New Chronicles of Rebecca

by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Miss Miranda Sawyer's old-fashioned garden was the pleasantest spot in Riverboro on a sunny July morning. The rich color of the brick house gleamed and glowed through the shade of the elms and maples. Luxuriant hop-vines clambered up the lightning-rods and waterspouts, hanging their delicate clusters here and there in graceful profusion. Woodbine transformed the old shed and tool-house to things of beauty, and the flower-beds themselves were the prettiest and most fragrant in all the countryside. A row of dahlias ran directly around the garden spot; dahlias scarlet, gold, and variegated. In the very centre was a round plot where the upturned faces of a thousand pansies smiled amid their leaves, and in the four corners were triangular blocks of sweet phlox over which the butterflies fluttered unceasingly...

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Juvenile, Romance, Childrens

145 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

Kate Douglas Wiggin, nee Smith (1856-1923) was an American children's author and educator. She was born in Philadelphia, and was of Welsh descent. She started the first free kindergarten in San Francisco in 1878 (the "Silver Street Free Kindergarten"). With her sister in the 1880s she also established a training school for kindergarten teachers. Her best known books are The Story of Pasty (1883), The Birds' Christmas Carol (1886), Polly Oliver's Problem (1893), A Cathedral Courtship (1893), The Village Watchtoer (1896), Marm Lisa (1897) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1903).

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as charming as the actual book; these are assorted short stories about additional adventures of Rebecca's—almost like extra tales that got edited out of "Sunnybrook Farm." But...it's still Rebecca, and still Kate Douglas Wiggin, so I loved it anyway!

[J. Boo · Rating 3 out of 5]

More stories of Rebecca growing up - only the last one takes place shortly after the end of "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm".

Rebecca is a bit too popular and loved and praised for my tastes (though probably not for that of pre-teen girls), but Wiggin is willing to make her occasionally ridiculous, which keeps things more entertaining.

Meta-impression: this has a *really* high body count, even by classic children's fiction standards.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wassnt really what I was expecting it to be. I wanted to further the story from where Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm left off. This book simply adds little additional adventures from the same timeline as the original book. It was a fun read but not nearly what I wanted it to be.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a sequel to Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm?

I was in a used bookstore in London and came across this title. Knowing that certain books are published under different titles in another country, I did a quick online search and was amazed to learn the title I was holding was actually a sequel! So of course I bought it!

It saddens me to say that that purchase was well over five years ago and I just now got to reading it. What’s even more sad is that it’s been over ten years (roughly) since I read Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and I really should have gone back to refresh myself on the characters and stories. But I didn’t and I’m kind of kicking myself now. Not that the sequel demands it but I’m sure I would have benefited and loved it all the more.

So dear Rebecca fan, go back and read the first and then have fun with the second. It is a sweet follow-up!

Ages: 8+

Content Considerations: Rebecca and her friend assist in burying a dead mother and baby - it could be a little emotionally intense for younger readers. There is a very light romance and the reference of a kiss. There is an unsatisfactory conclusion as to what it means to be a Christian/religious - Rebecca asks her pastor a couple questions.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.

[Rosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with a lot of other reviews on here; it reads very much as those these chapters were part of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm but were cut for length. In truth, some of these stories I actually enjoyed more than some in the 1903 novel, but the lack of Aunt Miranda in most of these stories makes some of what happens pretty insufferable. I mean, Rebecca is great and all, but she does think a bit too much of herself, but Miranda seems to be the only one who reminds her of that fact, and so when you cut out Miranda, you're left with a young lead character who is painted as a saint by herself and by all those around her. And as a woman who used to be a bright young girl a la Rebecca Randall, I can confirm that Miranda is right a lot of the time. Just because Rebecca is imaginative, fun, and creative does NOT mean that she is always right or always working for the good of those around her. And the adults in her life do her a disservice by acting as though she can do no wrong.

Also, why is it that in all of these novels written for young ladies at the turn of the 20th century -- RSF, Pollyanna, and AOGG -- the girls are always very smart and articulate in their writing, but completely ignorant of Scripture? Just...I've read countless Montgomery books, I've read both of Porter's Pollyanna novels, and now both Rebecca books, and all of them have girls with only a basic understanding of what their scriptures actually say about things. And Pollyanna is written as a missionary kid! (And I'm not even referring to them referencing all foreign children that missionaries work with as "heathen children," as I know that was a common phrasing at the time.) I mean, all of them have church going children who write very well by the age of eleven but have only a rudimentary knowledge of what their Bible verses mean when they're sixteen. I always think I'm reading the ideas of much younger people when I get to those scenes and then I have to remind myself that they're in their late teens, not merely ten years old anymore. And while, yes, Bible knowledge is different from the skillset of writing or arithmetic, it does still constitute critical thinking, but it's like none of the characters bother utilizing that skill in that context. It's just a weird parallel between all three children's stories that I can't help but notice. And, honestly, I don't like it. But bear in mind I do have a Master of Divinity and am a lifelong child of a Baptist pastor, so I probably just am hardwired to not understand this apparent quality of girlhood.

