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niori_1709To call me a feminist just might be an understatement. I’m all about the strong female characters; Mulan is the best Disney girl and Eowyn is one of my fictional heroes (and not only because both those women kick butt. They have depths that are profound). So when I came across Tamora Pierce’s Alanna: The First Adventure, about a girl who wants to be a knight so disguises herself as a boy to do it, I knew it would be for me.
Alanna is the daughter of a wealthy noble in the magical land of Tortall, and despite what her father wants, does not go away and learn how to become a lady. Instead, she takes her brother’s (who wants to become a wizard, not a knight) place and heads off to knight training. Defying a genre trope, when Alanna arrives there, she isn’t the best page. One of the best parts of the story is that Alanna is far from the best. She’s small and understandably weaker physically, so that means that she both has to work harder and is a bully magnet. Yet she doesn’t give up, which is always a good lesson you want to teach. And what kind of adventure story would this be if there wasn’t some type of villain she has to go up against in the end?
This is one of those books that all girls should read (though it is geared towards a younger audience) should read to see just how kick butt female characters can be. Even more than that, it’s one all boys should read for the very same reason. It’s a book that can challenge stereotypes that society teaches all genders, and that’s important. Take it from me- that’s something there can never be enough of.
Alanna is the daughter of a wealthy noble in the magical land of Tortall, and despite what her father wants, does not go away and learn how to become a lady. Instead, she takes her brother’s (who wants to become a wizard, not a knight) place and heads off to knight training. Defying a genre trope, when Alanna arrives there, she isn’t the best page. One of the best parts of the story is that Alanna is far from the best. She’s small and understandably weaker physically, so that means that she both has to work harder and is a bully magnet. Yet she doesn’t give up, which is always a good lesson you want to teach. And what kind of adventure story would this be if there wasn’t some type of villain she has to go up against in the end?
This is one of those books that all girls should read (though it is geared towards a younger audience) should read to see just how kick butt female characters can be. Even more than that, it’s one all boys should read for the very same reason. It’s a book that can challenge stereotypes that society teaches all genders, and that’s important. Take it from me- that’s something there can never be enough of.
