House of Dreams offers young readers an intimate and honest look into the life of L. M. Montgomery, the creative mind behind Anne of Green Gables. This biography delves beyond her public persona, exploring her challenging childhood with undemonstrative grandparents, her profound love for stories, and her lifelong battles with anxiety and depression. It's a sensitive portrayal that draws from her personal journals, making her struggles and triumphs relatable. Parents will appreciate how it normalizes complex emotions while celebrating the resilience and imagination of a remarkable woman. Ideal for children aged 8-12 who are ready for a longer, more reflective read, or as a read-aloud for younger listeners.
An affecting biography of the author of Anne of Green Gables is the first for young readers to include revelations about her last days and to encompass the complexity of a brilliant and sometimes troubled life. Once upon a time, there was a girl named Maud who adored stories. When she was fourteen years old, Maud wrote in her journal, “I love books. I hope when I grow up to be able to have lots of them.” Not only did Maud grow up to own lots of books, she wrote twenty-four of them herself as L. M. Montgomery, the world-renowned author of Anne of Green Gables. For many years, not a great deal was known about Maud’s personal life. Her childhood was spent with strict, undemonstrative grandparents, and her reflections on writing, her lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression, her “year of mad passion,” and her difficult married life remained locked away, buried deep within her unpublished personal journals. Through this revealing and deeply moving biography, kindred spirits of all ages who, like Maud, never gave up “the substance of things hoped for” will be captivated anew by the words of this remarkable woman.