Anne of Green Gables vs The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: History, 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.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
“Once ther were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy.”
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Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has the widest readership — 3220744 ratings behind its score.
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has the bigger screen life — 6 adaptations on record.
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe runs the darker storyline; Anne of Green Gables stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Anne of Green Gables | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (1151802) | 4.2 (3220744) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (917) | 4.0 (2896) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (2) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (5037) | 4.5 (1990) |
| LiveLib | 4.6 (149) | — |
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Reception
| Anne of Green Gables | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1151802 | 3220744 |
| Editions | 1299 | 157 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 6 |
| Want to read | 592061 | 785336 |
| Reading it now | 32287 | 21969 |
| Written reviews | 51069 | 44321 |
| Wikipedia attention | 65402 | 27281 |
| Pages | — | 161 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Anne of Green Gables or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?
Anne of Green Gables has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Anne of Green Gables 4.3/5, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 4.2/5).
Which is harder to read: Anne of Green Gables or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Anne of Green Gables: Moderate; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Anne of Green Gables: 3 film adaptations; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: 5 film adaptations.