SURREY — L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables tops the list of favourite Canadian books among those who entered a Surrey Libraries contest.
“We had 1,500 entries with a wide range of titles shared and some very reflective comments,” noted Namrit Uppal, the organization’s marketing and communications supervisor.
The “What’s Your Favourite Canadian Book?” contest was an initiative to celebrate the country’s 150th birthday.
“Judging from the comments received, (Anne of Green Gables) was an inspiration to many growing up in Canada and abroad,” Uppal continued.
“Books that were recently made into movies or TV series ranked very high, with Room, Life of Pi, The Book of Negroes and The Handmaid’s Tale making the Top 5.”
Authors who had more than one book in the list’s Top 20 included Margret Atwood with The Blind Assassin and The Handmaid’s Tale, and Farley Mowatt with Owls in the Family and Never Cry Wolf. Robert Munsch proved to be a favourite, with three books in the top 20 (Love you Forever, The Paper Bag Princess and 50 Below Zero).
Two stories set in India (The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry) also made the list.
Only two non-fiction titles made the list – The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and One Native Life by Richard Wagamese.
Here’s the full list:
1. Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
2. Room, Emma Donoghue
3. Life of Pi, Yann Martel
4. The Book of Negroes, Lawrence Hill
5. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margret Atwood
6. Owls in the Family, Farley Mowatt
7. The Secret Daughter, Shilpi Somaya Gowda
8. One Native Life, Richard Wagamese
9. Love you Forever, Robert Munsch
10. Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien
11. The Hockey Sweater / Le chandail de hockey, Roch Carrier
12. The Paper Bag Princess, Robert Munsch
13. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
14. 50 Below Zero, Robert Munsch
15. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
16. The Best Laid Plans, Terry Fallis
17. O Canada! Historical Narrative & Biographies That Tell Her Story, Karla Akins
18. Never Cry Wolf, Farley Mowatt
19. The Sky is Falling, Kit Pearson
20. The Blind Assassin, Margret Atwood