The Diary of Gilbert Blythe - Volume I: 12 to 19 Years Old

The Diary of Gilbert Blythe - Volume I: 12 to 19 Years Old is a book by Brazilian author L. David that is based on L.M. Montgomery's Anne novels. But rather than following Anne Shirley's perspective, L. David's story imagines Gilbert Blythe's childhood and adolescence. The Diary of Gilbert Blythe currently includes three volumes that follow Gilbert's life from age 12 to 25. Originally written in Portuguese, the first volume has been translated to English by Anna França and was published in September 2024 by Babelcube Inc.

The second volume of the story, based on Anne of Avonlea, is currently being translated to English by Sarah Ferreira. The third volume, based on Anne of the Island, is available for translation on Babelcube.

Here is the description of the book:

The Diary of Gilbert Blythe imagines what the childhood and adolescence of the male protagonist from Anne of Green Gables could have been like. Closely following L.M. Montgomery's original plot, the Diary is a faithful retelling of the famous story — but now through Gilbert's point of view, delving into his family, friends, inspirations, dreams, and insecurities, and, of course, the development and growth of Gilbert's feelings for the lovable little redhead, Anne.

Image credit:
Book cover of The Diary of Gilbert Blythe - Volume I: 12 to 19 Years Old.

Purchase and read The Diary of Gilbert Blythe - Volume I: 12 to 19 Years Old:



Created December 30, 2025.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Road to Avonlea Convention - August 7th to 9th, 2026

In August 2026, Fine Book Fairs will host a Road to Avonlea Convention on Prince Edward Island. The event will take place from August 7th to 9th, 2026, and it gives fans the opportunity to meet actors from Sullivan Entertainment's acclaimed television series, which ran from 1990 to 1996. The TV series was based in part on The Story Girl, The Golden Road, and other stories by L.M. Montgomery.

Marking the 30th anniversary of the show's final season, the Road to Avonlea Convention will feature special events, including panels with actors and crew members of Road to Avonlea as well as members of L.M. Montgomery's family.

The following actors are confirmed to be attending (According to organizers, more will be added!):

• Zachary Bennett (Felix King)
• Lally Cadeau (Janet King)
• Maja Ardal (Clara Potts)
• James O'Regan (Constable Abner Jeffries)
• Kyle Labine (Davey Keith)
• Ian D. Clark (Simon Tremayne)
• John Friesen (Archie Gillis)

Fans can purchase silver, gold, or platinum tickets to attend the event. All ticket holders will have access to the Road to Avonlea panels. The gold and platinum tickets include entry to a VIP reception at The Haviland Club in Charlottetown. Platinum ticket holders will also enjoy a special dinner at Dalvay-by-the-Sea, which Road to Avonlea fans know as the White Sands Hotel. Beyond that, the platinum ticket includes a tour of the show's filming locations on PEI and several sites related to L.M. Montgomery.

The early bird discounted pricing for the tickets is as follows: Silver tickets cost $200 CAD, Gold tickets cost $350 CAD, and Platinum tickets cost $1,200 CAD. According to finefairs.com, the ticket prices will increase by 20% after January 15, 2026.

The Fine Book Fairs Road to Avonlea fan convention is not affiliated with Sullivan Entertainment.

Previously, there were four Avonlea Conventions held by AvCon, Inc. in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2009. The 2026 Road to Avonlea Convention organized by Fine Book Fairs will be the first major opportunity to reunite fans with the cast of the show in 17 years.

Event details from finefairs.com:

Friday, August 7th

6 pm - 7 pm: VIP Welcome Reception (The Haviland Club) - Enjoy wine, oysters, beer and cocktails and mingle with the cast and crew from Road to Avonlea

5 pm - 8 pm: Prince Edward Island Rare Book Fair Opening Party (Charlottetown Library) - Stop by the opening night party for the Prince Edward Island Rare Book Fair, which will feature over a dozen booksellers and thousands of books, including those by L.M. Montgomery. Entry includes wine, beer, soft drinks and oysters.

Saturday, August 8th

10:00 am - 11:00 am: Registration and Welcome Breakfast - Enjoy island delicacies, tea and coffee while meeting other attendees

11:00 am - 12 pm: Panel I: L.M Montgomery's Life and Legacy - Hear from Montgomery descendants and scholars about how PEI's most famous native captivated imaginations with her literary creations.

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Lunch - Enjoy raspberry cordial, blueberry pie and sandwiches.

