Anya and the Valley of Rainbows

A new priest, John Meredith, a widower with four children - Gerald (Jerry), Faith, Una, and Thomas Carlyle (Carl) - arrives in Glen St. Mary. The mischievous children constantly get into trouble, which raises questions about their father's parenting abilities... and whether he can hold the position of minister. The only ones they are friendly and open with are the Blythe family. Anya and Gilbert's children, the Merediths, and orphan Mary Vance have chosen a place to play - a hollow behind the grove, which they named the Valley of Rainbows. Jim Blythe decides to organize the "Good Behavior" Club to teach the Merediths to behave well. For misdeeds, the children come up with punishments themselves. As a result of one such incident, Carl falls ill with pneumonia after spending several hours in the rain at the cemetery, and Una faints during church service after a one-day fast. John Meredith blames himself for being a poor father and decides to marry in order to give his children a mother. He proposes to marry a single woman over thirty, Rosemary West, but is rebuffed by her older sister Ellen, as the sisters promised not to leave each other after their parents' death. Soon, Ellen herself unites her fate with an old love, and things start to work out for John and Rosemary. Chronologically, this is the seventh book in the series about Anne Shirley and her large family.