Anyway, some interesting stories. They don't really further anything from the original RSF novel, but they're cute and charming and a nice supplementary read.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a sequel to Rebecca of Sunnybrook farm, but this is more like adding fullness to the original story. I'm still wondering what happened to some of the characters.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars & 4/10 hearts. I think I enjoyed this book more than book 1 because I knew what it would be like. It’s basically a bunch of short stories about Rebecca’s life during book one and a little smidgen after book one ends. It’s very funny and old-fashioned, and Rebecca has some quaint thoughts, as usual. You’re left with a hint of romance but not enough in my opinion—I’d have liked to know if it really *did* turn out! ;)

A Favourite Quote: “‘The Little Prophet is the third coward I have known in my short life who turned out to be a hero when the real testing time came. Meanwhile the heroes themselves—or the ones that were taken for heroes—were always busy doing something, or being somewhere, else.’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “The blinds were closed in every room of the house but two, and the same might have been said of Miss Miranda's mind and heart, though Miss Jane had a few windows opening to the sun, and Rebecca already had her unconscious hand on several others.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “[Rebecca] had modestly suggested that Alice Robinson, as the granddaughter of a missionary to China, would be much more eligible.
“‘No,’ said Alice, with entire good nature, ‘whoever is ELECTED president, you WILL be, Rebecca—you're that kind—so you might as well have the honor; I'd just as lieves be secretary, anyway.’
“‘If you should want me to be treasurer, I could be, as well as not,’ said Persis Watson suggestively; ‘for you know my father keeps china banks at his store—ones that will hold as much as two dollars if you will let them. I think he'd give us one if I happen to be treasurer.’
“The three principal officers were thus elected at one fell swoop and with an entire absence of that red tape which commonly renders organization so tiresome, Candace Milliken suggesting that perhaps she'd better be vice-president, as Emma Jane Perkins was always so bashful.”

[Moriah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read Rebecca of sunnybrook farm so I was very confused for most of the book... but it made me want to read Rebecca of sunnybrook farm!

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the stories that fill in spaces in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, but wish they were more focused on Rebecca. Would be interesting to place them where they fit into Rebecca and read them all at once.

[Kymm Zuckert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read. Not as good as the first, but as it goes on, it grows on you. I love the story of Mr. Simpson.

[Jimmy Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "New Chronicles of Rebecca" continues "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" by Kate Douglas Wiggin. These two books in no way align to the Shirley Temple movie of the same name, but instead provide a series of stories about a creative child who is sent to live with rigid relatives in a small town due to the inability of her widowed mother to support her, an onerous mortgage, and her siblings.

In the first book, we see how, slowly, the child Rebecca is able to bring change to her surroundings; these changes continue in the New Chronicles. Rebecca is an imaginative girl who writes poetry and stories constantly, but struggles to work within her environment (e.g., the same displeasing porcupine quills in her hat instead of lovely, yet extravagant feathers). Her winning ways save the stolen flag for the town's flag ceremony, and help her to find friends throughout the town - but her overzealous missionary efforts result in the offense of a curmudgeon who neglects to attend church as regularly as he ought.

As you might note from that narrative, the book is dated. First published in 1906. If you're not a fan of this sort of thing, the book is definitely not for you. I like to read, my home is crowded with books, I would decorate with books if I wasn't busy making room for more, would color code if I didn't have to alphabetize to find them, and I find crafts that use book pages as a basic supply horrifying. So I was delighted when I found "New Chronicles of Rebecca" underneath a pile of Monster Truck Magazines in an antique store in Oregon - like buried treasure (pity the waiting husband) - and enjoyed it.

We hear how Rebecca's relationships with Emma Jane and Miranda mature, and what happens with her mother and siblings, her original home and Sunnybrook farm. We don't quite hear what happens with Rebecca's long term happiness - i.e. marriage (we certainly are provided with hints), but Emma Jane's future is secured. I wouldn't rate this as Wiggin's best, but it's good to get some resolution, and Rebecca matured into an excellent character.

