Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me: What My Favorite Book Taught Me about Grace, Belonging, and the Orphan in Us All

by Lorilee Craker

A charming and heartwarming true story for anyone who has ever longed for a place to belong. “Anne of Green Gables,” My Daughter, and Me is a witty romp through the classic novel; a visit to the magical shores of Prince Edward Island; and a poignant personal tale of love, faith, and loss.

And it all started with a simple question: “What’s an orphan?” The words from her adopted daughter, Phoebe, during a bedtime reading of Anne of Green Gables stopped Lorilee Craker in her tracks. How could Lorilee, who grew up not knowing her own birth parents, answer Phoebe’s question when she had wrestled all her life with feeling orphaned—and learned too well that not every story has a happy ending?

So Lorilee set off on a quest to find answers in the pages of the very book that started it all, determined to discover—and teach her daughter—what home, family, and belonging really mean. If you loved the poignancy of Orphan Train and the humor of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, you will be captivated by “Anne of Green Gables,” My Daughter, and Me. It’s a beautiful memoir that deftly braids three lost girls’ stories together, speaks straight to the heart of the orphan in us all, and shows us the way home at last.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Books About Books, Biography Memoir, Biography, Christian, Adoption

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2015

About the author

Lorilee Craker is a writer in Michigan, United States. She grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She has three children. She advocates participation in community-supported agriculture and shopping at farmers' markets. She is an entertainment writer for MLive. Craker co-authored Lynne Spears' memoir Through the Storm. Craker and Spears appeared together at the 20th annual MOPS International convention in Grapevine, Texas in 2008. Craker co-authored My Journey to Heaven: What I Saw and How It Changed My Life with Marv Besteman, who died before the book was published. In a 2011 Time article, Zac Bissonnette writes that Craker "might be the most versatile journalist in America".