Fans of the Canadian classic novel Anne of Green Gables know Anne is feisty, funny, spunky, and smart.

But sexy? And blonde?

An obviously-misguided newly-published online edition of Anne of Green Gables is causing a backlash among scholars and fans alike.

The cover photo shows the youthful red-headed heroine as a curvaceous blond teen reclining on a haystack with a look that positively smoulders.

Critics are savaging the cover as being a far cry from the red-headed 11-year-old brought to life in the pages of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic series of novels. Anyone who knows the series knows that red hair is an essential part of Anne’s character.

The controversial image appears on the cover of a Three-in-One edition produced by CreateSpace, a subsidiary of Amazon that allows people to self-publish their material.

The Anne series has passed into public domain. The new release is part of a growing trend to re-package books that are no longer subject to royalties.