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Panel I: The Cast of Road to Avonlea - Listen to cast members discuss their experiences working on the show. There will be time for questions from the audience.

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Avonlea Trivia - Test your knowledge of the show with trivia. The winners will receive special items related to the show.

4:30 pm - 7 pm: Tour of Filming Locations - Platinum ticket holders will visit the filming locations for Road to Avonlea along the north shore, including North Rustico Harbor and lighthouse. Transportation will be provided.

7 pm - 10 pm: VIP Dinner at Dalvay-by-the-Sea - Dine and drink at the White Sands Hotel. Platinum ticket holders will join the cast and crew for cocktail hour and a three-course dinner at one of the island's best restaurants.

Sunday, August 9th

10 am - 11 am: Sunday Brunch - Enjoy island delicacies, tea and coffee.

11 am - 1 pm: Panel III: Making Road to Avonlea - Learn about the making of Road to Avonlea from those who wrote the scripts, composed the music, designed the costumes and sets. There will be time for questions from the audience.

1 pm - 2 pm: Lunch - Enjoy lobster rolls

2 pm - 5 pm: Tour of the L.M. Montgomery Homestead and Literary Sites in Cavendish - Platinum ticket holders will be given an exclusive tour of the L.M. Montgomery Homestead, the grave of L.M. Montgomery, The Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace, The Anne of Green Gables Museum, Green Gables Heritage Place, the Cavendish Boardwalk where you can sample PEI's famous ice cream and Cavendish Beach.

The schedule is subject to change.

Official Website:
Road To Avonlea Convention, August 7th to 9th, 2026 - Buy tickets for the event and see the latest info at the Fine Book Fairs Website

Reference:
Raven, Robin. (December 24, 2025) 'Road to Avonlea' Cast Set to Reunite on Prince Edward Island. Yahoo! Creators. Retrieved from: https://creators.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/road-to-avonlea-cast-set-to-reunite-on-prince-edward-island-050154232.html

Image Credit:
Image advertising the 2026 Road to Avonlea Convention from Fine Book Fairs.

Created December 29, 2025.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables (2023)

Anne of Green Gables (2023) is a play written by Broadway writer and performer Ashley Griffin. It is based on the novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

In telling Anne's story, the play emphasizes the importance of community and communal telling. Designed as a strong ensemble show, the entire company is onstage during the whole performance as in "Our Town." The cast listens to and reacts to scenes. Even performers without lines play a role in the physical storytelling.

Anne of Green Gables by Ashley Griffin was published in 2023 by Plays For New Audiences: A Division of Children's Theatre Company. It runs an estimated 60 minutes, and can be cut for competition. The cast includes 27 characters, and it is possible to double and triple roles. The play is available for productions worldwide through Plays For New Audiences.

The play is described as follows:

Meet Anne Shirley, a red-haired orphan with an imagination a million miles wide! Anne unexpectedly arrives in the small town community of Avonlea and soon captures the hearts and minds of her newfound family and neighbors. Anne's story, told through the lens of an ensemble cast, reminds us that we are all shaped by the people we surround ourselves with and that finding one's place in the world is a journey best traveled with the support and love of others.

Official Websites:
Anne of Green Gables by Ashley Griffin at Plays For New Audiences.
Ashley Griffin - Official Website

Image Credit:
Anne of Green Gables (2023) image from Plays For New Audiences.

Created December 27, 2025.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Looking for Anne of Green Gables

Looking for Anne of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery and Her Timeless Heroine is a book by Irene Gammel that was published in July 2025 by Sutherland House Publishing. The book explores L.M. Montgomery's sources of inspiration when she created Anne Shirley. It also examines Montgomery's secrecy during her life and her way of curating information to create her public persona.

The 324-page book is a newly expanded edition of Gammel's research, which was originally published in 2008 for the Anne of Green Gables centenery under the following titles: Looking for Anne: How Lucy Maud Montgomery Dreamed Up a Literary Classic and Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L.M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic. The new paperback edition includes additional chapters and research.

In a 2008 interview, Irene Gammel described her work, saying: "Looking for Anne is a dual biography because I wanted to show that Maud projected aspects of herself into the novel—her own ambition, her determination, her loneliness, and her hunger for love and family life. I also wanted to show that the novel was a wish fulfilment dream. She dreamed up the things she did not have in her own life. Ultimately, we also see a woman who was successful as a writer because she combined the role of romantic dreamer with that of pragmatic business woman, launching herself from small-town Cavendish onto the world stage."

