Alanna

Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1)

Call it fate, call it intuition, or just call it common sense, but somehow young Alanna knows she isn't meant to become some proper lady cloistered in a convent. Instead, she wants to be a great warrior maiden--a female knight. But in the land of Tortall, women aren't allowed to train as warriors. So Alanna finds a way to switch places with her twin, Thom, and take his place as a knight in training at the palace of King Roald. Disguising herself as a boy, Alanna begins her training as a page in the royal court. Soon, she is garnering the admiration of all around her, including the crown prince, with her strong work ethic and her thirst for knowledge. But all the while, she is haunted by the recurring vision of a black stone city that emanates evil... somehow she knows it is her fate to purge that place of its wickedness. But how will she find it? And can she fulfill her destiny while keeping her gender a secret?

With Alanna: The First Adventure, veteran fantasy author Tamora Pierce has created a lively, engaging heroine who will charm middle-school readers with her tomboyish bravado and have them eagerly searching for the next book in the Song of the Lioness series. Like Brian Jacques's tales of Redwall, this popular quartet is an entertaining fantasy series for younger teens. (Ages 10 to 13) --Jennifer Hubert

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

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Disguised as a girl, Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.

But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins -- one that will leard to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

Alanna's journey continues...

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Song of the Lioness)

"Let her prove herself worthy as a man."

Newly knighted, Alanna of Trebond seeks adventure in the vast desert of Tortall. Captured by fierce desert dwellers, she is forced to prove herself in a duel to the death -- either she will be killed or she will be inducted into the tribe. Although she triumphs, dire challenges lie ahead. As her mythic fate would have it, Alanna soon becomes the tribe's first female shaman -- despite the desert dwellers' grave fear of the foreign woman warrior. Alanna must fight to change the ancient tribal customs of the desert tribes -- for their sake and for the sake of all Tortall.

Alanna's journey continues...

Lioness Rampant (Song of the Lioness)

Having achieved her dream of becoming the first female knight errant, Alanna of Trebond is not sure what to do next. Perhaps being a knight errant is not all that Alanna needs....But Alanna must push her uncertainty aside when a new challenge arises. She must recover the Dominion Jewel, a legendary gem with enormous power for good -- but only in the right hands. And she must work quickly. Tortall is in great danger, and Alanna's archenemy, Duke Roger, is back -- and more powerful than ever. In this final book of the Song of the Lioness quartet, Alanna discovers that she indeed has a future worthy of her mythic past -- both as a warrior and as a woman.

In the Hand of the Goddess (Song of the Lioness)

"I don't want to fall in love. I just want to be a warrior maiden."

Still disguised as a boy, Alanna becomes a squire to none other than the prince of the realm. Prince Jonathan is not only Alanna's liege lord, he is also her best friend -- and one of the few who knows the secret of her true identity. But when a mysterious sorceror threatens the prince's life, it will take all of Alanna's skill, strength, and magical power to protect him -- even at the risk of revealing who she really is...

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's second adventure continues the saga of a girl who dares to follow her dreams -- and the magical destiny that awaits her.

Alanna's journey continues...

Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness, Book 1)

To the great joy of her many fans, Tamora Pierce with this book begins a new saga of Tortall to add to The Song of the Lioness Quartet, the Immortals Quartet, and The Protector of the Small tetralogy. At the center of each of these books is always a strong and resourceful young woman who masters the arts of swordplay and knightly warfare in the magical medieval country of Tortall. Alianne, or Aly, daughter of the warrior queen Alanna the Lioness, has all these skills, but also a delicious sense of humor, which serves her well when she is chosen by the trickster god Kyprioth to serve as his secret agent and a slave for a year in the embattled Copper Isles. There the dark-skinned natives, or raka, have been conquered and crushed by the laurin, light-skinned people from the mainland. The burning raka resentment is fueled by prophecies of a twice royal queen who will free them, aided by the "wise one, the cunning one, the strong one, the warrior, and the crows." Just how each of the colorful characters and Aly herself fit into this prophecy and KypriothÂ’s tricky plan keeps readers guessing. Aly plots to show her skill at spying as she flirts with the god and is courted by Nawat, a crow transformed into a handsome young man, who is puzzled when she rejects his attempts to mate-feed her with grubs and ants.

