Anne of Green Gables has been a favorite book of teenagers all over the world since it came out in 1908. What it teaches us is simple: How to grow up to be a happy and useful person.
Anne is an 11-year-old orphan who arrives in the town of Avonlea, Canada. She helps Mathew and Marilla Cuthbert, a brother and sister, on their farm.
At first, Mathew and Marilla hope to adopt (收养) a boy, not a thin girl. Will she be of any use on the farm? It seems unlikely: Anne is very imaginative, talkative and easily distracted (分心的). That's not what is needed on a farm.
And yet, Annie proves (证明) that she can actually be useful. She works really hard. But she doesn't lose her great sense of fun and this is why readers love the story. She doesn't become "a good girl", if "good girl" means knowing only how to work and live unhappily. We see Anne's love for life everywhere. She knows how to enjoy herself, whether it's by eating ice cream or trying on a new dress.
Many stories for children are written to tell them how to be good. Usually, it means doing one's duty (责任) and not having any fun. But that's not the kind of story Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery wanted to tell. The book gives readers a helping hand rather than try to scare them into being "good" girls and boys.
