Before Green Gables is the title of a prequel to the Anne Shirley series. The book was published in 2008 by Puffin, a division of Penguin Books, as part of Puffin's celebration of Anne Shirley's centennial anniversary, which sees the Anne Shirley series re-released to commemorate the event. The first book in the Anne Shirley series was Anne of Green Gables, which was published in 1908. The author of the prequel is Canadian children's author Budge Wilson. In the official press release, Budge Wilson wrote: "I will, of course, try to be true to the astonishing character that Lucy Maud Montgomery created… But I would not – in fact, could not – presume to tell my part of Anne's history in Montgomery's voice. I will do this in my own voice, hoping that she would approve of the project if she were alive today." Source: Wikipedia (en)