[Jaclyn Staab · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, you’re sure to love Rebecca as well. She has a vivid imagination and her mind wanders here and there. Her vocabulary is quite colorful (not in a bad way). This is the second book. The first is, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

There were so many amazing, hilarious, sweet, and descriptive quotes I could have shared. Here are a few.

“Last night I dreamed that the river was ink and I kept dipping into it and writing with a penstalk made of a young pine tree.”

“The main street in summer was made dignified by it’s splendid avenue of shade trees, now ran quiet and white between rows of stalwart trunks, whose leafless branches were all hanging heavy under their dazzling burden.”

“Everything is so beautiful today! Doesn’t the sky look as if it had been dyed blue and the fields painted pink and green and yellow this very minute? It’s a perfectly elegant day!”

I loved this book!

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it because the book was gifted to me by an elderly aunt who had it for decades before passing it onto me. Turned out way better than I expected. Most of the book is in the 3rd person narrative but there is one chapter in it that is told in the first person narrative. And that's when you see the inside of Rebecca's head. It's a lovely place. Intuitive and good, I just loved it.

[Lia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's honestly amazing how much the author looks down on Emma Jane and has her put herself down constantly for Rebecca's sake. At least she got a nice end I guess unlike poor Mrs Simpson. Or Ms Dearborn who's only mentioned negatively in a passing line. And I'm still not sure what Emily's deal is. Adam still sucks.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little vignettes. This felt a little bit like Montgomery's Tales from Avonlea books - more like connected short stories. I am confused as to why the book collection I have puts this book before Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, though.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this book. It was a serendipitous meeting--right book, right time. It's a series of sweet little moments from Rebecca's life, moments that weren't included in the original book. I now want to go find everything else Wiggin ever wrote and read it all immediately.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a bunch of short chronicles of Rebecca. Very sweet!

[Brian Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another telling of "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm."

[Ellen Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good in itself. Lays quite a few "ghosts" to rest, but not the main one. I guess we just have to use our imagination for that! :)

[NorikoY · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not what I expected -
I thought it would be after anti Miranda's death story, but it was not...

[Lisa Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit repetitive. I was hoping for older Rebecca.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" was a dear friend of my youth and happening upon this book in the children's cart was a happy accident. I was sadly disappointed! This book is a disjointed series of rather depressing episodes followed by Rebecca and Emmajane reminiscing over their original adventures and the few just mentioned. The timing seems to weave in and out of the original story? (It's been a while since I've read it!) It was nice to see Emmajane's romance but Rebecca's lack thereof was disappointing (yes, that word again!).

I think this book was simply the author weaning herself off of her favorite characters.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are hoping for more of the vintage charm of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, don't bother. This book does, however, lead me to wonder if every book, no matter how boring or insipid, doesn't have one worthwhile sentence within. In this case, it's this: "There is a kind of magicness about going far away and then coming back all changed." (If you agree you can go here to add it to your Goodreads quotes.)

Dates approximate.

[BookSweetie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For readers who want more about the delightful Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm... This is not what I would call a sequel. Rather, it is an expansion of the first book with just a few hints at what happens next to the characters.

This feels quite like the writer had written many chapters (or ideas for chapters) and then decided to shorten the original book. Later, after the original book experienced success, the author then folded these various chapter ideas with reminders of the first to give it more depth and context. Along the way, the author develops or simply hints about what will happen in the lives of the main characters beyond what was expressed in the first book.

[Kristin King · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the same spirit as Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, this is a series of short pieces from across Rebecca's young life. My only disappointment was that it offered no further stories about her young adult life beyond those already in the first book.

[Amalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"New Chronicles of Rebecca" is a mixed bag. It was somewhat disappointing after having read the Sunnybrook Farm.

This consists of chronologically arranged stories about Rebecca starting around 12 and ending when she's 18 years old. I didn't find anything remarkable about those tales.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it very much, however the font was so tiny I could hardly read it. I could not make it large enough to read easily and the dictionary feature did not engage. Sometimes the last words on a page were cut off. This was very disappointing.

[二六 侯]

這部續篇中，也可以見到曾在《小婦人》／《玫瑰系列》中登場、後來又在《清秀佳人》中出現的「美髮卻弄巧成拙」（《綠山牆的安妮》）、「少女收養嬰兒」（《爐邊莊的莉拉》）橋段。
全文：https://anne.hou26.org/girls-rebecca.htm