Somehow I managed to miss Anne when I was a kid although I read like a fiend. I went through all of the Heidi books and stuff like Little Women and all the Nancy Drew and Bobbsy Twins books, but somehow I totally slid by Anne. Weirder, even, because Ann is my IRL name and of course I’m Canadian!
Anyway, this spring I picked one up at Value Village and was Immediately hooked. I went through half a dozen in a couple of weeks. I haven’t read “Emily” yet, but I guess I’ll have to.
I think I must have the same version. I’d never even heard of this bit before, and I definitely read the book more than once. resolves to dig out old copy
Hmm… I think my version of Rilla of Ingleside does have the drowned kitten part. And now that I think about it, I could have picked up the book on PEI one summer.
Rilla of Ingleside really opened my eyes about the importance and horror of WWI. All my life I only heard about WWII from my father and grandfather. Years later when I became a history major, I understood that WWII is really WWI part II.
I love Anne of Green Gables, but my sister is the “Annemaniac” in the family.
I immediately took to Anne the first time I read the series when she complained about people writing her name without an E. Hee! My usual complaint as well!
Never dated any Gilberts, though. 
I think I loved the first one best. It’s definitely the one I reread most often.
The first time I read Rilla of Ingleside,
I told my sister, “Oh my God, Walter is DEAD!” and walked about totally traumatized for a few days. To this day my sister teases me about this, since I told her about Walter’s death BEFORE she read the novel. Ooops. I don’t think I’ll live that one down.
So yeah, I’m definitely a fan. This is definitely a series my niece will read as I’ll make a reader out of her if it kills me 
(unless her other aunt - my sister the aforementioned maniac - gets a hold of her before I do).