Alanna: The First Adventure

Alanna: The First Adventure is the first book in the Song of the Lioness quartet, written by Tamora Pierce in the 1980s. Somehow I missed these books growing up, which is a shame because I would have loved them.

The first book follows ten year old Alanna, who switches places with her twin brother in order to go train as a knight (he wants to be a sorcerer, not a knight). The book follows her first three years as a page in the castle of Duke Gareth, where she makes friends, studies hard, and learns what being a knight really means. All the while she takes pains to hide her true identity, which results in some great scenes when she hits puberty.

Overall the book is entertaining, if a little rushed. Children's books tend to have a shorter length requirement, especially in the days before Harry Potter, so the plot lurches forward a few times without much warning. But the characters are warm and intriguing. Overall I'm excited to see what happens in the next books.

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