Anne of Green Gables
Interest age: 9 to 13
Reading age: 9+
Published by Puffin, 2009
About this book
Anne Shirley, an opinionated and decidedly red-haired 11-year-old orphan, is mistakenly sent to Prince Edward Island to live with a middle-aged brother and sister, Matthew and Marilla, at their farm, Green Gables.
At first, stern Marilla is set to send Anne back to the orphanage. However, as Anne brightens up their quiet life, Marilla reconsiders…
Anne Shirley is one of literature's finest heroines, and this first book of her adventures is the perfect book about growing up, friendship and family.
The bond that grows between Anne, Marilla and Matthew is incredibly touching. Anne's friendship with the shyer and more conventional Diana is also full of warmth, as Diana provides the (mostly) sensible foil to Anne's madcap schemes. Anne's relationship with the initially hated Gilbert Blythe, her rival at school, develops beautifully into a friendship in the tradition of a classic romance.
Meanwhile, the beautiful wildness of Prince Edward Island, the location for this much-loved story, complements Anne's dreamy imagination perfectly.
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Books about adopted characters
Every family is different, and it's always wonderful to see part of your own experience reflected in a book. This is a selection of fantastic books – some funny, some exciting, some magical – where the main character is adopted.