 Anne of Green Gables
Lucy M. Montgomery
© 1908
The Cuthberts wanted an orphan boy to help with the farm chores. Instead, the orphanage sent them Anne, a spunky, imaginative girl whose antics leave them somewhat dismayed but often amused. Driven by an irrepressible spirit, Anne’s days are filled with adventures as she tries to please both her curiosity and her guardians’ expectations on Prince Edwards Isle in the early 1900’s. What Anne really longs for is a “kindred spirit”……which she has found with thousands of young readers through the years.
 Anne of Green Gables was read by Kathryn Blume
Kathryn Blume may sound familiar to you; she read for the “Camel’s Hump Radio” production of Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Blume's one-woman show, The Accidental Activist, continues to tour. She's currently developing her second solo show, and in conjunction with Vermont Stage, recently adapted Anton Chekhov's classic play Uncle Vanya. She lives in New York and Charlotte, Vermont, with her cat named Toast.
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What do YOU think?
If you were Marilla Cuthbert and had just met Anne, would you have sent her back to the orphanage?
Do you have a “kindred spirit”? What is it and how do you find one?
Compare Anne’s relationship with Matthew to Anne’s relationship with Marilla. Which relationship is stronger?
Lucy M. Montgomery enjoyed nature. Can you prove that statement by providing examples from “Anne of Green Gables”?
Fun & Adventure Beyond the Book
There are a number of “kindred spirits” on the internet, each with a website dedicated to Anne of Green Gables. One fan’s website, “The World of Anne (Cordelia) Shirley” has included recipes for food mentioned in the book. Bringing in book-related food as part of your book report should score you a couple of points, don’t you think? The site also lists household hints and remedies (goose-grease for a sore throat, for example) compiled from the book as well. Gross!
Thanks to the Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edwards Island has become a popular tourist destination. You can visit the Green Gables House, located in Cavendish, where author Lucy M. Montgomery grew up. Interested in what Anne’s room looked like? Take the virtual tour of the Green Gables House and see photos of the town.
How’s this for a computer class project: an alphabetical database of the people and places mentioned in Anne of Green Gables. I don’t know if this was a class project, but it certainly was created by a fan of the book!
If You Like This Book, Check Out...
Grace Greene, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, thinks you’ll also enjoy:
Fisher, Dorothy Canfield. Understood Betsy. Holt, 1917.
A small and timid girl discovers her own abilities and the world around her when she goes to live with relatives on a farm in Vermont.
Haas, Jessie. Unbroken. Greenwillow, 1999.
Following her mother's death in the early 1900s, thirteen-year-old Harry lives on Aunt Sarah's farm where an accident with her spirited colt leaves her a changed young woman.
McKay, Hilary. The Exile. (and sequels). McElderry, 1991.
The four Conroy sisters spend a wild summer at the seaside with Big Grandma, who tries to break them of their reading habit by substituting fresh air and hard work for books and gets unexpected results.
Peyton, K.M. Flambards. (and sequels). World Pub, 1968.
A twelve-year-old orphan girl is faced with a radically different way of life when she is sent to live with a crippled tyrannical uncle, who is obsessed with hounds and horses and who expects her and his two sons to follow in his footsteps.
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