Sad face. I would so love to say that I finished my Christmas Harry Potter read-a-thon — but, the best-laid plans and all that jazz. I suppose there’s always February reading break.
Le sigh.
So, 2019 reading challenge? Item #1 on my monthly to-read list is the oldest book on my TBR list. Shamefully, I don’t even know what that is because it’s only very recently that I started to formally track of the books I’ve accumulated and/or want to read. In short, I’m doing a little bit of ballparking with Alanna … I received the series as a Christmas gift during my middle school years – I think in grade 7 – which certainly places it pretty high up on my list.
If you want the math: this book has been sitting unread on my self for approximately 18 years.
Alanna: The First Adventure is the first book in the Song of the Lioness quartet, and follows Alanna of Trebond as she disguises herself as a boy and apprentices as a paige. Had I read this book as a middle school student, I probably would have loved it. It’s fast moving, has a healthy dose of “girl power” mixed in, and the story – knights and magic and chivalry – are the stuff of Arthurian romance. The moral dilemmas are clearly laid out, and Alanna’s knightly society has little tolerance for breaking codes of honour.
Good literature, though, should stand the test of time and age. A good book (movie, TV, song, whatever) is one that’s brilliant regardless of whether you’re 5, 15, or 50 … And Alanna? – It’s fun, I’ll give it that.
The book reads more like a collection of thematic vignettes than a cohesive narrative: a collection of snippets into Alanna’s life, which a few plot threads that pull things toward the (quite unbelievable) grand finale. Though the book moves along at a relatively good clip, it also means that the prose and settings are quite undeveloped. Alanna herself is a rather empty character – which might have been purposeful, as it allows young readers to project themselves into her with greater ease. As a mature reader, she just comes across as boring: she likes to fight, is persistent, and complains about being too small … and that’s about it. She lacks any sense of wonder for the world; cleverness; humour; compassion; … ; heck, I would have loved to see a ruthless streak.
In conclusion? It’s a romp, but nothing to write home about. (So, of course I’m going to read book 2!)
The Details:
- The Book: Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
- Published: 1983, Simon Pulse
- My Copy: Gifted from my parents c. grade 7
- Read date: January 4, 2019
- Rating: ★★☆☆☆
- You should read this if you like … Gender-bending chivalric tales
- Avoid this if you dislike … “So, your body is changing” books
The Geeky Jock 
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