Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery Summary: Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are brother and sister who live on their family farm, Green Gables, in the quiet town of Avonlea on the Island of Prince Edward, Canada. Matthew is in his sixties and, as he is getting older, decides he needs help on the farm, where the Cuthberts decide to adopt an orphan boy to help him. Mrs. Rachel Lynde, the town gossip, doesn't think Matthew and Marilla are fit to raise a child. Matthew, terrified of women, arrives at the train station to find an orphaned girl instead of a boy; the orphanage sent 11-year-old Anne Shirley by mistake. Anne's good humor and continued conversation convince Matthew to tell Marilla that he wants to keep her. Marilla hesitates at first, but after a while she agrees to let Anne stay. Anne is a very talkative and happy girl despite living the life of an orphan. Due to his lack of education and good manners, Annes is not very gentlemanly and acts according to his instincts. Anne tries her best to follow Marilla's rules and tries to do things to help her around the house, many times making mistakes. Anne never had real friends before living in Green Gables, so she had to invent imaginary playmates. In Avonlea he meets Diana Barry, a neighbor who quickly becomes his best friend. One day Anne invites Diana to tea and accidentally gives her red wine instead of tea. Diana comes home drunk and Diana's mother, thinking that Anne did it on purpose, tells Diana that she can no longer talk to Anne. This lasts until Anne saves Dianassister who is ill with croup, by going to the doctor and bringing him home. Diana's mother then forgives Anne and allows them to be friends again. At school, Anne gets into a fight with a handsome, intelligent boy named Gilbert Blythe. When they first meet, Gilbert picks on Anne by calling her carrots and pulling on her red braid. Anne is very sensitive about her red hair and Gilbert's teasing makes her very angry. She screams at him and smashes a slate over his head. This marks the beginning of a rivalry between Anne and Gilbert, the two smartest students, which lasts throughout the book. As Anne grows up, she loses some of her childish ways and turns to academics..