Author Biography:
Tamora Pierce has written numerous renowned fantasy novels, set in either the “Tortall” universe or the “Circle” universe. In 2013 she received the Margaret A. Edwards award for her body of work.
Published By: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Year: 1983
ISBN: 0-689-30994-5
Reading Level: Grades 7 and up
Reader’s Annotation:
Disguised as a boy, Alanna of Trebond trains to become a knight at the royal court of Tortall. Can she overcome both ordinary hardships and supernatural threats while keeping her identity a secret?
Plot Summary:
Ten-year-old Alanna of Trebond is bound for a convent, while her twin brother Thom is bound for the court of King Roald to be a knight. But Thom would rather study magic, while tomboyish Alanna is the one with knightly aspirations; therefore, the twins switch places. Disguising herself as a boy called “Alan,” Alanna makes her way to the capital and begins her rigorous training.
Over the course of three years, she makes various good friends – fellow pages Gary, Raoul and Alex, kindly Sir Myles of Olau, the king and queen’s son Prince Jonathan, and George Cooper, the teenage King of Thieves. She also makes enemies –the bullying page Ralon, and the king’s strangely repulsive nephew Duke Roger. Mysterious supernatural dangers soon threaten as well. Alanna must use both her fighting prowess and her Gift, an innate magical power that runs in her family, to save her newfound friends and become a hero.
Critical Evaluation:
A pseudo-medieval high fantasy setting, in which certain people are born with magical powers. A feisty, magically gifted tomboy heroine who dons a male disguise to fulfill her dream of becoming a knight. A magic sword. Antagonists both mundane and supernatural. Two potential love interests: a handsome prince and an Artful Dodger-esque “King of Thieves.” By today’s standards, the first book of Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness quartet (itself the first series of the author’s massive “Tortall” universe) is a bit of a cliché fest. But still, it retains its appeal both as a feminist fantasy and as a relatable young heroine’s coming-of-age tale.
Alanna’s gradual transformation from a struggling “raw beginner” to a skilled warrior and magician, as well as from a child to a young adult, is both engaging and easy for young readers to identify with, as she overcomes her frustrations, endures bullying until she learns to fight back, and adjusts to the physical changes of puberty that threaten to reveal her secret. She also finds endearing male friends who give her invaluable support without ever taking away from her heroism, and who (unlike men in other stories of this type) continue to give her respect and loyalty after they learn her true gender. While the book’s ending is slightly abrupt, with little sense of closure, it works beautifully for what it is: the start of a series. Any fan of sword-and-sorcery books, particularly with a feminist spin, should enjoy this book and be anxious to read more of Alanna’s adventures.
Curriculum Ties:
•Fantasy worlds
•Feminism
Challenge Issues:
•Violence
•Nudity
•Sexual references
Why This Book?
This feminist fantasy classic might feel less inventive today than it did in the ‘80s, but it has plenty of pleasure to offer teenage lovers of the genre.
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