Alanna Song of the Lioness

By Tamora Pierce

“From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.”

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the gourney to knighthood. 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; 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 lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and make her a legend in the land.

Another book that has been on my to-read for a long while. It’s got a sort of Twelfth Knight/Parent Trap vibe going on. Alanna and her brother trade places because he wants to be a sorcerer and she wants to be a knight. We follow Alanna (now Alan) in her training as a page, squire, and one day hopefully to become a knight. Because she is in fact a girl, a girl who desperately wishes she was a boy, there are all kinds of problems she has to deal with besides the daily rigors of training and school. I enjoyed this book until a few little things came into play that made me edgy and frowny. Of course one thing Alanna has to deal with is puberty and dealing with a first menstrual cycle, which I really dislike in books. I know it’s natural, but sheesh. Of course the woman that explains to Alanna also has the birds and the bees talk with her (which I also disliked). There is also nudity and foreshadowing of a relationship of Alanna with one of her fellow pages. All in all, I liked the writing and the plot, but I can’t take the above mentioned stuff. Too much for me. Uncomfortable-making.

I give it a 3 out of 5