Anne of Green Gables vs Matilda: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Girls, Fiction
Anne of Green Gables
“MRS. RACHEL LYNDE lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow”
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Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.
1 film adaptation
vs
Matilda
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Matilda applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security.
1 film adaptation
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Anne of Green Gables has the widest readership — 1151802 ratings behind its score.
- Matilda runs the darker storyline; Anne of Green Gables stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Anne of Green Gables | Matilda | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (1151802) | 4.3 (27951) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (917) | 4.3 (993) |
| Google Books | — | 4.0 (3) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (5037) | 4.5 (868) |
| LiveLib | 4.6 (149) | — |
Reception
| Anne of Green Gables | Matilda | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1151802 | 27951 |
| Editions | 1299 | 149 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 592061 | 381368 |
| Reading it now | 32287 | — |
| Written reviews | 51069 | 27951 |
| Wikipedia attention | 65402 | 18873 |
| Pages | — | 242 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Anne of Green Gables or Matilda?
Matilda has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Matilda 4.3/5, Anne of Green Gables 4.3/5).
Which is harder to read: Anne of Green Gables or Matilda?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Anne of Green Gables: Moderate; Matilda: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Anne of Green Gables: 3 film adaptations; Matilda: 4 film adaptations.