Puffin, a division of Penguin Books, will release the first ever prequel to Anne of Green Gables as part of the series' centennial celebration.

The book will be authored by highly acclaimed Canadian writer Budge Wilson and will be entitled Before Green Gables.

While Puffin isn't giving too much away, the story is said to detail Anne's beginnings, including the death of her parents and the struggles of her pre-Gables youth.

Writing a prequel to such a beloved international classic would be a task difficult enough for the original author herself. However, Ms. Wilson ardently assures all Anne Shirley fans that: "I will, of course, try to be true to the astonishing character 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."

Puffin has not yet publicized the book's release date.