User blog comment:SusannahWithAnH/A Closer Look at Nan and Di Blythe/@comment-4934571-20140413084146/@comment-3493059-20140413101339

Thank you! I'm hoping to do more of this type of thing for the other Blythe children, and maybe other characters as well.

I agree with you there. Shirley definitely didn't get as much screen time as the others. Jem, Walter, Nan, Di and Rilla all got at least two stories each (Rilla got a whole book as well!), but Shirley was only mentioned in passing at most. The biggest scene with him is when he's telling them he's going to sign up for the war. We do know about his personality through LMM's exposition, but it's hard to get to know someone just by a list of characteristics. By having eleven kids (including the Merediths and Mary Vance) in Rainbow Valley, LMM had a lot of new characters to juggle (remember, book 6 wasn't written 'til later). Shirley must have slipped under the radar. She did compensate for it slightly, though, by having him quiet, thoughtful and sensible -- less likely to get into an adventure, maybe? Anyway, those are my thoughts.