Title: Anne Dreams
Author: Kallie George
Publisher:Penguin Random House Canada: Tundra Books
Publication Date: August 6, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for a free ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.
The sixth and final book in an early illustrated chapter book series inspired by Anne of Green Gables, starring the spirited Anne Shirley as she pursues her dream of becoming a teacher.
Anne is starting to grow up, but she’s still disappointed with her red hair — it’s one of her lifelong sorrows. One day, she buys a bottle of hair dye in order to have raven black hair like her best friend and kindred spirit, Diana. Unfortunately, the dye ends up turning her hair green! This upset causes Anne to start focusing on improving herself inside, rather than her looks . . . and leads to a new dream taking shape: Anne wanting to become a teacher! She joins a club for students studying to get into Queen’s College. But can Anne overcome her fear of failing? And how can she study hard when pesky Gilbert is distracting her?
My thoughts:
This book fills a big need in the publication market. There are so many great picture books and middle grade books, but there aren’t as many quality early chapter books. This is a great way to introduce kids to a classic series. It stays true to the story while making it accessible to lower readers. I wasn’t a huge fan of the illustrations. They make sense in a retro sense because it’s based on a classic, but I don’t know how appealing they would be to modern readers.