I’ve read it dozens of times. I know all the twists and turns. I love all the twists and turns. I appreciate the adaptation. It is a gentle adaptation that is faithful to the original at least in spirit. It presents a few episodes at a time, and illustrates them perfectly. I love, love, love the illustrations!!!

The original novel may not hold the attention of many young readers (as a read aloud). The chapters may prove too long for their attention span. The language may be a little too descriptive and flowery. But this adaptation shares the heart and soul substance of the original with a new audience. Little ones can grow into Montgomery’s original text.

[Ettak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Juvenile fiction adaptation of the event in Anne of Green Gables where Marilla accuses Anne of losing Marilla's amethyst brooch, thus preventing Anne from attending a picnic with her new friend, Diana. This is the second in the adaption series by Kallie George, giving a slightly younger set of readers a small, illustrated taste of the classic Anne of Green Gables.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kallie George succeeded in capturing more of the Anne-magic in Anne's Kindred Spirits than she did in Anne Arrives More of the original verbiage is preserved, and Anne's first meeting with Diana is very sweet.

The way Marilla was illustrated in this book, though....as an Anne Arrives reviewer said, quoting Anne, "She looks exactly like a gimlet!" Indeed, she is rather gaunt. For a book titled "Kindred Spirits," there were far too many severe images of Marilla and too few sweet images of Diana and Matthew. I'm not sure young readers will catch on to Marilla's undercurrent of warmth in this adaptation.

Recommended to those who liked the first volume of the series. The Sunday School picnic spread will make your mouth water!

[Sara (Sjthroughthelookingglass) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the current trend to bring beloved classics to a new, younger audience. This abridged series is modified from Anne of Green Gables into an lovely easy-reader series of books. The second installment of Anne's story was just released. In this book, join Anne as she anticipates puffed sleeves, ice cream and a bosom buddy of her very own. Of course, Anne wouldn't be Anne without a few mishaps along the way. With charming illustrations, and a well done adaptation to a story we all know and love, there is a lot of joy to come from these beautiful books.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet book! As a huge lifelong fan of Anne of Green Gables, I really enjoyed this. The art is adorable, and the story is laid out in such age appropriate language that modern kids of 2019 who might struggle with the original text can still enjoy such a timeless, classic Anne story.

[JoAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series so much! Read with my daughters, and it’s such a wonderful introduction to Anne Shirley. This tells the story of Anne meeting her bosom friend, Diana Barry, and the story of when Marilla lost her brooch and Anne confessed so she could go to the picnic.

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone wants a kindred spirit in their lives. And this is the best friendship a girl could read about. Such a fun chapter book series for Anne with an E fans to share with the young readers in their lives. Beautifully illustrated.

[raffaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good. I want MORE.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This early reader series version of Anne of Green Gables is delightful. Anne with an e will always always have a special place in my heart.