Anne of Green Gables
L. M. Montgomery · 1908
This book is rated All ages. It isn't available on your library card.
When shy Matthew Cuthbert goes to the station to bring home an orphan boy, he finds Anne Shirley instead: a freckled, red-haired girl with a vivid imagination. At Green Gables, Anne finds friendship, mischief, schoolroom rivals, and a home that changes everyone in it.
A gentle coming-of-age story with comic mishaps and a few sad turns. Keep the humour kind, the rural life vivid, and emotional moments sincere.
Characters
Anne Shirley
A lively red-haired orphan whose imagination and warm heart transform life at Green Gables.
Matthew Cuthbert
A shy farmer whose quiet kindness gives Anne her first true home.
Marilla Cuthbert
A practical woman whose guarded heart gradually opens to Anne.
Rachel Lynde
Avonlea’s outspoken neighbour, always alert to the happenings along the road.
Diana Barry
Anne’s loyal friend and partner in many imaginative adventures.
Gilbert Blythe
Anne’s clever school rival, whose teasing begins a long-running quarrel.
Miss Stacy
A spirited teacher who encourages Anne and her classmates to aim high.
Minnie May Barry
Diana’s little sister, whose sudden illness brings Anne and Diana together again.
Mrs. Barry
Diana’s strict mother, who comes to trust Anne after a family emergency.
Mrs. Allan
The kind minister’s wife, who becomes one of Anne’s favourite grown-up friends.
About the story
Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are an elderly brother and sister who live at Green Gables, a farm in the village of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island. They decide to adopt an orphan boy to help on the farm. Instead an eleven-year-old girl arrives. Her name is Anne Shirley, and she is thin and freckled, with red hair. She talks constantly, has a big imagination, and longs more than anything for a home of her own. The story follows her first years in Avonlea. She makes friends and enemies and goes to school, and she gets into a long run of well-meant scrapes while the quiet Cuthberts slowly learn what it is to love a child.
L. M. Montgomery based Avonlea on the island countryside she grew up in. The book is full of orchards, birch paths, ponds and seasons, and Anne gives many of these places names of her own. The themes are belonging, friendship, pride and forgiveness, and the way a lonely child and two reserved adults change one another.
The novel came out in 1908 and was an immediate success. It has been translated into dozens of languages and is still loved all over the world. Readers keep returning to it for its humour, its warmth and its heroine. Anne is impulsive, loyal and hopeful, and she remains one of the most memorable characters in children's literature.
This is a condensed picture-book retelling in 120 illustrated pages, with about 36 minutes of narration by a synthetic voice. The AI-generated pictures were drawn for this edition, and Montgomery's full original novel is free to read and well worth the time.
Adapted from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (1908), public domain.
Questions
What is Anne of Green Gables about?
An elderly brother and sister on Prince Edward Island send for an orphan boy to help on their farm, but a talkative, imaginative red-haired girl named Anne arrives instead. The story follows her as she finds a home, a best friend and her place in the village of Avonlea.
Who is the main character in Anne of Green Gables?
Anne Shirley is an eleven-year-old orphan. She is known for her red hair, her quick temper, her love of big words and her lively imagination. The other central characters are Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, the siblings who take her in, along with her bosom friend Diana Barry and her school rival Gilbert Blythe.
Is Anne of Green Gables suitable for children?
Yes. This edition is rated for all ages. The story is gentle and funny, and its scrapes and quarrels are the everyday kind found in school and family life. Its themes of friendship, honesty and belonging suit young children, teens and adults alike.
How long does this edition take to read or listen to?
This picture-book edition has 120 illustrated pages and about 36 minutes of narration, so it can be enjoyed in one or two sittings.
Is this the full book?
No. This is a condensed retelling that keeps the main events and spirit of the story. Montgomery's complete 1908 novel is in the public domain and free to read in full.
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
