Anne of Green Gables is about an adopted red-headed girl, about 11 years old, with heroic character traits. Her towering imagination, kindness, love of life, and the captivating story world made this book an all-time bestseller. The second book in the series, Anne of Avonlea, is a worthy sequel. Anne, about 17, fills the stage as a teacher, having given up college to help her adopted mother. The reader follows her efforts and sometimes delusional thinking as she inspires her pupils to become all they can be, but challenges await her in and outside the classroom.
This story features many learning opportunities for young readers. The author was a genius at crafting compelling chapters that delight and contain meaningful dialogue, making the scenes nearly irresistible. As Anne helps her neighbors and pupils, we see her slowly maturing into womanhood through a deepening understanding of what is genuinely true and good.
Some memorable scenes include her befriending an irate neighbor after her cow partially ruined his crops, her love for a young pupil who struggles after his mother’s death, and a new friendship with a woman who grieves over an early romance gone wrong.
The author brilliantly reveals the outworking of true religion, the purpose of education, and the realities and goodness of love and romance.
