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Children's reading lists

Best fictional schools in kid’s literature

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Features

The best literary quotes about summer

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9 must-read classic children’s books, as chosen by our readers

Things you didn't know classic Puffin children's books

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4 things you didn’t know about these classic Puffin children’s books

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6 Puffin books that stand the test of time

13 feminist kids' books that fight the patriarchy

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12 feminist kids’ books that fight the patriarchy

Anne of the Island

Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child 
 
Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Anne of the Island. 
 
As her childhood friends get married and move away, Anne too leaves Prince Edward Island for college in Kingsport. Although Priscilla Grant and Gilbert Blythe are there, too, she feels lonely and out of place. But Anne soon makes new friends, one of whom is rich, handsome Roy Gardner, whose attentions to Anne make Gilbert very jealous...

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Anne of the Island. 
 
As her childhood friends get married and move away, Anne too leaves Prince Edward Island for college in Kingsport. Although Priscilla Grant and Gilbert Blythe are there, too, she feels lonely and out of place. But Anne soon makes new friends, one of whom is rich, handsome Roy Gardner, whose attentions to Anne make Gilbert very jealous...

Anne's House of Dreams

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Anne’s House of Dreams, the fifth novel about Anne Shirley, the red-haired girl from Green Gables. 
 
Life seems perfect to Anne Shirley. She is, after all, about to marry her childhood friend Gilbert Blythe and set up home with him in her 'house of dreams' on the shores of Four Winds Harbor. There are new neighbours to meet and fresh problems to solve. But then tragedy strikes and there's huge heartache for the young couple which takes all of their courage and love to overcome.

Anne of Ingleside

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Anne of Ingleside, the sixth volume of the adventures of red-haired Anne Shirley. 
 
Anne – now Mrs Doctor Blythe – is still sometimes as impetuous as when she was the girl from Green Gables. But with six lively children and hard-worked Gilbert to look after (not to mention Gilbert's disapproving aunt!), Anne has to be practical too. Especially when the children get into as many scrapes as she ever did!

Anne of Avonlea

Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child 
Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Anne of Avonlea. 
 
Now Anne is half past sixteen and she's ready to begin a new life teaching in her old school. She's as feisty as ever and is fiercely determined to inspire young hearts with her own ambitions. But some of her pupils are as boisterous and high-spirited as Anne, and so life in her Avonlea classroom becomes a lesson in discovery and adventure...

L. M. Montgomery was born in Clifton, Prince Edward Island, in 1874. A prolific writer, she published many short stories, poems and novels but she is best known for Anne of Green Gables and its sequels, inspired by the years she spent on the beautiful Prince Edward Island. Montgomery died in Toronto in 1942 and was buried in Cavendish on her beloved island.

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Anne of Avonlea. 
 
Now Anne is half past sixteen and she's ready to begin a new life teaching in her old school. She's as feisty as ever and is fiercely determined to inspire young hearts with her own ambitions. But some of her pupils are as boisterous and high-spirited as Anne, and so life in her Avonlea classroom becomes a lesson in discovery and adventure...

Anne of Windy Willows

Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child 
Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Anne of Windy Willows. 
 
Now a young woman and her romance with Gilbert Blythe beginning to flourish, Anne Shirley becomes Principal of Summerside High School. But Summerside is virtually ruled by the Pringle family, who don't want Anne at the school. It takes all of Anne's courage and tact, and the comfort she draws from the eccentric household at Windy Willows, to overcome local prejudice and confront the dreaded Pringles.

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Anne of Windy Willows. 
 
Now a young woman and her romance with Gilbert Blythe beginning to flourish, Anne Shirley becomes Principal of Summerside High School. But Summerside is virtually ruled by the Pringle family, who don't want Anne at the school. It takes all of Anne's courage and tact, and the comfort she draws from the eccentric household at Windy Willows, to overcome local prejudice and confront the dreaded Pringles.

Illustrated Edition

Anne of Green Gables

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this irresistible illustrated edition of Anne of Green Gables. 
 
Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are expecting a strong boy to arrive any day now to help them plough through the work at Green Gables, but to their surprise, a spindly red-haired girl knocks on their door instead. 
 
'Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it. . .yet.' 
 
Anne charms her way into the Cuthberts' hearts with her big imagination and never ending chatter. But it's not long before Anne has talked herself into BIG trouble...

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this irresistible illustrated edition of Anne of Green Gables. 
 
Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are expecting a strong boy to arrive any day now to help them plough through the work at Green Gables, but to their surprise, a spindly red-haired girl knocks on their door instead. 
 
'Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it. . .yet.' 
 
Anne charms her way into the Cuthberts' hearts with her big imagination and never ending chatter. But it's not long before Anne has talked herself into BIG trouble...

Abridged Edition

Penguin Readers Level 2: Anne of Green Gables (ELT Graded Reader)

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. 
 
Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. 
 
The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. 
 
Visit the Penguin Readers website 
Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys. 
 
Eleven-year-old Anne has no parents, and she goes to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert on their farm, Green Gables. Anne is an intelligent girl, but sometimes she talks too much and makes mistakes!

