Pollyanna Summaries
The following is an example of a Summary statement organizer that can be broken into sentences to summarize a chapter using the story elements of problem and solution:
______wanted ______but/so______then ______.
(who or what) (problem) (solution) (ending)
Any type of summary organizer can be used as long as it tells “who or what” and the main idea(s) of “what happened”.
Chapter 1 Summary-“Miss Polly”
Miss Polly tells Nancy that her niece is coming to live with her in Vermont. She feels it is her “duty” to take care of her.
Chapter 2 Summary-“Old Tom and Nancy”
Tom told Nancy what Miss Polly used to be like. Nancy told Tom about Pollyanna.
Chapter 3 Summary-“The Coming of Pollyanna”
Pollyanna arrives in Vermont on a train. Nancy and Timothy pick her up.
Chapter 4 Summary-“The Little Attic Room”
Pollyanna was hurt to learn she would be staying in the bare attic room.
Chapter 5 Summary-“The Game”
Pollyanna told Nancy about the “glad game”.
Chapter 6 Summary-“A Question of Duty”
Miss Polly wanted Pollyanna to know her duty to not open the windows and let flies in. After the flies come in, Miss Polly makes her read a pamphlet about how flies are dangerous to your health to punish her. Pollyanna thinks this is a reward because she gets to read.
Chapter 7 Summary-“Pollyanna and Punishments”
Pollyanna wants to sleep on the roof of the sun parlor, but when she does, Miss Polly thinks someone is trying to get into the house. Pollyanna gets in trouble, and Miss Polly makes her sleep with her. Once again, Pollyanna thinks she has been rewarded instead of punished.
Chapter 8 Summary-“Pollyanna Pays a Visit”
Pollyanna meets “the man” dressed in black on the way to visit Mrs. Snow and bring her calf’s-foot jelly (p. 61). Mrs. Snow challenges Pollyanna to find something to be “glad” about when you are sick in bed (p. 67).
Chapter 9 Summary-“Which Tells of the Man”
“The Man” begins to talk more with Pollyanna as she sees him on her walks. She learns from Nancy that he (Mr. Pendleton) he is mysterious, and some say he has a skeleton in his closet (or a hidden secret from his past) (p. 72).
Chapter 10 Summary-“A Surprise for Mrs. Snow”
Pollyanna visits Mrs. Snow again with a few surprises. She has brought all the foods that Mrs. Snow might like: lamb broth, calf’s-foot jelly, and chicken. Mrs. Snow seemed “surprised” and to have nothing to complain about, but when she complains about the awful piano music next door, Pollyanna reminds her that she can be “glad” other folks aren’t sick in bed like her (p. 76). Mrs. Snow is angered by this, so Pollyanna explains about the “glad” game and the story of crutches she once received. As Mrs. Snow closes her eyes after hearing the story, tears “surprisingly” fall to her cheeks. (Also, later, Pollyanna is moved out of the little attic room.)
Chapter 11 Summary-“Introducing Jimmy”
As Pollyanna is taking calf’s foot jelly to Mrs. Snow, she meets a boy named Jimmy Bean who’s left the Orphan’s Home to try to find him some “folks”. Pollyanna tries to convince Aunt Polly to take him. When Aunt Polly refuses, Pollyanna plans to go to the Ladies Aid meeting to find him a home.
Chapter 12 Summary-“In Pendleton Woods”
Pollyanna tells the ladies of the Ladies Aid about Jimmy Bean’s need for a home, but couldn’t find him one. On the way home through Pendleton Woods, she finds John Pendleton with a broken leg and must go to his home to telephone for a doctor. Dr. Chilton comes to help.
Chapter 13 Summary-“Just a Matter of Jelly”
Pollyanna tries to have Miss Polly agree with her to send the jelly to Mr. Pendleton instead of Mrs. Snow. Miss Polly agrees as long as Mr. Pendleton knows it was a gift from Pollyanna, not from her (Miss Polly) (p. 107).
Chapter 14 Summary-“Dr. Chilton”
Pollyanna cheers up John Pendleton by bringing him jelly. She also cheers up Dr. Chilton.
