World Famous Comics: Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1)
Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1)
By: Tamora Pierce Publisher: Simon Pulse Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Simon Pulse Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 240 Publication Date: January 06, 2005 Reading Level: Young Adult
Product Description: "From now on I'm Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I'll be a knight."
And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Disguised as a girl, Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.
But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.
Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins -- one that will leard to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.
Alanna's journey continues...
Amazon.com Review: Call it fate, call it intuition, or just call it common sense, but somehow young Alanna knows she isn't meant to become some proper lady cloistered in a convent. Instead, she wants to be a great warrior maiden--a female knight. But in the land of Tortall, women aren't allowed to train as warriors. So Alanna finds a way to switch places with her twin, Thom, and take his place as a knight in training at the palace of King Roald. Disguising herself as a boy, Alanna begins her training as a page in the royal court. Soon, she is garnering the admiration of all around her, including the crown prince, with her strong work ethic and her thirst for knowledge. But all the while, she is haunted by the recurring vision of a black stone city that emanates evil... somehow she knows it is her fate to purge that place of its wickedness. But how will she find it? And can she fulfill her destiny while keeping her gender a secret?
With Alanna: The First Adventure, veteran fantasy author Tamora Pierce has created a lively, engaging heroine who will charm middle-school readers with her tomboyish bravado and have them eagerly searching for the next book in the Song of the Lioness series. Like Brian Jacques's tales of Redwall, this popular quartet is an entertaining fantasy series for younger teens. (Ages 10 to 13) --Jennifer Hubert
Excellent inspiration for girls everywhere Book 1 in Song of the Lioness series I first read this book aged 13 and have read it at least once a year since then throughout my teens and twenties. This book is an inspiration for girls everywhere - if you want to achieve something badly enough then you can. Set in the fictional kingdom of Tortall, this book is an excellent start to Tamora Pierce's universe of magic, myths, adventures, excitement, and romance. Alanna is the daughter of a noble and expected to grow up to be a noblewoman, to marry, have a family and care for her husband's household. She does not want this life and seeks to escape it and find adventure. Alanna becomes Alan, a page at the Court of Tortall and a potential knight.
This should be recommended reading for every girl from 10 years upwards. I think it might be the first book ever to deal with female puberty appropriately - providing information and a situation girls can relate to without being the focus of the story. Thanks Tamora Pierce - please keep writing.
My Comfort Books Review: These books are my comfort books. In fact, all of the Tamora Pierce books from the Tortall series' are in that category. This is the first of Pierce's quartets ever published, starting with Alanna: The First Adventure. They all have a very strong female protagonist, who takes her destiny head-on and finds a way to train as a knight, even though such a thing is only for boys and men. She is a lovable, and tough character, who is very full of honor, pride, and hard work/determination. She goes through her moments of confusion, especially in times where she is out of control, but it never stops her for long. It's just enough to add a dynamic and believable honesty to her character.
Recommendation: This should probably mainly be read by kids/young adults. While I have known people who read them only when they were older, they generally only ever liked the books, not loved them. As I re-read them now, I do notice the lack of development in the writing style and story lines - but I still love them, because I have loved them for a long time. They are generally appropriate for middle school students. --Note that I say "middle school", because there is some confusion about menstrual cycles and sex. Nothing is very explicit, and all of it is done in a very naive sort of way, since Alanna doesn't understand much about womanly things. However, there are some parents who wouldn't think such things were appropriate for their little girls until at least middle school - if you make them wait until high school, however, they probably will miss out on the wonderfulness of the tale and the great values that are displayed. Personally, I read these in 6th grade.
Here are the other books in this wonderful quartet, in order: #2: In the Hand of the Goddess (The Song of the Lioness) #3: The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (The Song of the Lioness) #4: Lioness Rampant (The Song of the Lioness)
Books 1&2 are okay - beware 3&4 The first two books in this series are a good read for 6-9 graders (advertised for these grades) but the 3rd and 4th series have some serious moral issues for this group. Alanna sleeps with three different guys in the last two books. I don't want my 6th grader to read these.....
Modern Classic for Young Adult Fantasy Readers A tale of growing up and acceptance with a strong female lead who shows, without being ultra feminist, that girls can accomplish anything that boys can.
A heroine that fails to disappoint. Admittedly a huge fan of the "women-warrior, disguised as a man" characters, I have been disappointed time and again by peoples take on them, but not this time. The take on magic, the involvement of the gods, and the world, which holds different morals, gave to a very interesting atmosphere for the books to be set in. Alanna is a character that I couldn't help cheering for, and identifying with.
Granted as others point out, this is very obviously a first novel that will kick-off a series. And while I did enjoy it, I do prefer to have series of novels have the ability to be stand-alones.
A terrific kick-off, to what I hope to be a wonderful series.
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