Alanna: The First Adventure
By Tamora Pierce
This book is actually one of four books in the series. I picked up an Omnibus -I think that's what it's called- at a thrift store the other day, called Song of The Lioness. This includes all four books in the series, along with an awesome dust jacket. I've loved many of the other series Tamora Pierce wrote, so I knew that I'd regret it if I passed up that deal.
In Alanna: The First Adventure, a young red-haired, violet-eyed girl named Alanna is an identical twin to her brother. She's to be sent off to become a "Lady" of the kingdom's court, learning to bow, sew, and generally be completely useless to Alanna's eyes. She loves fighting, and dreams of becoming a "warrior maiden," basically a knight. Her brother is to be sent off to become a knight of the kingdom, but he not only despises being "beaten to a pulp repeatedly", but he has no talent for it. Instead, Alanna's brother wants to become a sorcerer.
That's when Alanna gets a brilliant idea. She'll change her name to "Alan", and switch places with her brother. He'll forge the letter, changing her name from "Alanna" to his, and he'll be sent off to the school that trains ladies and sorcerers. She'll take his letter, change the name to "Alan" and learn to become a knight.
Like a medieval version of Mulan, this series of books spans across years as Alanna tries to keep her secret while making powerful friends -and enemies- among the people in the kingdom.
I highly recommend this book for anyone, especially young adults/teens/pre-teens. It's a great read.
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