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 find themselves in trouble, raising questions about their father's ability to raise them and fulfill his position. The only ones they are friendly and open with are the Blythe family.
Anya and Gilbert's children, the Merediths, and the orphan Mary Vance have chosen a spot for their games - a hollow behind the grove, which they named the Valley of Rainbows. Jim Blythe decides to organize a "Good Behavior Club" to teach the Merediths how to behave well. For their misdeeds, the children come up with their own punishments. 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 the church service after a one-day fast. John Meredith blames himself for being a poor father and decides to marry to give his children a mother. He proposes to marry a lonely woman in her thirties, 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 binds her fate to a long-time suitor, and John with Rosemary begins to find happiness.
Chronologically, this is the seventh book in the series about Anne Shirley and her large family.