Alanna: The First Adventure

Tamora Pierce

Dec 2009 · Song of the Lioness Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

A girl disguises herself as a boy to train as a knight in this first book in Tamora Pierce’s Margaret A. Edwards Award–winning young adult series—now with a new look!

From now on, I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.

In a time when girls are forbidden to be warriors, Alanna of Trebond wants nothing more than to be a knight of the realm of Tortall. So she finds a way to switch places with her twin brother, Thom, and, disguised as a boy, begins her training as a page at the palace of King Roald. But the road to knighthood, as she discovers, is not an easy one. Alanna must master weapons, combat, and magic, as well as polite behavior, her temper, and even her own heart.

So begin Alanna’s adventures—filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil—that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and make her a legend in the land.

Ratings and reviews

I read this in middle school and I happily pick up to read over and over! This is such a beautifully strong story. The author really brings the characters and world to life for the readers. I adore the realistic and relatable characters. This series has everything you want out of a good fantasy! There's strength, battles, magic, friendship, romance and so much more. I can't sing enough praises and would encourage anyone who enjoys fantasy to read this series!

I first read this series when I was a young girl. I was awestruck as I absorbed every word of all 4 books in this quartet. Alanna was and is my favorite heroine of all time. Nearly 20 years later, I continue to relive Alanna's adventure as often as I can. To the author, Ms. Tamora Pierce: what you created in Alanna and all her friends has lived in me for so long that I can't even imagine life not having known their story. You created something beautiful and special and I thank you with all my heart.

I've had this book for years now, and have read it over 2 dozen times. This series is my favourite, and has the kind of heroine we all need.

About the author

Beloved author Tamora Pierce has written a great number of books, including the Song of the Lioness quartet, The Immortals quartet, the Circle of Magic quartet, the Protector of the Small quartet, The Circle Opens quartet, the Trickster series, The Will of the Empress, Melting Stones, the Beka Cooper series, and The Numair Chronicles. She lives in upstate New York with various cats, other four-legged animals, and birds who feed in her yard, and can be e-visited at Tamora-Pierce.net.