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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I hate giving this book a two-star review. I feel bad about it. It's like kicking an adorable, defenseless kitten. A red-haired kitten. With purple eyes. And surprising aptitude for pretty much everything. And with lots of courage and just oozing adorable precocious pluck. But absolutely no sense of humor.
People seem to love this book, and I think I know why. Had I read this as a young girl, I would have loved it. It's a coming of age story about a girl who feels different from everyone else. One who is (of course) gorgeous and possessed of amazing skills, has her own horse, and is flawless in every way. She's not so much a character as she is a cipher for young girls' imagination. Which is fine, and I would probably recommend this book for kids ages eight through, I don't know, 14. But that doesn't mean I enjoy reading it.
I tried to pinpoint what, exactly, bothered me about Alanna, and I decided it was her cipher-ness. But it's also that Pierce did a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. We're told she's funny, but we never see any real examples of it (except when she says something that's not funny and all her friends laugh so we're lead to believe she's funny. The laugh-track effect). She's incredibly lucky, and she seems to be blessed the ability to miraculously discover or develop a skill when it's called for.
But I think, in the end, it's that both she (and the storyline) are cliched and predictable. As soon as you find out she's a twin, you know how this is all going to go. As soon as you meet the (good, kind, noble) prince, you know they'll be friends and she'll eventually save his life. There's even a king of thieves with a heart of gold and a dastardly uncle. Neither the characters nor the story was believable. If I'm to accept that Alanna pulled off the deception she did, I'd need to know a lot more about how. It was just all too cliched (I'm not sure you actually can get away with a red-haired purple-eyed protagonist, no matter how good you are). Too much went on behind the scenes, and I was expected to suspend my disbelief too much. My eyes got tired of rolling
It's not a bad book. Like I said, I'd recommend it for younger readers, but I didn't enjoy it myself. As bad as I feel about that.
People seem to love this book, and I think I know why. Had I read this as a young girl, I would have loved it. It's a coming of age story about a girl who feels different from everyone else. One who is (of course) gorgeous and possessed of amazing skills, has her own horse, and is flawless in every way. She's not so much a character as she is a cipher for young girls' imagination. Which is fine, and I would probably recommend this book for kids ages eight through, I don't know, 14. But that doesn't mean I enjoy reading it.
I tried to pinpoint what, exactly, bothered me about Alanna, and I decided it was her cipher-ness. But it's also that Pierce did a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. We're told she's funny, but we never see any real examples of it (except when she says something that's not funny and all her friends laugh so we're lead to believe she's funny. The laugh-track effect). She's incredibly lucky, and she seems to be blessed the ability to miraculously discover or develop a skill when it's called for.
But I think, in the end, it's that both she (and the storyline) are cliched and predictable. As soon as you find out she's a twin, you know how this is all going to go. As soon as you meet the (good, kind, noble) prince, you know they'll be friends and she'll eventually save his life. There's even a king of thieves with a heart of gold and a dastardly uncle. Neither the characters nor the story was believable. If I'm to accept that Alanna pulled off the deception she did, I'd need to know a lot more about how. It was just all too cliched (I'm not sure you actually can get away with a red-haired purple-eyed protagonist, no matter how good you are). Too much went on behind the scenes, and I was expected to suspend my disbelief too much. My eyes got tired of rolling
It's not a bad book. Like I said, I'd recommend it for younger readers, but I didn't enjoy it myself. As bad as I feel about that.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I re-read this book as a precaution since we are planning on giving it to my 7yo niece as a Christmas present. She is an avid reader but since she's only in second grade I wanted to make sure that there weren't any themes that were beyond her age.
I loved this book as a child and loved re-reading it. It's a great story of courage and friendship, perfect for children. My favorite part might be the way in which it reinforces playing by the rules to achieve your goals. In a world where we can so frequently just buy our way into what we want this book reminded me of the importance of discipline and drive. I'm excited to give it to M for Christmas and I hope that she enjoys Alanna's story as much as I did as a child.
I loved this book as a child and loved re-reading it. It's a great story of courage and friendship, perfect for children. My favorite part might be the way in which it reinforces playing by the rules to achieve your goals. In a world where we can so frequently just buy our way into what we want this book reminded me of the importance of discipline and drive. I'm excited to give it to M for Christmas and I hope that she enjoys Alanna's story as much as I did as a child.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A wonderful late middle grade book that I enjoyed in my childhood. I do think parents of younger kids should read the series first and make sure it is appropriate for their specific child. The books in this series discuss puberty and the characters have off-page sexual relationships later on in the series. It is tastefully done and was a good introduction to these topics when I was a young teenager. Tamora Pierce's "the circle of magic" is more appropriate for younger readers who aren't ready for discussions of those topics.
adventurous
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm so sad that I somehow missed this as a child. Alanna would've meant so much to me as a Tomboy.
At least I get to read it now. A very quick read down in one evening. Alanna is such an interesting child.
Honest (apart from the lie about being a boy), keen to learn, thoughtful, determined and brave. All of these things draw everyone into her orbit and her story.
I'm eager to see what happens after that ending as well.
At least I get to read it now. A very quick read down in one evening. Alanna is such an interesting child.
Honest (apart from the lie about being a boy), keen to learn, thoughtful, determined and brave. All of these things draw everyone into her orbit and her story.
I'm eager to see what happens after that ending as well.