For over a century, L.L. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables has captivated readers. With an idyllic setting and an imaginative, youthfully idealistic protagonist, Anne of Green Gables reads like a childhood dream that you never want to leave.
Dream a little longer with these top twenty books like Anne of Green Gables—a blend of children’s classics and retellings of Anne that illustrate just how timeless the story is.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Initially published in two installations in 1868 and 1869, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women blazed a new trail for girl’s literature.
Follow sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March from childhood to womanhood in a turbulent historical time—and of course, sisterhood is just as turbulent. From Jo’s bold personality to Amy’s stubbornness, and Meg’s gentleness to Beth’s sickness, the sisters’ triumphs and tragedies remain universal.
Like Anne and the March sisters, Mary Lennox brings the world around her to life in The Secret Garden.
Mary, an orphan, finds herself in a house full of secrets when she arrives in the Yorkshire Moors to live with her great-uncle. To find reprieve from the grim atmosphere, Mary finds two improbable aids and sets about reviving the house’s surrounding garden
To follow Mary’s journey, pick up The Secret Garden here.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Perfect for fans of Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden, Heidi follows an orphaned girl who resides in the Swiss Alps with her curmudgeonly grandfather.
Heidi manages to bring her grandfather out of his grumpy shell, and soon enough, she has charmed the entire town. Yet when her aunt whisks her away from the Swiss Alps, Heidi longs for the mountains and the bonds she has created.
Warm and uplifting, Heidi will inspire you to search for where you belong.
Joining Anne, Mary, and Heidi is Rebecca, a spirited ten-year-old who rebels under the strict hand of her maiden aunts.
As she receives her education, Rebecca brings joy and vigor to the small town and the people around her. Eventually, her creativity and antics are well-received. And from belligerent boys with crushes to pretty pink dresses, Rebecca’s century-old struggles will still resound today.
You can follow this precocious protagonist when you pick up Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm here.
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
Bright and talkative Pollyanna always finds joy in life and makes sure to pass it along to others. Even when she is orphaned and sent to live with her cold aunt, Pollyanna remains happy—until a terrible accident leaves her unable to walk. Now, it’s up to the people she cheered up to spread joy in return.
Bring positivity into your own life when you check out Pollyanna here.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
For teen readers seeking witty and lively female protagonists in the classics, you can’t go wrong with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Elizabeth Bennett dislikes Fitzwilliam Darcy the moment she meets him—and is determined to prolong that moment into a lifetime of distaste toward him. Yet fate has other plans, and thanks to gossip and meddling friends, Elizabeth finds that first impressions may not always tell the entire tale.
Pioneering and personal, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre follows the titular protagonist as she grows into womanhood and falls in love with the pensive Mr. Rochester. Renowned for being one of the first novels to use a close first-person perspective, Jane Eyre is the perfect read for anyone seeking more fiercely independent protagonists like Anne.
Follow along as Matilda, a neglected but brilliant young girl, finds magic within herself.
Matilda’s parents find her to be a nuisance. She anticipates finding refuge at school, yet a stern headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, creates another unfriendly atmosphere for Matilda. Someone has to stand up to her, the children know—and Matilda might be the one to do it.
Classic and charming, Matilda assures children that they always have power within themselves.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Growing up is weird for twelve-year-old Margaret. She has a club with her closest friends where they talk about boys, changing bodies, and bras, but Margaret remains an outsider. She seemingly doesn’t have religion, yet her friends don’t know that Margaret has a special, one-on-one relationship with God where she can tell Him about everything.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret reads like the best kind of text to get from your BFF.
Be sure to get in on the secret when you find your copy here.
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
Who said the knight in shining armor has to be a boy?
Igraine wants to be a dashing knight, but she’s stuck in her boring family castle. Except when a dastardly baron shows up to overtake the castle and steal their singing spell books, Igraine’s life is turned on its head. Even worse, a spell gone wrong turned her parents into pigs. Now, Igraine must save the day and protect the singing books.
Hilarious and wild, Igraine the Brave is a wonderfully adventurous tale for anyone who loves stories of non-conforming knights.
Like Igraine, Thankful Robinson is a girl with big dreams.
Thankful longs to sail, just like her sea captain grandfather. Yet when her terrible sister-in-law forces Thankful to receive ‘proper’ schooling, Thankful finds herself in boarding school. Even as she makes friends and develops a crush, Thankful dreams of her beloved sea.
See if Thankful makes it back when you read Bright Island here.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Fall down the rabbit hole and in love with this delightfully imaginative classic. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has inspired and enchanted generations of readers with its story of Alice, a young girl who finds herself in a wacky and whimsical world. From tea parties to mad queens, there is no shortage of entertainment in Wonderland.