The pages of this long but fast-paced adventure zip by, enlivened by intrigue, skirmishes, comedy, romance, and lots of dramatic clothes. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

Tamora Pierce brings readers another Tortall adventure! Alianne is the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall. Young Aly follows in the quieter footsteps of her father, however, delighting in the art of spying. When she is captured and sold as a slave to an exiled royal family in the faraway Copper Islands, it is this skill that makes a difference in a world filled with political intrigue, murderous conspiracy, and warring gods. This is the first of two books featuring Alianne.


From the Hardcover edition.

Trickster's Queen (Daughter of the Lioness, Book 2)

Aly’s adventure continues. . . . No longer a slave, Alanna’s daughter is now spying as part of an underground rebellion against the colonial rulers of the Copper Isles. The people in the rebellion believe that a prophecy in which a new queen will rise up to take the throne is about to be realized. Aly is busy keeping the potential teenage queen and her younger siblings safe, while also keeping her in the dark about her future. But Aly, who is usually adept at anticipating danger and changes, is in for a few nasty surprises.
New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tamora Pierce captured the imagination of readers 20 years ago with Alanna: The First Adventure. As of August 2003, she has written 21 books including three completed quartets: The Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and The Protector of the Small, set in the fantasy realm of Tortall. She has also written the Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens quartets. The author lives in New York, NY.

Tricksters (Daughter of the Lioness, (Books 1 and 2)

Sixteen is a rebellious age for most young people, and Aly is no exception. With her mother, the lady knight Alanna, forever being summoned to some crisis or other, and the young men of Tortall little more than diversions, Aly is bored and restless. Her father is second-in-command of the country's spies- of only he would let her be one! The former king of theives, he had trained her in the arts of espionage and knows that she is capable of taking care of herself. But he won't risk losing his only daughter to the dangers of the field, so she spends her time helping him decode messages and dyeing her hair blue. But everything changes when Aly, sailing alone down the coast of Tortall, is captured by pirates and winds up a slave to the Balitangs, a kindly noble family of the Copper Isles. Years of lessons in the Isles' history have prepared her for their dual cultures- those of luarin, or white, conquerors and those of the brown-skinned, or raka, natives. Fueled by prophecies of a twice-royal queen who will free them, the rakas' resentment keeps the realm in constant turmoil. But Aly is no weeping captive; she's determined to free herself. Enter Kyprioth, patron god of the Isles, also known as Trickster, who is looking to shift the balance of power back to his raka worshipers. Aly makes a deal with the god: she will use her own trickster gifts to keep the Balitang children, especially the two teenage girls, safe through the summer. In exchange, Kyprioth will give her magical assistance in the form of spying crows and knowledge of events at court- and eventually, her freedom. But deals with gods are never simple matters; she doesn't count on becoming personally involved in the raka revolt, or with an unusual young man who has his own plans for Aly. ...

Song of the Lioness Quartet

The complete saga of Alanna the Lioness from her years as a page–disguised as a boy–to her triumphant adventures as a knight of Tortall and her rise to the highest rank of King’s Champion.

Song of the lioness

Classic fantasy. This is a 4 in 1 hardback book by Tamora Pierce. It includes Allanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, and Lioness Rampant. This is a wonderful book for children and young adults, following the story of a young girl who wants to become a knight. We follow her training, her attempt to hide her gender from her fellow trainees, and her adventures after she becomes a knight.

Song of the Lioness #3: The Woman Who Rides Like A Man (Pierce, Tamora. Song of the Lioness (New York, N.Y.), Bk. 3.)

Read by Trini Alvarado
approx. 5 hours
3 cassettes

This third book in the Song of the Lioness quartet continues Alanna's saga as she strikes out alone and discovers herself anew.

A knight at last, Alanna of Trebond heads out to seek adventure in the desert of Tortall. Captured by desert tribesmen, she is forced to prove herself in a magical duel to the death. But her real challenge doesn't come until after she wins. As the first female shaman, Alanna must fight to change the ancient traditions of the stubborn desert tribes -- for their own sake and for the sake of all Tortall.

Trini Alvarado’s film credits include Meg in the most recent movie version of Little Women and Helen Ruth in The Babe. She has also appeared on television and the stage. Ms. Alvarado also narrated Alanna: The First Adventure and In the Hand of the Goddess for Listening Library.