Anne of Green Gables Read Along

May 16, 2017

When reading Amanda @ Cover2CoverMom ‘s blog, I discovered that there is an Anne of Green Gables Read Along happening! My Kids Lit book club recently read Anne, but I will admit… I never finished the book. I got to 80% and then it was book club time. This is a great excuse to re-read Anne and to keep going in the series.

This 1908 novel which started it all tells the tale of an 11-year-old orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to live with a middle-aged brother and sister. Intending to adopt an orphan boy to help out on the farm, suddenly they have Anne. And, as one could imagine, young Anne quickly enters the hearts of not only Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert but the whole fictional town of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

The series continues in 5 further books, following Anne to age 40. After that point, 2 additional books are written following Anne’s children and family friends. Anne is still a primary character and continues towards her “old age” of 53.

I reached out to Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf to share my enthusiasm for her read along (#AnneReadAlong2017). As it turns out, she was looking for a co-host! One of my blogging goals for 2017 includes participating in more cross-posting opportunities. This includes Top Ten Tuesday and the like, guest posts, and now co-hosting a Read Along! Tied in with my Thanksgiving Readathon with Ottavia this fall, I am well on my way to make my goal!

So, as co-host, I say: join up!

Here’s how it works:

  1. Each month, starting in May, we will read and review one book in the series. Not sure if you can read all 8? No worries! Just join in for what you can, even if you are posting “late”.
  2. Post your review on your blog, website, YouTube channel, etc. and link up with us! You are welcome to link an older post if you’ve reviewed this particular Anne book before.
  3. Read, comment, and participate on other Anne lovers’ posts, and on Twitter with #AnneReadAlong2017

May – Anne of Green Gables

June – Anne of Avonlea

July – Anne of the Island

August – Anne of Windy Poplars

September – Anne’s House of Dreams

October – Anne of Ingleside

November – Rainbow Valley

December – Rilla of Ingleside

How to get started:

  1. Post your own introductory post about the Anne Read along on your blog/website/YouTube/etc.
  2. Include a link in the comments below.
  3. Tell your friends and encourage others to join the read along!

I look forward to sharing all the exciting things Jane and I are starting to cook up. See you around Avonlea!


What do you think?

  • Have you ever read the Anne books before? If so, what do you think of them?
  • Do you enjoy read alongs? Why or why not?
  • What is your favorite book from childhood? Why?

38 Comments

  • Grab the Lapels May 16, 2017 at 9:49 am

    I actually read the entire series last summer, but I will follow along and comment on posts If people would like, I can share my links in comments, too.

    • Jackie B May 16, 2017 at 9:51 am

      That would be awesome! Even back-dated posts would be super cool; I’d just love to hear your well-thought-out opinions and see if anything changes reading other posts.

      • Grab the Lapels May 16, 2017 at 9:55 am

        There were a number of points that I felt were a bit unacceptable that other readers felt were normal for the time, so I’m excited to see where you and Amanda land!

        • Jackie B May 16, 2017 at 1:37 pm

          Yeah– that can be fairly common in older literature. The original Anne was published in 1908! I do provide some historical forgiveness when I read these sorts of things. I consider them as a Time Capsule. I’d definitely love to learn about where you found fault. I often find my forgiveness means I don’t notice things I would typically find fault with in contemporary literature too. Perhaps you’ll call me on that? 🙂

          • Grab the Lapels May 16, 2017 at 1:48 pm

            I’d rather have a discussion for sure! One of my former students asked me if we should forgive the evils of others because they happened “before the person knew better.” I had lots to say.

            • Jackie B May 17, 2017 at 3:32 pm

              Now *that* is something I’d love to hear about. Particularly in the context of the characters in Anne. There are so many moments you could pick on… 🙂

  • Laila@BigReadingLife May 16, 2017 at 11:37 am

    Well, this is clearly a sign from the universe. I was just thinking that I need to reread Anne of Green Gables so that I can continue on with the series and read them for the first time. Somehow I escaped reading these in childhood. It’s been about 5 years since I read the first one, so I need a refresher! I’M IN. (I’ll post about it on my blog later tonight.)

    Also, yay for cross-posting opportunities! You were hoping for those!

    • Jackie B May 16, 2017 at 1:46 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad to have you on board Laila! Totally a sign from the universe. 😉 I am looking forward to learning more about Anne’s life. I love the idea of exploring a character across the entirety of their life in a series of books. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like that before. This will be quite an adventure.

  • Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf May 16, 2017 at 12:14 pm

    Love this! So excited to have you along, Jackie!

    • Jackie B May 16, 2017 at 1:43 pm

      Yay! I’m so excited to be participating! I can’t wait for some of our ideas.

  • ichabod2014ic May 16, 2017 at 2:03 pm

    As a dude, I am not normaly into chicky stuff, but my dad is an Islander. I visited Prince Edward Island when I was five and twelve.I have always heard of Anne, so I may look into this.
    Happy Reading!
    ~icky. 🙂

    • Jackie B May 17, 2017 at 10:46 am

      You should join us if only to read the first book and understand the origin of this. After all, you’ve got some history there! Plus, I’d be interested in your opinion as someone who identifies “as a dude, [who is not] normally into chicky stuff”. I’d love to hear what you think classifies this book as “chicky stuff” with some specific examples. I want to better understand! And encourage more people to join up. 😉

  • Shouni May 16, 2017 at 5:04 pm

    I LOVE the Anne books. It’s been years since I read them but they remain my favorite classics. I’ve been wanting to reread the books. I’ve read them pretty young so I’m sure I missed a lot of details once I hit the third book when Anne became an adult. I always fail at read alongs though so I probably won’t be participating. I just can’t seem to stick to a consistent schedule when it comes to blogging. I’m excited for your reviews to see how you like the series. Also, do you have Netflix and are you planning on watching “Anne with an E”?

