Title: Alana, the First Adventure
Author: Tamora Pierce
Type of Media: text
Publisher: Atheneum
Copyright Date: September 1, 1983
ISBN: 978-0689309946
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Lexile 690
Interest Age: 11-18
Plot Summary
Alanna lives during a time when woman could not be fighters but she desperately wants to become a knight. She concocts a plan to steal the identity of her brother in order to enroll as castle page to begin her adventure of following her dreams. She quickly discovers that even though she may be able to keep up with the boys in matters of weaponry she must control her temper and her heart to truly make it as a knight. Will she be able to stay undercover for good? Follow along as Alanna learns what it really means to be a knight and a lady.
Critical Evaluation
Pierce is an author known for writing within the fantasy world of Tortall about strong young women who have big dreams that are usually outside of what society would like them to do. Her characters struggle with very real emotional and physical desires of being a women while trying to live a life not designed for them. This struggle of wanting it all is a huge struggle for many young ladies today which makes this book a valuable part of any young adult fiction collection even though the book was written in the early 80's. The plotline of this book is somewhat predictable but that does not take away from the excitement of reading this book. It is also noteworthy that this book is written at a lower Lexile level which can make this a great choice for struggling or reluctant readers.
Reader's Annotation
Are you struggling with what your future holds or did you at one point find yourself staring at a fork in the road? That is exactly where Alanna finds herself, you will love being along for her journey.
Author Biography
Tamora Pierce was drawn to books from a young age. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, the child of a "long, proud line of hillbillies," her family never had much. "We were poor, but I didn't know it then. We had a garden where my folks grew fruit and vegetables and our water came from a well," she explains. But one thing they did have was plenty of books. So Tamora read. A self-proclaimed "geek," she devoured fantasy and science fiction novels, and by the age of 12 was mimicking her literary idols and writing her own action-packed stories. It was thanks to her father that Tamora began writing. "He heard me telling myself stories as I did dishes, and he suggested that I try to write some of them down," Pierce says. But Tamora's novels had one major difference: unlike the books she was reading, her stories featured teenaged girl warriors. "I couldn't understand this lapse of attention on the part of the writers I loved, so until I could talk them into correcting this small problem, I wrote about those girls, the fearless, bold, athletic creatures that I was not, but wanted so badly to be."
Seventeen years later, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, a brief career in teen social work and some time spent writing for radio, Tamora Pierce held true to her childhood crusade, and published Alanna: The First Adventure, the first in a quartet about a valiant, young, female warrior. Pierce's heroine struck a chord with readers across the country and quickly earned her a loyal following.
Pierce is now a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has written twenty-six books, including her newest, BEKA COOPER #3: Mastiff. "It's a pretty good life, if I do say so myself. Struggling along as a kid and even through my twenties, it's the kind of life I dreamed of but never believed I would get. Yet here I am, after a lot of work, a lot of worry, a lot of care for details, and a massive chunk of luck, the kind that brought me such strong friends and readers. Pretty good for a hillbilly, yes? And I never take it for granted," she says.Pierce lives in upstate New York with her husband Tim and their three cats and two birds.
Tamora Pierce (n.d.) retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Tamora%20Pierce/e/B000APBE82/ref=la_B000APBE82_pg_2?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_82%3AB000APBE82&page=2&sort=date-desc-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1449170509
Book Talk Ideas
- Gender roles
- Following dreams
- Conflicts of desires
- Implied sexual content
- Mentions menstruation cycle
Defense File
Reason for Inclusion
This is one of the first books within the Fantasy YA genre that focuses specifically on strong girl characters. Tamora Pierce is a must-read for all teen girls. This book also won the Margaret A. Edwards Award.
No comments:
Post a Comment