Pierce, Tamora. Alanna: the First Adventure. 1983. Random House, 216 pages. $8.99 ISBN: 0679801146
Plot Summary:
Alanna and Thom are twins and both are about to be sent away from their home in Trebond. Alanna is destined to go to the convent and be taught how to be a lady and Thom is to be sent to the palace to train to be a knight. Alanna would give anything to take Thom’s place and train as a knight and Thom has no interest in knighthood, he would rather become a great sorcerer. So the twins switch places with the help of their guardians Maude and Corum no one is the wiser to the switch. Alanna disguises herself as a boy calling herself “Alan” and travels to the palace to become a page and knight in training. Though she is smaller than all the other boys and she must work twice as hard, she soon proves she is every bit the warrior the boys are when she bests the bully Ralon of Malvern and forces the older boy to leave the palace in disgrace.
Alanna quickly gains the friendship of the older Prince Jonathon and his friends, Raoul, Gary, and Alex. Alanna also finds herself friends with an unlikelier companion, George the King of Thieves. Despite his profession George proves to be a trustworthy and loyal friend to Alanna as she is to all her friends, most especially Prince Jonathon for whom she risks her life a number of times.
Critical Review:
Pierce’s Alanna is a classic coming of age, fantasy novel for tweens and teens. Alanna is a strong heroine whose fierce determination is inspiring. Alanna’s story is one that has entertained generations of teens and will continue to do so. As Alanna grows and turns into a woman her disguise becomes harder to maintain. Alanna is forced to accept herself as she is and find other ways to be successful and compete with the boys in her classes. Alanna cannot find her real power until she learns to accept herself and let others accept her as she is.
Genre:
Fantasy
Adventure
Interest Level:
Grade 8 and up
Similar Books:
Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
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