    • Jackie B May 17, 2017 at 3:18 pm

      I’m so glad that you loved them as a child! If you find the time on inspiration, please go ahead and join in. No pressure! Perhaps some of the non-book review events might be a good fit for you? We’ll see what happens; I completely understand not being able to stick to a solid review schedule. I’m trying, but, well I’m not great at it.

      I don’t watch TV, really, so no Netflix for me! That said, I’d love to see people compare their interpretations of reading to the TV shows, films, and the Netflix series. It’s always interesting to compare what you imagined in your head to what you see on the screen.

  • KrystiYAandWine May 16, 2017 at 7:05 pm

    Oh, how fun! I so wish I had room on my TBR to do this right now! I’m really looking forward to the show!

    • Jackie B May 17, 2017 at 3:20 pm

      Preach– that TBR can be quite the slave driver! 😉 Have you read the books before? Or will the Netflix show be your first experience?

  • Resh Susan @ The Book Satchel May 17, 2017 at 4:32 am

    I adore Anne. I hope you will love reading through all the books. And hope there will be a good response for the read along

    • Jackie B May 17, 2017 at 3:31 pm

      Thanks, Resh Susan! I do too– I know some people are certainly overwhelmed by the idea, but I hope people will participate in even a limited fashion.

      Which Anne books have you read?

  • Amanda @Cover2CoverMom May 17, 2017 at 7:16 am

    Yay!!! So happy to have you on board as a co-host! Can’t wait to see what you and Jane are cooking up I’ve had lots of fun reading it thus far. About 65ish% through and hope to finish by the end of the week.

    • Jackie B May 17, 2017 at 12:38 pm

      Thanks, Amanda! I’m super excited too. It’s all about #Goals. 🙂
      I’m so impressed with the progress you’ve made already! Keep up the great work. I look forward to your review and participation.

  • Valancy May 17, 2017 at 7:24 am

    I just saw this on Laila’s post…and followed all the links detective-like to you, co-host extraordinaire… 😉 I so definitely want to join in please! Anne books can NEVER be reread too often.
    yay! 🙂

    • Jackie B May 17, 2017 at 8:34 am

      You are quite a detective! I am so impressed. 🙂 Welcome to the Read Along, Valancy! We are sooo glad to have you!

  • Books, Vertigo and Tea May 17, 2017 at 3:56 pm

    While I am not participating this time, I absolutely love this 🙂 I saw this on Amanda’s post as well and was thrilled. One of my favorite childhood series. I cannot wait to see some reviews! A re-read will be in my future.

  • theorangutanlibrarian May 18, 2017 at 9:11 pm

    Ooh I don’t know if I’ll have time for a readalong right now *but* this does make me want to read the rest of the series (I read the first three) I’m looking forward to everyone’s posts on it! Hopefully they will give me the nudge I need.

    • Jackie B May 20, 2017 at 5:54 pm

      You can join up whenever you want– no pressure to do anything, but it would be great to hear your thoughts on Anne-related posts, and perhaps see you join in for another book or two. Do you like the Anne series thus far?

  • Anna @MyBookishDream May 21, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    I have actually never read Anne of the Green Gables. It just never was part of my childhood. And while I have heard great things about it and I know quiet a few people that love that series, I have no interest in reading it. That might change in the future, who knows! Hope you have fun with the readalong! 😀

    • Jackie B May 21, 2017 at 8:03 pm

      It wasn’t part of my childhood either. I hadn’t even heard of the series until I was an adult. That said, I read the first book for book club (well, most of it), and I really did enjoy it. Anne is a realistic character, which is great for the 10-15 year old demographic this is intended for. I’m super excited for a chance to dig deeper into this series, better know Anne, and learn more about the history surrounding this series. Thanks for the well-wishes!
      Why don’t you have any interest in reading this series?

      • Anna @MyBookishDream May 22, 2017 at 6:55 am

        At the current moment I’m in the middle of waaay too many series and I need to catch up on those first. Plus the story just doesn’t interest me. I don’t know what it is really. Maybe I will read it one day, but it just isn’t a priority at the moment.

        • Jackie B May 23, 2017 at 11:08 am

          I completely understand that. There’s nothing worse than being in the middle to *too* many series. I have three final books to read for different series and I can’t seem to get to them. It’s incredibly frustrating. Good luck getting those done, Anna!

  • Grab the Lapels June 11, 2017 at 6:44 am

    I just thought of another reason why the read along is such a good idea: last summer, when I read the whole series, my fellow bloggers slowly stopped checking my posts. I realized many of them had not read Anne and didn’t want any spoilers. Another issue is that reviewing a series by yourself is a big risk–you’re asking readers to remember all of your previous book reviews in the series so that when you discuss book 6, for instance, they know what’s going on and who the characters are, etc.

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