What is Anne of Green Gables about?

It is about Anne Shirley, an imaginative orphan girl who is sent by mistake to live with an older brother and sister on a farm in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. She wins their hearts, finds friends, and grows up.

How does Anne of Green Gables end?

Matthew dies suddenly, probably of a heart attack, after hearing that the bank holding his savings has failed. Anne gives up her scholarship to stay with Marilla, whose eyesight is failing, and she takes the Avonlea teaching job that Gilbert gave up for her. She makes peace with Gilbert and looks forward to the future.

Who is the main character in Anne of Green Gables?

Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan with red hair and a big imagination, is the main character. The story follows her from age eleven to about sixteen.

What is the moral of Anne of Green Gables?

The story shows that love can make a family out of strangers, that mistakes are a part of learning, and that imagination and kindness can make life brighter. It also shows the value of forgiveness.

What age is Anne of Green Gables appropriate for?

The original novel suits confident readers from about 9 to 12, and is a good read-aloud for younger children. Our retelling is designed for ages 6 to 9. Parents should know that one of the main characters dies near the end.

How many chapters are in Anne of Green Gables?

The original book has 38 chapters.

Anne of Green Gables summary for kids

Anne of Green Gables tells the story of Anne Shirley, a talkative, red-haired eleven-year-old orphan who is sent by mistake to a farm on Prince Edward Island. Her big imagination, her habit of naming everything, and her knack for getting into trouble make her unforgettable. Over about five years she learns to love her new home, makes a best friend, goes to school, and grows up. Children still love Anne because she is funny, honest about her mistakes, and never stops seeing the world as a wonderful place.

Written by: L. M. Montgomery, 1908
Setting: Avonlea, a farming village on Prince Edward Island, Canada, in the late 1800s
The original novel: 38 chapters
Our retelling: Ages 6–9, an illustration on every page

The story, from beginning to end

Spoiler alert: this summary tells the whole story, including the ending.

A mistake at the railway station

Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are an elderly brother and sister who live at Green Gables, a farm in the village of Avonlea. They need help with the farm work, so they ask a neighbor, Mrs. Spencer, to pick out a boy from an orphan asylum. Matthew, who is very shy, drives to the station to collect him, and finds a girl sitting on her suitcase instead.

The girl is Anne Shirley, and she chatters happily the whole way home. She has been passed from one unwelcoming household to another since her parents died when she was a baby, and she longs for a real home. Matthew cannot bring himself to tell her about the mistake, and he is charmed by her already.

Anne stays

Marilla, who is practical and stern, is shocked to see a girl and plans to send her back. She even takes Anne to see a neighbor, Mrs. Blewett, who might take her as a helper. But Mrs. Blewett looks hard and unkind, and Marilla, seeing how frightened Anne is, decides to keep her after all. Matthew, who liked Anne from the start, is delighted. Anne, who has never had a room of her own, is thrilled with her small bedroom under the eaves.

Their neighbor Mrs. Rachel Lynde, who has opinions about everything, remarks loudly that Anne is skinny and plain, and that her hair is red. Anne loses her temper and tells Mrs. Rachel exactly what she thinks of her. Marilla makes her apologize, and Anne does so in such a dramatic way that it is almost funny. Mrs. Rachel ends up rather liking her.

Friends and enemies at school

Anne finds a best friend in Diana Barry, a kind girl from the next farm. They promise to be friends forever. Anne starts at the Avonlea school and soon makes an enemy of Gilbert Blythe, a clever, good-looking boy. When he teases her by calling her “Carrots” because of her hair, Anne smashes her slate over his head. Gilbert apologizes, but Anne refuses to forgive him.

Anne’s mistakes are many. She is accused of losing Marilla’s amethyst brooch, and she dyes her hair green by accident when she tries to turn it black. She has to cut it all off. She also serves Diana what she believes is raspberry cordial, but it turns out to be currant wine, and Diana goes home unwell. Diana’s mother, Mrs. Barry, is furious and forbids the girls to play together, until Anne, who knows how to care for babies from her years at other people’s houses, saves Diana’s little sister Minnie May from a dangerous illness called croup. Mrs. Barry is grateful, and the friendship is saved.

Growing up in Avonlea

Over the next few years Anne keeps learning, often the hard way. She and her friends start a Story Club, and she is fond of Mrs. Allan, the kind new minister’s wife, who treats her like a grown-up friend. When the girls act out the poem “The Lady of Shalott,” Anne lies in a flat boat to float down the pond like the lady in the poem. The boat leaks and begins to sink, and she clings to a bridge post until Gilbert rows by and rescues her. He offers his friendship again, but Anne, still proud, turns him down.

Marilla grows to love Anne more than she says out loud. Matthew spoils her gently, and Anne slowly turns the plain farmhouse into a happy home, filled with her chatter, her flowers and her laughter. Matthew spoils her gently, and at Christmas he gives her a dress with the fashionable puffed sleeves she has always wanted.

Queen’s Academy

As Anne turns fifteen, she and a group of classmates, including Gilbert, prepare for the entrance exam to Queen’s Academy, a college in Charlottetown that trains teachers. She studies hard, passes with high marks, and spends a winter at Queen’s, working long hours to finish a two-year teaching course in one. Gilbert is still her rival, and she has her eye on the Avery scholarship, a prize that would pay for four years at Redmond College.

