Anne of Green Gables Tough-o-Meter

(4) Base Camp

Anne of Green Gables was written as story for all ages, and was only classified as children's literature later on. (Hmm. Wonder if that has something to do with the fact that kids from age eight to eighty love this book? Probably.)

Because of this, AOGG doesn't assume its readers need simple language. Montgomery's descriptions are detailed, and there are a lot of striking SAT words peppered in. And because the book was published in 1908, there are a few old-fashioned references and terms it might take a quick sec to understand. (Pro-tip: In this book, "dinner" means lunch.)

That said, Montgomery's writing's straightforward, so you don't have to do a lot of reading between the lines to figure out the nature of each character, or how they feel. So sure, it would help to know the name of every type of tree and flower on beautiful Prince Edward Island…but if you don't, it doesn't matter a whole lot.

After all, what matters most in the world of Ann(e) Shirley is being a bosom friend and a kindred spirit.