Yes, this is my first time reading it.  I was book shopping back in January with my 9 year old niece and she was pressuring me to read Little Women, which isn't going to happen, and in a panic, I volunteered to read Anne of Green Gables instead.

Keeping in mind that I'm 40 years beyond the target audience for this book, omg, it's so twee.  468 pages and about 368 of them so twee and precious I almost gave up and dnf'd it.  Suffice it to say, I identified most strongly with Marilla.  But if I skimmed the gratuitous expository narrative, there was a charming story that kept me going (after a 3 month hiatus).  And as Anne grew up, the story got progressively easier to read.  That part of the story earned it the extra half star.

The reasons this book is a classic are clear, though I'm confident I wouldn't have been much more enamoured of this book when I was in its target audience; even as a child I lacked the requisite imagination to feel like Anne was a kindred spirit, and Heidi pretty much killed the orphan sub-genre for me anyway.  But I have one niece for whom this book might be a perfect fit, and I'll be holding in on my shelf for her next visit, assuming that happens before she's old enough to drive, given current border closures.  Or maybe I'll just send it to her in the post.

This is a book that I never thought I would actually read. I thought the time to read it had passed me by. But it's on the NPR list I'm reading my way through, so I finally picked it up and was very pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the book and love Anne as a character. The book is fun, funny and poignant in turns. I'm not sure I'm going to ever read the rest of the stories, but I'm glad I finally read this one. 

This series was one of my childhood favorites, and lately, I've seen it making the blogging rounds and had a need to reread it.
I'm so glad I did!
I flew through it, yet, I savored it. It took me back to my own adolescence when my love for Green Gables first came about. I love it as much today as I did 30+ years ago.
Anne Shirley is always on the hunt for kindred spirits and yet, anyone who reads this book instantly becomes one. You look her quirky, imaginative ways. You love the unconditional love that Marilla and Matthew give her. You cry when someone important passes away in the story... at least, I do every time I read it.
You really get pulled right into Avonlea!
For those who have read it, can empathize. Those who haven't read the book... what are you waiting for? It's epic!!! And to think it was written in 1908. It doesn't feel like it though.
Yup, I'll always love this book.

Picked up the audible version a while ago and finally getting to it. I'm very surprised by just how much I'm enjoying this book.

Lexile Level: 760 L 

This classic coming of age story by L.M. Montgomery tells the story of an orphan named Anne with a strong personality and a huge imagination. Anne stands out from her peers because of her uncontrollable imagination and her expansive vocabulary. Anne makes a great role model for students because of her individuality and her love of reading. Students could connect to her as she struggles through several conflicts. This book could be introduced to upper elementary students and could be used to teach reading comprehension skills. The book contains a large amount of advanced vocabulary and therefore would be perfect for teaching students to use context clues to infer the meanings of unfamiliar words. Students who need more challenging literature to read independently could benefit from reading this book.