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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