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Since I nominated Anne of Green Gables, I guess I should talk about it a bit. It's a coming of age, a YA, a fitting in novel of the time. Because it takes place on a farm, it was easy for me to relate to. The rest of the themes--feeling abandoned, trying to find a place, making friends, and growing up make for a great story without the angst that I often see in YA novels today.
Anne is an orphan, which is, of course, the quintessential emptiness--and as such, it functions as the way for readers to nearly instantly relate to because most kids growing up feel outsiders even if they appear otherwise. I'm not sure how well it would read for a grown up, but the point is that it isn't written for grown ups. It very much talks to the younger set and specifically to girls, something that, given when it was written, makes it even more amazing to me. The series, and especially the first book, passes along valuable lessons but is still captivating, entertaining and accessible. Anne is easy to like and as such, you root for her the entire time. The book engages your emotions as well as your intellect (at least at a young age it does). What more can one ask for from a book? Even though the setting may be in a much earlier time, the themes surpass time and cultures because we all struggle to grow up and find our place. As the characters evolve and find success, the reader believes success is possible and even likely. There are trials and tribulations, but I was left with a sense of contentment and while I was more normally a reader of more far-fetched stories (Nancy Drew) Anne of Green Gables has more heart.
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