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Anne of Green Gables, a Level 2 Reader, is A1+ in the CEFR framework. Sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the future tenses will and going to, present continuous for future meaning, and comparatives and superlatives. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages. 
 
Eleven-year-old Anne has no parents, and she goes to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert on their farm, Green Gables. Anne is an intelligent girl, but sometimes she talks too much and makes mistakes!

A classic coming-of-age tale of a spirited heroine named Anne 
 
Anne Shirley is an eleven-year-old orphan who is mistakenly sent to a pair of siblings who had wanted to adopt a boy to help with the work on their farm in Prince Edward Island. Anne's quirky personality and good-natured spirit cause the siblings to grow to love her anyway and soon the entire town falls for the precocious little girl with bright red hair. Beloved by both children and adults, Anne of Green Gables is a celebration of fierce individualism and the families we create, rather than the ones we are born into.

L. M. Montgomery was born in Clifton, Prince Edward Island, in 1874. A prolific writer, she published many short stories, poems and novels but she is best known for Anne of Green Gables and its sequels, inspired by the years she spent on the beautiful Prince Edward Island. Montgomery died in Toronto in 1942 and was buried in Cavendish on her beloved island.

V&A Collector's Edition

This new hardback edition of the much-loved story of orphan Anne Shirley has been created in partnership with the world-famous V&amp;A Museum, and has an exquisite cover design from their original 
William Morris collection. 
 
Anne of Green Gables is the classic children's book by L M Montgomery, the inspiration for the Netflix Original series Anne with an E. Watch it now! 
 
 
 
Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are in for a big surprise. They are waiting for an orphan boy to help with the work at Green Gables - but a skinny, red-haired girl turns up instead. Feisty and full of spirit, Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts' affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter. It's not long before Anne finds herself in trouble, but soon it becomes impossible for the Cuthberts to imagine life without 'their' Anne - and for the people of Avonlea to recall what it was like before this wildly creative little girl whirled into town.

New series Anne with an E now streaming on Netflix. 
 
This new hardback edition of the much-loved story of orphan Anne Shirley has been created in partnership with the world-famous V &amp; A Museum, and has an exquisite cover design from their original William Morris collection. 
 
 
Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are in for a big surprise. They are waiting for an orphan boy to help with the work at Green Gables - but a skinny, red-haired girl turns up instead. Feisty and full of spirit, Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts' affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter. It's not long before Anne finds herself in trouble, but soon it becomes impossible for the Cuthberts to imagine life without 'their' Anne - and for the people of Avonlea to recall what it was like before this wildly creative little girl whirled into town.

Anne of Green Gables is the classic children's book by L M Montgomery, the inspiration for the Netflix Original series Anne with an E. Watch it now! 
 
 
Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.

Mark Twain called Anne 'the dearest and most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice'. The story of how a bad-tempered, naughty, red-haired orphan charmed a whole town.

A super cute story about kindred spirits and one of the ultimate examples of true friendship.

Within months of the book's publication Anne became a classic heroine for any little girl who has ever fretted about her looks, hungered for Art and Beauty, and pursued long words in the hope they would become her special friends

A scrawny 13-year-old, all carrot-colored pigtails and outrageous chatter, Anne seems fated to go nowhere but back to the orphanage. Her new family, after all, ordered a boy and she was delivered by mistake. But by turning adversity to advantage with lots of spunk, Anne of Green Gables has enchanted four generations of children and their elders since the world's most widely read Canadian novel was first published in Boston in 1908

Montgomery's ability to incorporate such complex themes into writing that is so accessible to younger readers makes her arguably the grandmother of the YA/adult crossover novel

Anne is a captivating heroine, a whirlwind of energy and good intentions

L. M. Montgomery, known as Maud, was born on Prince Edward Island, off the coast of Canada, in 1874. Maud’s mother died when she was just a baby and so she had a rather unhappy childhood growing up in the care of her strict grandparents. She was just sixteen when she had her first poem published. As a young woman she worked as a teacher and although she didn’t enjoy it much it gave her lots of time to write. Maud wrote hundred of short stories, poems and novels throughout her life but it was the hugely popular Anne of Green Gables and its sequels that made her famous. She died in 1942.

‘It’s a million times nicer to be Anne of Green Gables than Anne of nowhere in particular, isn’t it?’ 
 
My dislikes: Being an orphan, having red hair, being called ‘carrots’ by Gilbert Blythe. 
 
My likes: Living at the Green Gables with Marilla and Matthew, my bosom-friend Diana, dresses with puff sleeves. 
 
My regrets: Dying my hair green. Smashing a slate over Gilbert Blythe’s head. 
 
My dream: To tame my temper. To be good (this is an uphill struggle). To grow up to have auburn hair! 
 
Includes exclusive material: In the Backstory you can find out about the real Green Gables, the plucky author and more! 
 
Vintage Children’s Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from Peter Pan and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

One can't get over the habit of being a little girl all at once...

