Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1)
Pierce,
Tamora. 2003. Alanna: The first adventure. (N. Alvarado, Trini.)
[Audiobook]. Portland, ME: Listening Library. ISBN: 9781400085729
2. PLOT
SUMMARY
Alanna
is a tough and savvy girl that wants to be knight more than anything else. When
her father wants to send her and her twin brother, Thom, off to school Alanna doesn’t
want to study magic and Thom doesn’t want to be a knight. Alanna has the idea
to switch and so they come up with a plan to each do what they really like.
They become boy twins Alan and Thom. Alan is going to study to be a knight and
Thom will be instructed more closely in sorcery. Alanna needs to be careful and
prove that she belongs in a place like the palace where she’s training. She
discovers that being a knight is difficult. Piles of work, weapon retraining,
and defending herself from bullies. If that wasn’t difficult enough, she is
also turning into a woman and trying to navigate her healing gift. When the
prince gets sick with a mysterious illness that is killing healers, Alanna is
able to heal him by pushing herself beyond what she thought she could do. When
a group of students go to a mysterious and old town Alanna learns more about
mysterious gods that are trying to feed on people, and she discovers she’s more
powerful than she thought.
3. CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
Alanna
is a strong and tenacious girl that works hard and fights for the things that
she wants. She grows in strength and is also given the space to grow in confidence
and friendship. These are all areas that she realizes she doesn’t excel at and
she works to improve. Alanna expresses her doubts and her frustrations, but
also great courage. Her friends are kind and loyal. They show Alanna a lot
about life and lead her to understand more about herself.
The
plot is fast-paced and Alanna is always trying to overcome something. Either a
bully, a difficult task, a test, or a difficulty that threatens to expose her.
The rules in the world Pierce created tends to focus around the magic that
Alanna possesses, and this seems to be consistent (although a little vague but
this seems to add to the mystery for the next books). The setting is clearly in
a European country with a king and prince, but the old town at the end is more
ancient and adds to the element of the unknown and creates suspense. Alanna’s
victory over the evil gods at the end add to the good vs. evil theme and the
fact that she did it with a friend brings in the importance and power of
friendship or community. The foundation on reality, with the addition of a few
magical elements, adds to the plausibility of the story. The characters are
unique and they are distinct in the ways that they express themselves and the
things they do and say. The story is short, but interesting and well told.
4. REVIEW
EXCERPTS
Reviewed
in Horn Book Magazine: “Pierce's popular novel introducing Alanna, the
fiery red-haired girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to train as a
knight, has been repackaged as a handy paperback-sized hardcover. This new
edition will attract new readers to the fantasy, which is as enjoyable today as
when it was first published twenty years ago.”
Starred
review in Publishers Weekly: “The tomboyish, adventuresome Alanna
becomes a knight and a shaman over the course of her trials in the Song of the
Lioness quartet.”
Reviewed
in Book Links
Reviewed
in Teacher Librarian
Reviewed
in Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
Margaret
A. Edwards Award
5. CONNECTIONS
*Invite students to write
a letter to Alanna asking any questions they still have about the story or
sharing their favorite parts.
*Invite students to
research what knight training actually looked like and compare it to what
Alanna had to undergo in the book.
*Other books in this
series written by Tamora Pierce:
Pierce,
Tamora. In the hand of the goddess (Song of the Lioness,
Book 2). ISBN: 9781442427648
Pierce, Tamora. The
woman who rides like a man (Song of the Lioness, Book 3). ISBN: 9780689878589
Pierce, Tamora. Lioness
rampant (Song of the Lioness, Book 4). ISBN: 9781442427662
Comments
Post a Comment