From the infamous slate scene to the hilarious cordial fiasco, Anne Shirley has warmed readers’ hearts for more than a century. This guide lists the Anne of Green Gables books in order, with both publication order and chronological order so you can choose the version that works best for you.
L. M. Montgomery’s eight core novels follow Anne from her arrival at Green Gables through adulthood and the lives of her children. The story begins in late-nineteenth-century Prince Edward Island and eventually reaches the First World War.
Jump to:
- Anne of Green Gables Books in Publication Order
- Anne of Green Gables Books in Chronological Order
- Related Anne of Green Gables Books
- Anne of Green Gables Adaptations
- About Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables Books in Publication Order
There are eight novels in the core Anne of Green Gables series. I recommend publication order for first-time readers who want to experience the books in the sequence Montgomery’s original audience received them.
This order isn’t completely linear. After following Anne from childhood through college and married life, the series shifts toward her children and the Meredith family. Montgomery later returned to earlier periods of Anne’s life with Anne of Windy Poplars and Anne of Ingleside.
- 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 Windy Poplars (1936)
- Anne of Ingleside (1939)
In publication order, Anne’s House of Dreams comes after Anne of the Island, and Rainbow Valley comes after Anne’s House of Dreams. Those answers change in chronological order because the two later-published novels fill gaps in Anne’s life.
Anne of Green Gables Books in Chronological Order
Chronological order follows Anne and her family through time with fewer jumps backward. I prefer this order for a reread, and it’s also a good choice if you care more about a linear story than the series’ publication history.
- 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
In this order, Anne of Windy Poplars follows Anne of the Island, while Anne of Ingleside follows Anne’s House of Dreams. The UK and Australian title of Anne of Windy Poplars is Anne of Windy Willows, and the two editions contain minor textual differences.
Rilla of Ingleside is the final core novel in story chronology. Some editions use an abridged text, so I recommend choosing an edition identified as restored or unabridged when possible.
Related Anne of Green Gables Books
The main series contains eight novels, but the broader count depends on what you include. Three additional Montgomery books feature Anne, the Blythes, or their community. Budge Wilson also wrote one authorized prequel. That gives readers eight core novels, eleven Anne-connected books by Montgomery, or twelve related books after adding Wilson’s prequel.
Related Books by L. M. Montgomery
- Chronicles of Avonlea (1912)
- Further Chronicles of Avonlea (1920)
- The Blythes Are Quoted (2009)
Chronicles of Avonlea and Further Chronicles of Avonlea are short-story collections set around Avonlea, with Anne appearing in some of the stories. Further Chronicles of Avonlea was published without Montgomery’s authorization, but the stories themselves are her work.
The Blythes Are Quoted was intended as a ninth Anne volume, though it isn’t a conventional novel. It combines short stories, poems, and Blythe-family vignettes set before and after the First World War. My advice is to read it after Rilla of Ingleside as an optional final Montgomery volume.
An abridged version of this material was published as The Road to Yesterday in Canada in 1974 and in the United States in 1993. It removes the connecting vignettes, nearly all of the poems, and portions of the stories. If you have the complete edition of The Blythes Are Quoted, you don’t need The Road to Yesterday unless you’re collecting different editions.
Authorized Anne of Green Gables Prequel
- Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson (2008)
Before Green Gables tells the story of Anne’s childhood before she arrives on Prince Edward Island. It was commissioned for the original novel’s centenary and authorized by Montgomery’s heirs. Even though it takes place first, I’d start with Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and return to the prequel later.
Anne of Green Gables Adaptations
Anne’s story has inspired movies, television series, animation, stage productions, radio dramas, and musicals. The adaptations vary widely in how closely they follow Montgomery’s books.
Anne with an E ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2019. It begins with the premise of Anne of Green Gables but adds characters, plots, and themes that aren’t part of Montgomery’s novels. There isn’t a separate Anne with an E book series, so I recommend starting with Anne of Green Gables and continuing through the eight core novels.
The animated series Anne Shirley premiered in 2025 and draws from Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Anne of the Island.
The well-known Sullivan screen cycle consists of four separate productions. The Emmy-winning Anne of Green Gables from 1985 adapts the first novel. The 1987 Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel, released in the United States as Anne of Avonlea, combines material from Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, and Anne of Windy Poplars.
The later productions, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story and Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning, depart substantially from Montgomery’s timeline and stories.
Anne of Green Gables – The Musical first appeared at the Charlottetown Festival in 1965 and earned a Guinness World Record for its decades-long annual run. Beginning in 2024, the festival shifted to an every-other-year schedule.
About Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables introduces Anne Shirley, an imaginative and fiery eleven-year-old orphan who is mistakenly sent to Green Gables. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert had requested a boy to help on their farm, but Anne’s charm, chatter, and determination soon change their lives.
The series grows with Anne. It follows her from childhood and school through college, marriage, motherhood, and the experiences of the Blythe children. Rainbow Valley shifts much of its attention to the younger generation, while Rilla of Ingleside centers on the family during the First World War.
L. M. Montgomery was born on Prince Edward Island and drew heavily from the landscapes and experiences of her early life. Cavendish inspired much of Avonlea, while the Macneill family farm and its surroundings helped shape Green Gables, Lover’s Lane, and the Haunted Wood. Montgomery also relied on her imagination, so Avonlea is inspired by Cavendish rather than a direct copy of it.
I think that blend of recognizable Island scenery and Anne’s vivid way of seeing the world is a major reason the books remain so comforting. Readers can return for the humor and mishaps, then stay for Anne’s growth, losses, friendships, and hard-won happiness.
Looking for more books in order?
If you want more authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Books in Order index.