A newly announced YA novel, based on the life of Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery, has the support of the beloved author’s family.
In a press release, Penguin Canada’s Lynne Missen, publishing director of the young readers’ group, says, “The idea for this book came up at a lunch with representatives of the heirs of L.M. Montgomery and we were all immediately smitten.”
Scheduled for release in 2015 under the Razorbill Canada imprint, the novel will be written by debut author Melanie J. Fishbane, who holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. The story will focus on Montgomery’s life from age 14 to 18, including her time as a student in Cavendish, PEI, to her year living with her her father and “difficult stepmother” in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
“My family is excited to be involved with another innovative literary project with Penguin Canada on the subject of my grandmother, L.M. Montgomery,” says Kate MacDonald-Butler. “Only a young adult novel could envision the dizzying romantic highs and the agonizing lows of finding one’s place in the world. We are looking forward to the creative talents of Melanie Fishbane in bringing the teenaged Maud to life for a new generation of readers.”