On the day the results are posted, Anne wins the Avery scholarship, and Gilbert wins the gold medal. She comes home to Green Gables for the summer as the proudest and happiest girl on the island.

Matthew’s death

The happy summer ends with sad news. Matthew has a weak heart, and Marilla’s eyes are failing too. One afternoon, he reads in the newspaper that the Abbey Bank, where the Cuthberts keep all their money, has failed. The shock is too much for him. He collapses in the doorway of Green Gables, and he dies quickly and painlessly.

The village grieves with them, and friends and neighbors come to help. Anne is too stunned to cry at first, but later she weeps in Marilla’s arms. Marilla, who has always been shy about showing her feelings, tells Anne that she loves her as if she were her own daughter.

A change of plan and a new beginning

With the money gone and her eyesight weakening, Marilla thinks she will have to sell Green Gables. Anne refuses to let her. She decides to give up the scholarship and stay at home, and she plans to teach at a nearby school and study at home. Marilla is deeply moved.

Then Anne learns that Gilbert has withdrawn his own application to teach at the Avonlea school so that she can have it and stay near Marilla. He will teach at White Sands instead. Anne meets him on the road and thanks him, and at last they become friends. She feels that her road has a bend in it, and that the best of life is still to come.

Themes and big ideas

Imagination: Anne sees beauty everywhere, and names the trees, the lake and the lanes around her. Her imagination can get her in trouble, like when she scares herself and Diana with stories about a haunted wood, but it also helps her cope with a hard life. The book shows that imagination can brighten lonely days.
Belonging and family: Anne has spent her whole life wanting to belong somewhere. Matthew and Marilla first take her in by mistake, but they come to love her. The book suggests that families are made out of love and care, not only by blood.
Learning from mistakes: Anne makes a lot of errors, from the green hair to the currant wine. Each time she owns up, learns something, and tries again. Marilla notes that Anne seldom makes the same mistake twice, though she does invent new ones.
Forgiveness and friendship: Anne holds a grudge against Gilbert for years because of one rude remark. Only after he gives up the school for her do they truly make peace. It is a reminder that holding on to anger costs a lot, and that saying sorry and accepting sorry both take courage.
Growing up and loss: Anne grows from a child into a young woman, and she has to face sad things, like Matthew’s death. She chooses to put others first by giving up her scholarship. The book shows that growing up means taking on responsibility, while still keeping hold of hope.

Is Anne of Green Gables right for my child?

Anne of Green Gables is a warm and funny book, and most of it is happy and gentle. The main thing that parents should know about is the death of Matthew, near the end, from a heart attack. It is sad but handled with tenderness, and the story focuses on how Anne and Marilla comfort each other. There are some other small worries. Anne is an orphan who has been treated unkindly, and she nearly drowns when her boat sinks, but nothing frightening lasts long. There is no real romance, just a friendship that grows slowly between Anne and Gilbert. Older readers will notice some old-fashioned language and religious references of the period.

Our retelling for ages 6 to 9 keeps the best-loved moments: the mix-up at the station, Diana, the green hair, the sinking boat, and Anne’s warm, noisy way of seeing the world. It shortens the long descriptions, and keeps the sadness of Matthew’s death gentle but honest. We suggest our retelling for ages 6 to 9, and the original novel for confident readers from about 9 to 12, or as a read-aloud for younger children.

Questions to talk about

Why do Matthew and Marilla decide to keep Anne even though they wanted a boy?
Anne loves to give names to places and things. What would you name your favorite place, and why?
How would you feel if you were Anne when Mrs. Rachel Lynde called her skinny? What would you do?
Anne makes lots of mistakes. Which one was the funniest, and which one was the most serious?
Why do you think Anne stayed angry with Gilbert for so long? What made her change her mind?
What makes Diana a good best friend? What do you look for in a friend?
How did Marilla show that she loved Anne, even though she did not say so very often?
Anne gives up the scholarship to stay with Marilla. Was it the right choice? What would you have done?

Questions about Anne of Green Gables

What is Anne of Green Gables about?: It is about Anne Shirley, an imaginative orphan girl who is sent by mistake to live with an older brother and sister on a farm in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. She wins their hearts, finds friends, and grows up.
How does Anne of Green Gables end?: Matthew dies suddenly, probably of a heart attack, after hearing that the bank holding his savings has failed. Anne gives up her scholarship to stay with Marilla, whose eyesight is failing, and she takes the Avonlea teaching job that Gilbert gave up for her. She makes peace with Gilbert and looks forward to the future.
Who is the main character in Anne of Green Gables?: Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan with red hair and a big imagination, is the main character. The story follows her from age eleven to about sixteen.
What is the moral of Anne of Green Gables?: The story shows that love can make a family out of strangers, that mistakes are a part of learning, and that imagination and kindness can make life brighter. It also shows the value of forgiveness.
What age is Anne of Green Gables appropriate for?: The original novel suits confident readers from about 9 to 12, and is a good read-aloud for younger children. Our retelling is designed for ages 6 to 9. Parents should know that one of the main characters dies near the end.
How many chapters are in Anne of Green Gables?: The original book has 38 chapters.