Finished Anne And Want More
You closed Anne of Green Gables, the house went quiet, and now you want another girl who talks her way into your heart. None of them has spoilers, and I’ll only recommend books I’m sure about, with the title, the author and the year.
One note first. These are older books, and many of them are old enough to be in the public domain, so they can be cheap or free to read legally. I have read Anne itself in full for this channel. For the seven below, I am going by what I know of them as classics, so treat my notes as a map and not a review.
What You Are Missing
Before the picks, what is it about Anne that people want more of? I think it comes down to four things. A talkative, imaginative girl with a big heart and a terrible temper. A small community that has to make room for her. Humor that comes from mistakes. And a gentle ache, because the book knows that growing up costs something.
Every pick below hits at least two of those, and I’ll say which. Everything here is spoiler free.
Anne Of Avonlea
Number one is the obvious one. Anne of Avonlea, by L. M. Montgomery, from nineteen oh nine, is the sequel to the book you just finished. It follows Anne into her next chapter in the same village.
Pick it if you simply want more of Anne, Marilla and Avonlea, with the same humor and the same love of the landscape. It is the closest thing to the book you just read, because it is the same author, the same heroine, and the same place. Come to it expecting a story about a slightly older girl, not a copy of the first book.
Little Women
Number two is Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, from eighteen sixty-eight. Four sisters grow up in a New England household, and one of them, Jo, is a writer with a temper and a head full of stories.
Pick it if you loved the warmth of the Cuthbert kitchen and the way Anne dreams of being something. It shares a spirited heroine, a loving home, and a tender look at growing up. It differs in being a family of four sisters rather than one orphan and two older siblings, and it is longer and more episodic. We have a full summary of it on the channel.
Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm
Number three is Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas Wiggin, from nineteen oh three. Rebecca is a talkative, imaginative girl sent to live with strict aunts in a small village.
Pick it if you want the closest thing to Anne’s setup, a clever girl who must win over stern relatives. It shares the setup and the humor, so it is often put on the same shelf as Anne. It differs in that the tone is a little more old fashioned, and in my opinion the humor is gentler than Anne’s.
Pollyanna
Number four is Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter, from nineteen thirteen. An orphan goes to live with a stern aunt, and tries to change a whole town by playing the glad game, finding something to be glad about in everything.
Pick it if you like an orphan who wins over a village. It shares the orphan, the stern guardian and the effect one child has on the grown ups. It differs in being more of a lesson, with a sweeter and more moral tone, whereas Anne is messier and funnier.
Emily Of New Moon
Number five is Emily of New Moon, by L. M. Montgomery, from nineteen twenty-three. Emily is an orphan too, and she wants to be a writer. It is the same author, a different heroine, and a different kind of book.
Pick it if you loved the Story Club chapters, and want a Montgomery heroine who takes her writing seriously. It shares the author’s love of landscape, a gifted girl, and a family with firm opinions. It differs by being quieter and darker, with a more serious tone, and Emily is not a copy of Anne.
A Little Princess
Number six is A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, from nineteen oh five as a novel. Sara Crewe is a girl at a London boarding school who keeps her spirits up through imagination, even when life turns hard.
Pick it if you love the idea of imagination as a survival tool, which is one of the best things in Anne. It shares a girl who builds a better world in her head, and a story of kindness. It differs by being set in a city boarding school and by being much more of a fairy tale in its shape.
Daddy-Long-Legs
Number seven is Daddy-Long-Legs, by Jean Webster, from nineteen twelve. An orphan girl is sent to college by a mysterious benefactor, and writes him letters about her life.
Pick it if you want Anne’s voice at college age, funny and observant. It shares an orphan with a lively voice, a path from a hard start into education, and humor. It differs in being told through letters, so it reads fast and has a very different rhythm.
Two Honorable Mentions
Two more, in a sentence each. The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, from nineteen eleven, sends an orphaned girl to a big house in Yorkshire, where a garden changes everyone it touches. It is a good pick if you loved Anne’s attention to nature. And Heidi, by Johanna Spyri, from eighteen eighty, is a Swiss story about a girl, her grandfather and the mountains, for readers who want that same close, loving look at a place.
How I Picked
I picked these on purpose, so a few words on how. I leaned on three questions. Does the heroine have a voice you would listen to for a whole book? Is there a place you can picture, whether it is a farm, a village, a boarding school or a mountain? And is the book kind, even when it is sad?
I left out modern titles, because I would rather give you books I am certain about than a longer list I am guessing at. If you want a newer pick, tell me in the comments what you liked most about Anne and I’ll try to build a second list.
A Note On Age And Tone
These books were written for readers of an earlier time, and the manners show. Some sentences are long, some of the morals are stated outright, and the pace is slower than a modern novel. That is part of the comfort for many readers, and part of the hurdle for others. If a first chapter feels slow, try an audiobook, or read a few pages aloud, because several of these are written to be heard.
Which One Should You Pick
If you want more of the same, read Anne of Avonlea. If you want a whole family, read Little Women. If you want the same setup, read Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. If you want a writer, read Emily of New Moon. If you want a lighter and faster read, try Daddy-Long-Legs.
You can’t go wrong with any of them. Many are old enough to be in the public domain, so check Project Gutenberg or your library. Subscribe, tap like, and tell me in the comments which classic girl you want me to cover next. The full guide is on book explained dot com, and the link is in the description.
