Alanna: The First Adventure

By: Tamora Pierce

Genre: Young Adult/Teen Fantasy

Pages: 274

Published: 1983
Told In: Third Person

Series: Song of the Lioness, Book 1 of 4

“Movie” Rating: G

Compare to:

The Seer and the Sword, Victoria Hanley

Rowan Hood, Nancy Springer

The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley

In a nutshell:

Disguised as a boy, Alanna takes her twin brother’s place at the palace as a page learning to become a knight.

What you may enjoy:

Fantastic world with a strong female character. The story is packed with magic, mystery, and adventure. Alanna is a great role model for young girls. The plot line is light and fun.

What you may NOT enjoy:

Although unique for the time it was published, there are now many similar stories. Long YA books were rare, so Alanna packs in a lot of years and experiences into one book.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Girl held by a dark force; girl fights magical beings; boy beats girl; girl beats boy; boy dies

Sex and Nudity:

None. Note: starting with book 2 sex and a form of birth control are introduced

Language and Profanity:

Damned

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Terrier

By: Tamora Pierce

Genre: YA Fantasy/Mystery

Pages: 584

Published: 2006

Told in: First Person

Series: Beka Cooper, #1 (A Tortall Legend)

Compare to:

The Seer and the Sword, Victoria Hanely

Graceling, Kristin Cashore

The Blue Sword, Robin McKinnley

In a nutshell:

Beka is training in the city’s law-enforcement, known as “the Provost’s Dogs.” She works in the roughest part of town, the Lower City. Life in the slums is worse than ever as children and workers are going missing and only Beka can solve the mystery because she has a secret of her own―she can hear the voices of the dead.

What you may enjoy:

This book features a strong female lead. It skips Pierces usual “training” books and jumps right into the action and mystery. It contains a small romantic interest without being a romance. The world and magic system of Tortall are unique and consistent, while the characters are engaging.  

What you may NOT enjoy:

This is not a happy book. There is a lot of death in this, much of it focused around small children. There is little moral fiber since the area is run by thieves and thugs. Beka’s “tragic flaw” is weak and inconsistent. And while the book is meant to be a journal, it does not read like one.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Woman hangs herself, mentioned; dead baby found (several times), mentioned; man beats woman; 18 people murdered; woman clubbed in the face; men brawl; woman cuts a man’s face; people beaten with batons (throughout the book); arms broken; hands broken; jaw broken; arm cut; face elbowed; brawls; children drowned; children murdered; children strangled; woman murdered; woman held forcibly; man knocked unconscious (2 times); woman bites man’s hand; girl kicks a man between the legs; two dead bodies covered with a sheet; people poisoned; man’s throat cut; woman held at knife point; man hit in the stomach; cat attacks woman; woman poisons herself; man’s skull broken; man’s legs hit; two people lay bleeding; men drowned; man kicked in the stomach; man found dead; man stabs himself in the throat; girl punched; dead bodies unburied.

Sex and Nudity:

Breasts referred to as “peaches”; sex mentioned several times; male prostitutes; female prostitutes; man in a loin cloth flexes; man pulls pants on after implied sex; naked man hides under covers; man walks around shirtless; woman walks around in her underwear; man and woman kiss.

Language and Profanity:

Bitch (3 times), ass

Drugs and Alcohol Abuse:

Drunk woman threatens family; women get drunk; people get drunk and riot. 

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Sandry's Book

By: Tamora Pierce

Genre: YA/Young Reader Fantasy

Pages: 252

Published: 1997

Told in: Third Person

Series: Circle of Magic, #1

In a nutshell:

Sandry, Briar, Daja, and Tris have always been different from other children. When the mage, Niko, finds them and brings them all to the Winding Circle community they begin to form friendships with each other as they learn more about themselves and the magical powers they possess.

Compare to:

Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patricia Wrede

The Ordinary Princess, M.M Kaye

A Tale of Two Castles, Gail Carson Levine

What you may enjoy:

A unique world with varying cultural customs, this book works to develop characters and set up the series as a whole. This is a story about people and how they grow and mature. The magic system is subtle and simple making it more believable.

What you may NOT enjoy:

This book does not have much of a plot. It focuses more on the growth of the children and their relationships. Not much really happens in the book. The story switches quickly between each child’s point of view, often leaving the reader confused and lost.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Woman killed by a mob, mentioned several times; girl attacked by a group of kids, mentions kicking; boys get in a fight, kicking and biting mentioned; kids brawl – tripping, punching, biting, kicking mentioned; water cyclone picks up kids and throws them; man and woman found dead and covered in sores; woman lays dead; drunk woman covered in sores, mildly graphic; kids nearly crushed by rocks

Sex and Nudity:

Suggests man may be a pedophile

Language and profanity:

Mild insults

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