Chapter 15 Summary-“A Red Rose and a Lace Shawl”
Pollyanna fixed Miss Polly’s hair, but she didn’t like it when Dr. Chilton sees her looking dressed up pretty (p. 126). Dr. Chilton takes Pollyanna to cheer up Mr. Pendleton, who has asked to see her.
Chapter 16 Summary-“Just Like a Book”
Nancy told Pollyanna that she thinks John Pendleton and Miss Polly were sweethearts.
Chapter 17 Summary-“Prisms”
Pollyanna learned about prisms from John Pendleton and taught him the “glad game”.
Chapter 18 Summary-“Which is Somewhat Surprising”
John Pendleton asks Pollyanna to come and live with him (so he could adopt her). Since Pollyanna thinks Mr. Pendleton and Miss Polly were once sweethearts, she assumes that Aunt Polly will come, too! This surprises Mr. Pendleton.
Chapter 19 Summary-“Which is More Surprising”
Pollyanna finds out John Pendleton was not in love with Aunt Polly but was once in love with her mother (p. 153), but lost her to Pollyanna’s father whom she married. Mr. Pendleton wants Pollyanna to ask Aunt Polly a question….Will she let Pollyanna come to live with him. (p. 155).
Chapter 20 Summary-“A Question Answered”
Pollyanna was going to ask Aunt Polly to let her live with Mr. Pendleton, but finds out from Nancy that Aunt Polly likes having her live with her and would miss her if she were gone (p. 159). Pollyanna decides not to leave Aunt Polly without even asking her the question (p. 159), then suggests Jimmy Bean live with him (p. 161).
Chapter 21 Summary-“An Accident”
Pollyanna has an accident. She is hit by an automobile on the way home from school. She wakes up, but can’t feel her legs (p. 170).
Chapter 22 Summary-“John Pendleton”
John Pendleton comes to visit Aunt Polly to ask about Pollyanna’s condition (p. 176). Aunt Polly tells him about Pollyanna’s paralysis. Mr. Pendleton assures her that when he’d asked Pollyanna to live with him, she had wanted to be with her instead (p. 178).
Chapter 23 Summary-“A Waiting Game”
Aunt Polly wanted a specialist to visit Pollyanna, but he was unable to come due to his own illness, so Pollyanna, Miss Polly, and others must wait. As they wait for answers that might help Pollyanna, Miss Polly does everything she can to please her niece, except call Dr. Chilton (p. 181). Pollyanna grows pale and thin (p. 184).
Chapter 24 Summary-“A Door Ajar”
When the Doctor tells Miss Polly that Pollyanna won’t be able to walk again, Pollyanna overhears because the cat had left the door ajar. Miss Polly faints. Pollyanna tells the nurse that if she can’t walk, she couldn’t be glad for anything (p. 189).
Chapter 25 Summary-“Two Visits”
Miss Polly sends Nancy to tell Mr. Pendleton that Pollyanna’s doctor said she will not walk again. Mr. Pendleton visits Miss Polly to let Pollyanna know she has something to be glad about-that he’s seen Jimmy Bean and will adopt him (p. 195).
Chapter 26 Summary-“The Game and Its Players”
After Milly Snow and Mrs. Tarbell visit, Miss Polly asks Nancy what “the game” is. Nancy tells Miss Polly about the “glad game”, and she then tells Pollyanna she will play it with her now (p. 208). Aunt Polly also tells her the whole town is happier now because of her. Pollyanna is “glad” of that (p. 209).
Chapter 27 Summary-“Through an Open Window”
Jimmy Bean hears John Pendleton and Dr. Chilton talking about Pollyanna. Dr. Chilton thinks he knows a doctor that can heal Pollyanna.
Chapter 28 Summary-“Jimmy Takes the Helm”
Jimmy Bean tells Miss Polly that Dr. Chilton knows someone that can heal Pollyanna. Miss Polly is going to let Dr. Chilton come see Pollyanna.
Chapter 29 Summary-A New Uncle
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Chapter 30 Summary-Which is a Letter from Pollyanna
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