In a 2025 interview with The Eyeopener, Irene Gammel noted that the first edition of her book was more like a research assemblage, and "This time around I had the feeling I was telling a story."

Here is the description of the book from Sutherland House:

For over a century, Anne Shirley has captivated readers with her fiery red hair, boundless imagination, and plucky spirit.

First introduced as the protagonist of Anne of Green Gables in 1908, she quickly became one of fiction’s most iconic characters, with the novel selling over 50 million copies and translated into more than forty languages. Yet little is known about Anne’s origins. Her creator, Lucy Maud Montgomery, a farm girl from Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, was an intensely private person.

In Looking for Anne of Green Gables, Irene Gammel draws on her archival discoveries, and on the author’s private journals to reveal an emotional landscape of longing, loss, and a deep yearning for connection—themes that found their way into her famous novel. Blending biography and cultural history, Gammel traces the parallel journeys of Montgomery and her beloved heroine, showing how the author’s personal grief was transformed into the triumphs and joys of Anne Shirley. This dual biography of Montgomery and her timeless character explains how a literary classic was conceived and why it continues to enchant readers today.

ISBN-13: 9781998365715

Link:
Looking for Anne at Sutherland Books.

References:
Simpson, Molly. (October 28, 2025). TMU professor releases new edition of 2008 novel. The Eyeopener. Retrieved from: https://theeyeopener.com/2025/10/tmu-professor-releases-new-edition-of-2008-novel/

Author: Irene Gammel on Looking for Anne. (2008). The Anne of Green Gables Centenary. Retrieved from: https://www.torontomu.ca/mlc/anne/inside5.html

Image credits:
Book cover of Looking for Anne of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery and Her Timeless Heroine.

Created December 4, 2025.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Happy 40th Anniversary to the Anne of Green Gables Miniseries

Forty years ago today, Anne of Green Gables first aired on CBC Television. The miniseries was adapted for the screen by Kevin Sullivan from the novel by L.M. Montgomery. The first part of the two-part, made-for-television miniseries aired on December 1, 1985, and the second part aired the next day on December 2, 1985. Starring Megan Follows as the unforgettable Anne Shirley, the television film was directed and produced by Kevin Sullivan.

The miniseries was highly rated on Canadian television, and it was later distributed internationally to acclaim around the world. The film re-introduced L.M. Montgomery's stories and Anne Shirley to a new generation.

As a child, who watched the miniseries when it first aired, the film had a profound impact on my life. I watched it again and again with my family each year. When I moved to another country, the miniseries was an essential and important part of my Canadian identity. The story shaped my worldview and my belief in friendship and kindred spirits, and it reinforced my love of nature.

I'm grateful to have grown up with Kevin Sullivan's enduring production and to have had the story play a lasting role in my life.

Image credit:
Photograph of Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables © Sullivan Entertainment.

External link:
Anne of Green Gables: The Official Website

Created December 1, 2025.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Unboxing Anne of Green Gables x Ullala Pajamas

Last month, I wrote a post about the new Anne of Green Gables x Ullala Pajamas collaboration for Fall/Winter 2025. The clothing line is inspired by Nippon Animation's Anne of Green Gables.

I was tempted to order "Anne's Rain Shower" pajamas. They arrived a few weeks back. I took a few photos while unboxing them because the packaging was so cute. The pajamas themselves are well-made and adorably feminine.



I especially love the dreamy Anne Shirley on the back of the neck.



I imagine I'll only have sweet dreams in these pajamas.

Links:
Anne of Green Gables x Ullala Pajamas Lookbook, Volume 1
Ullala Pajamas at W Concept

Image Credits:
Photographs by World of Anne Shirley.

Created November 28, 2025.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Apple Blossom Valley (2025)

Anne of Apple Blossom Valley (2025) is a play adapted by Bleu Do’zia from the novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

Produced by the Selah Theatre Project, this contemporary adaptation reimagines the story of Anne of Green Gables in the Shenandoah Valley. According to a media release, "This modern retelling captures the spirit and charm of the original story while introducing fresh perspectives and themes relevant to today's audiences. Set in the picturesque town of Apple Blossom Valley, this adaptation follows the adventures of Anne, a spirited and imaginative young girl who, despite her challenging beginnings, finds a place where she truly belongs. As Anne navigates her new life, she encounters friendships, adventures, and the occasional trials that shape her journey of self-discovery."