Kristina: The Girl King, Sweden, 1638 by Carolyn Meyer
From The Royal Diaries series comes the lively story of Swedish girl king Kristina.
At age six, Kristina is proclaimed King of Sweden when her father dies. She’s to assume the throne at eighteen, but readers meet her at twelve as she defies her girlhood and delights in her military strategies.
Readers will delight in the diary format, which brings us deeper into Kristina’s thoughts. With its bold protagonist and narrative, you won’t want to miss this novel.
Jean Webster’s Daddy-Long-Legs follows Jerusha Abbott, an eighteen-year-old who receives the gift of a lifetime when a mysterious benefactor agrees to pay for her education. The only strings attached? He wants to remain anonymous and receive updates on Jerusha’s progress. Will Jerusha ever learn who has faith in her future?
This melancholy yet lovely tale is sure to settle deep in your heart.
When a pilot crashes in the Sahara Desert, he encounters a young boy who calls himself The Little Prince. The boy comes from a distant asteroid and has only a single rose to his name. The subsequent story is one of loneliness, but also, profound human connection.
Follow the extraordinary and enchanting tale of Sam Gribley in My Side of the Mountain.
Sam tires of his cramped New York City apartment, so he flees to the mountains. There, he finds a world of danger and loneliness, yet he also finds another world within himself that he had no idea existed.
Join Sam on his journey when you pick up My Side of the Mountain here.
Anne of West Philly by Ivy Noelle Weir
The first of the retellings on this list, Ivy Noelle Weir’s Anne of West Philly is a fresh yet faithful take on a classic.
The graphic novel follows Anne as she sets out to make a life for herself in West Philly. Creative and outgoing, Anne makes friends, takes the robotics club by storm, and turns the world on its head. Yet the one thing she wasn’t expecting? To start to view West Philly as home, and to see the people around her as family
You can find the gorgeously illustrated novel here.
Ana of California by Andi Teran
Andi Teran’s take on Anne of Green Gables follows fifteen-year-old Ana Cortez as she’s forced to avoid a group home by departing for a Northern California farm trainee program.
Ana hasn’t the slightest clue about how to farm, let alone be helpful. As the days pass, she falls in love with Garber Farm and the surrounding town. Yet trouble always seems to find Ana, and she fears it will cost her her sense of belonging this time.
Modern and magical, Ana of California is an ode to courageous young women everywhere.
Anne of Greenville follows a queer, Japanese-American, disco-opera-loving Anne as she starts a new school in Greenville.
Anne is defiant, creative, and falls in love fast. It lands her in trouble, but in a zig-zag path, it also leads her to a new friend, Berry, and her dream girl, Gilly. Teenage hijinks and big feelings follow, and Anne finds herself wondering: who does she belong with?
Unique and unapologetic, Mariko Tamaki’s Anne of Greenville updates a classic andoffers representation to a new subset of readers.
Before Green Gables is a stunning prequel to Anne of Green Gables. With a depth of character and clear inspiration from Montgomery, this novel captures Anne’s early days and offers an extensive look into how she became the girl millions of readers have come to love.
If you love Anne of Green Gables, Before Green Gables will take a fast hold of your heart.
These daring, imaginative books like Anne of Green Gables extend the dream of childhood into something that never has to end. And when you hit that last page? No problem. Just flip right back to the beginning.
FAQs
Is Anne of Green Gables a series?
Yes! The series has eight books about Anne Shirley, and in later books, her children.
In what order should I read the Anne of Green Gables series?
For continuity’s sake, try the following order: Anne of Green Gables (1908), Anne of Avonlea (1909), Anne of the Island (1915), Anne’s House of Dreams (1917), Rainbow Valley (1919), Rilla of Ingleside (1921), Anne of Ingleside (1938), and Anne of Windy Poplars (1946).
Is the TV series, Anne With An E, connected to Anne of Green Gables?
The television series is loosely adapted from the novel.
What reading level is Anne of Green Gables?
According to the Accelerated Reading program, the novel is well-suited for the seventh-grade reading level.
Morgan Spraker is a writer and graduate of the University of Florida. A lifelong love for books, storytelling, and fantastical settings inspired her to pursue her BA in English and Sustainability Studies.
Her academic work focused on the linked portrayals of gender and the climate crisis in 2010s young adult science fiction. While she hasn't encountered the elusive Florida Man or wrestled an alligator, she's a lifelong Floridian with a love for the beach.
When Morgan isn't creating worlds of her own, she's usually exploring others—namely, Star Wars's galaxy far, far away—and playing Taylor Swift's discography on repeat.
