Ana of California by Andi Teran
Review by Kelly Shea
Ana of California is a modern interpretation of the beloved classic, Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery. The heroine, Ana Cortez, transitions from the crowded group homes and troubled foster homes of Los Angeles to Abbie and Emmett Garber’s country farm in Northern California. In typical Anne-style, Ana quickly weasels her way into the hearts of the brother-sister duo. She also has a knack for unintentionally getting into a fair amount of scrapes!
The novel gives the well-known characters a fresh update, with a Latina protagonist, a best friend from a hippie family, and a love interest with a heart of gold, but a slight rebellious streak. The character development of Ana and the adult characters is superb, though the other teenagers do not have the same in-depth portrayals as in the Montgomery series. For lovers of the Anne books, the story is familiar enough to be rewarding, yet different enough to keep readers guessing. Anyone not familiar with the classic can enjoy the coming-of-age story about love of all kinds, hope, and belonging.
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This title would work great for the “retelling of a classic” category in our 50th anniversary book challenge!
About the Reviewer: Kelly Shea is children’s librarian at the Paoli Library. She enjoys hot tea, BBC dramas, and typing in “cute cat videos” on her search bar.