Anne of Apple Blossom Valley opened on May 9, 2025 and starred Naomi Greenwalt as Anne Shirley, Joanne Thompson as Marilla Cuthbert, and Eric Lee Santiful as Matthew Cuthbert. In addition, the cast featured Oliver Varela as Gilbert Blythe, Kaia Hoffman as Diana Barry, Desirae Zentz as Rachel Lynde, and Kathryn Naylor Milton as Aunt Josephine. The premiere was held at the McCoy Theatre in Alson Smith Hall at Laurel Ridge Community College.

The 2-hour long play is described as follows:

In Anne of Apple Blossom Valley, Bleu Do'zia reimagines the classic tale of Anne of Green Gables through a contemporary lens, set in the scenic Shenandoah Valley. The story follows Anne, an imaginative girl transitioning from a group home to a new family, symbolizing her journey of growth and belonging amidst the vibrant apple blossoms of her new surroundings.

As Anne adapts to her new life, she infuses her creativity into the quiet town, transforming everyday moments into extraordinary experiences. Throughout her adventures, she meets a variety of characters who challenge and inspire her, teaching her valuable lessons about friendship, love, and self-acceptance. Anne learns to embrace her identity evolving from her time in foster care to becoming a cherished "daughter of the stars."

Official Website:
Anne of Apple Blossom Valley by the Selah Theatre Project

Image Credit:
Image advertising Anne of Apple Blossom Valley (2025) from the Selah Theatre Project.

References:
Burton, Cynthia Cather. (May 8, 2025). 'Anne of Apple Blossom Valley' is modern retelling of 'Anne of Green Gables.' The Winchester Star. Retrieved from: https://www.winchesterstar.com/winchester_star/anne-of-apple-blossom-valley-is-modern-retelling-of-anne-of-green-gables/article_42f8ff49-eb68-5070-9905-83235d61cc9d.html

Rabinowitz, Chloe. (April 23, 2025). ANNE OF APPLE BLOSSOM VALLEY to be Presented at Selah Theatre Project: Performances of "Anne of Apple Blossom Valley" will take place at Laurel Ridge Community College, with opening night scheduled for May 9th. Broadway World. Retrieved from: https://www.broadwayworld.com/washington-dc/article/ANNE-OF-APPLE-BLOSSOM-VALLEY-to-be-Presented-at-Selah-Theatre-Project-20250423

Created November 28, 2025.
© worldofanneshirley.com

My Maud by Katie Maurice

My Maud by Katie Maurice is a book by Rosalee Peppard Lockyer about L.M. Montgomery's life as told by Katie Maurice, her imaginary friend. The 82-page, softcover book is written in verse and is illustrated with Montgomery's own photographs and portraits, which were selected, edited, and colorized by Lockyer. The book commemorates the 80th anniversary of L.M. Montgomery's death and is annotated with information about the author. The book celebrates creativity and friendship.

Here is the description of the book from the author:

This storybook is a celebration of friendship and imagination. Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Well, I have, and so did Lucy Maud Montgomery (Maud), author of the world famous Anne of Green Gables. As a child, Maud actually had two imaginary friends, but one was her "kindred spirit." Maud's imaginary friend (as well as Anne's) was Katie Maurice.

This is the story of L.M. Montgomery's Life of Imagination, told from the perspective of its personification, Katie Maurice-Maud's imaginary friend. I wrote it as a poem, in verse. It is illustrated with my selection of 45 of approximately 2000 photos L.M. Montgomery personally took, as well as 22 professional and candid portraits of her, supplemented with field photos and event "snaps" which I've arranged to visually tell her story, and to recall over a dozen of the colourful scrapbooks Maud also created. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of her passing, I am so proud to share this example of my women's history work with you. I invite you to read her story out loud while you look through the camera lens with her. You'll see the people, places and magic Maud saw and loved throughout her lifetime of creativity. And maybe you'll step through Katie's glass door into her fairy room, too.

May your own creative imagination be inspired by this magical, historically accurate storybook-it has so much "scope for imagination!" I hope you'll share it with kindred spirits of all ages. Please let me know; I'd love to hear from you.

-Rosalee Peppard Lockyer

Image credit:
Book cover of My Maud by Katie Maurice.

Purchase and read My Maud by Katie Maurice:



Created November 27, 2025.
© worldofanneshirley.com