Alanna: The First Adventure, Song of the Lioness

LS 5623 Book Review
Fantasy & Science Fiction

Bibliography
Pierce, Tamora. 1983. ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE, SONG OF THE LIONESS. New York : Random House. ISBN 0679801146.

Plot Summary
Alanna and her twin brother Thom are to be sent away to school; Thom to train to be a knight and Alanna to be a lady and learn how to use magic. Alanna hatches a plan for the twins to switch places, Alanna wants to be knight and Thom wants to learn magic. Alanna cuts her hair and is off to train for knighthood. Now "Alan", in addition to classes and training, has to make sure no one finds out her secret.

Critical Analysis
Even though Alanna lives in a fantasy world she deals with the very real problems of bullying, following her dreams, and growing up. When Alanna is beat up by a bigger boy every reader can empathize the struggle she faces of seemingly insurmountable odds. When through practice and smart thinking Alanna is able to beat her opponent we all rejoice as if the victory were our own, since Pierce has made Alanna such a believable character. Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books agrees, "It has the appeals of good winning over evil, and of the resilient courage of a believably heroic female protagonist."

A significant portion of the book spends time giving the readers details of the training that Alanna is taking part in. This intimate detail of the setting, interrupted with a dash of action, allows the reader to be fully immersed in this world of fantasy. "Here she must learn jousting, fighting with weapons such as maces, axes, staffs, archery while standing and while riding, normal riding and trick riding. She must learn to fall , roll, tumble. She would get dirty, tear muscles, bruise herself and break bones. If she withstood it all, if she was stubborn enough and strong enough, she would someday carry a knight's shield with pride."

Amazon.com review says, "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." True to it's fantasy theme, in this book we see Alanna grow and become more self-aware. Throughout the book it is hinted at that Alanna's growth and learning is to prepare her for more adventures to come, so readers are hooked in wanting to know what happens next.

Connections
* Have students create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting training for sports activities and training for knighthood.
* In the story Alanna overcame being picked on, have students write a story about when they overcame an adversity.