It's no stretch to suggest that Anne was the Harry Potter of her day

You might think I'd have grown out of getting myself into scrapes now that I'm half past sixteen. But between being vexed by my freckles, taunted by a brazen Jersey cow and kept on my toes by the new twins, Dora and Davy, life at Green Gables is just as eventful as ever. 
 
I do try to be a little more grown-up now that I'm a school teacher. The other day I asked the class, 'If you had three candies in one hand and two in the other, how many would you have altogether?' One of my pupil's piped up, 'A mouthful.' Could you have kept a straight face?! 
 
Includes exclusive material: In ‘The Backstory’ you can find out about going to school in Avonlea and learn all about the real Green Gables 
 
 Vintage Children’s Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Anne of Green Gables is the classic children's book by L M Montgomery, the inspiration for the Netflix Original series Anne with an E. Watch it now! 
 
Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are in for a big surprise. They are waiting for an orphan boy to help with the work at Green Gables - but a skinny, red-haired girl turns up instead. Feisty and full of spirit, Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts' affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter. It's not long before Anne finds herself in trouble, but soon it becomes impossible for the Cuthberts to imagine life without 'their' Anne - and for the people of Avonlea to recall what it was like before this wildly creative little girl whirled into town. 
 
L. M. Montgomery was born in Clifton, Prince Edward Island, in 1874. A prolific writer, she published many short stories, poems and novels but she is best known for Anne of Green Gables and its sequels, inspired by the years she spent on the beautiful Prince Edward Island. Montgomery died in Toronto in 1942 and was buried in Cavendish on her beloved island. 
 
Other books by L. M. Montgomery: 
 
Anne of Green Gables; Anne of Avonlea; Anne of the Island; Anne of Windy Poplars; Anne's House of Dreams; Anne of Ingleside; Rainbow Valley; Rilla of Ingleside; Emily of New Moon; Emily Climbs; Emily's Quest; Pat of Silver Bush; Mistress Pat; The Story Girl; The GOlden Road; Kilmeny of the Orchard; The Blue Castle; Magic for Marigold; A Tangled Web; Jane of Lantern Hill

Anne of Green Gables is the classic children's book by L M Montgomery, the inspiration for the Netflix Original series Anne with an E. Watch it now! 
 
Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are in for a big surprise. They are waiting for an orphan boy to help with the work at Green Gables - but a skinny, red-haired girl turns up instead. Feisty and full of spirit, Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts' affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter. It's not long before Anne finds herself in trouble, but soon it becomes impossible for the Cuthberts to imagine life without 'their' Anne - and for the people of Avonlea to recall what it was like before this wildly creative little girl whirled into town.

Anne of Green Gables, one of the most widely read and best-loved stories in the world, is brought to life on this abridged, downloadable audiobook edition by actress Kate Harper. 
 
The Cuthberts are in for a shock. They are expecting an orphan boy to help with the work at Green Gables - but a skinny red-haired girl turns up instead. Highly spirited Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts' affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter, and soon it's impossible to imagine life without her.

Anne Of Green Gables

Everyman's Children's Classics has more than 50 titles in print. It offers the finest editions currently available of the world's greatest children's books in handsome, full cloth hardcover bindings. 
 
The library brings back into print major illustrators such as Ivan Bilibin, Kate Greenaway, Arthur Rackham, Nicolas Bentley, Walter Crane, Aubrey Beardsley, Edward Ardizzone, W.Heath Robinson and Mervyn Peake.

The appeal of this Canadian classic children's book is seemingly everlasting - for it is a story of an individual making good by her own efforts, an orphaned girl sent to live with an elderly brother and sister who really want a boy to help on the farm. First published in 1908, the book was written by a scoolteacher who'd experienced the same upbringing as her heroine and who set her story in the place she knew best - Prince Edward Island. The story was popular from the start, and Mark Twain described Anne as 'the dearest, and most lovable child in fiction since the ommortal Alice'. The book has been filmed, staged, tramslated in many languages, and has been introduced by a highly successful TV dramatization. Sybil Tawse, English portrait painter and illustrator of many classics, including Mrs Gaskell's CRANFORD and Lamb's ESSAYS OF ELIA, provided the pen-and-ink drawings in 1933.

L. M. Montgomery

Puffin Clothbound Classics are stunning collectable hardback editions of some of the best-loved classics in the world - including this charming edition of Anne of Green Gables. 
 
Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are expecting a strong boy to arrive any day now to help them plough through the work at Green Gables, but to their surprise, a spindly red-haired girl knocks on their door instead. 
 
'Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it. . .yet.' 
 
Anne charms her way into the Cuthberts' hearts with her big imagination and never ending chatter. But it's not long before Anne has talked herself into BIG trouble...

L. M. Montgomery

Books by L. M. Montgomery

Articles featuring L. M. Montgomery

Best fictional schools in kid’s literature

The best literary quotes about summer

9 must-read classic children’s books, as chosen by our readers

4 things you didn’t know about these classic Puffin children’s books

6 Puffin books that stand the test of time

12 feminist kids’ books that fight the patriarchy

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