Anne of Green Gables Books in Order
Anne of Green Gables began as a serial idea Lucy Maud Montgomery had been turning over for years, became Canada's best-loved book, and stretched into eight novels that follow a red-haired orphan from mistaken adoption to middle age and motherhood through a world war. The books age with their heroine: the first is pure comic sunshine, and by Rilla of Ingleside the war is at the door — the last is one of the few novels of the home front written as it happened. (L. M. Montgomery, 1908–1939).
Where to start
Anne of Green Gables, then keep going — the first three (Green Gables, Avonlea, the Island) form one continuous stretch of Anne's youth and read like a single long book. Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside shift to her children and surprise readers with how good they are; Rilla in particular stands on its own as a war novel.
The complete list
Tick the boxes off as you read, or for the bookshelf.
| Year | Title | Series / type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | Anne of Green Gables | Novel | |
| 1909 | Anne of Avonlea | Novel | |
| 1915 | Anne of the Island | Novel | |
| 1917 | Anne's House of Dreams | Novel | |
| 1919 | Rainbow Valley | Novel | |
| 1921 | Rilla of Ingleside | Novel | |
| 1936 | Anne of Windy Poplars | Novel | |
| 1939 | Anne of Ingleside | Novel |
Does the reading order matter?
Here is the famous wrinkle: publication order and story order differ. Montgomery returned to Anne's middle years decades later, so Anne of Windy Poplars (1936) and Anne of Ingleside (1939) slot between the early books. Story order: Green Gables, Avonlea, the Island, Windy Poplars, House of Dreams, Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, Rilla. First-time readers should simply go in publication order — Montgomery wrote the later two precisely so they could be enjoyed either way.
Which one is the best?
Anne of Green Gables is the permanent favorite. Rilla of Ingleside is the critics' dark horse — a home-front WWI novel written while the war was actually happening.
Covered in depth here
An 8-question quiz, reading time, club questions and verified quotes for Anne of Green Gables.
Related guides
Readers finishing this shelf usually want the map next door: Louisa May Alcott books in order, Jane Austen books in order, Chronicles of Narnia books in order. Every guide follows the same format — the shelf, the entry point, the honest answer about order.
Make it a project
Pick a session size and let the days accumulate — at the pace our reading speed test measures, most shelves above clear in a few weeks of half-hours. Every guide on the books in order shelf follows this same format, and when a book lands, its 8-question quiz is waiting on the original book quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What order should you read Anne of Green Gables books in?
Read in publication order (Windy Poplars and Ingleside were written later but slot into the middle of the story). The chronology is explained in full above.
Where should I start with Anne of Green Gables?
The first three books are one continuous coming-of-age — read them in a row. Rilla of Ingleside is the late standout.
How many Anne of Green Gables books are there?
Eight novels following Anne Shirley, plus the related Emily of New Moon trilogy and a shelf of story collections — Montgomery wrote over twenty books, but Anne is the one the world kept.
What was Anne of Green Gables's first book?
Anne of Green Gables (1908) — the first row of the list above.