Welcome to Litsy!

Haven‘t returned to Tortall in a while, so I‘ve been reading Alanna as my before bed book. The Tortall books were just hugely impactful for me in my tweens, and I still love them. Gotta say though, I think when I replaced them a few years back I got the worst covers (on the left)- the older ones and the current ones that I‘ve seen both look better. She looks a little possessed 😅 contents are still good though.

I recently brought a bunch of children's books from my parent's huse. I don't recall reading this series when I was a child. Also checking if it's something for my 8yo.

Now a full and (mostly) accepted knight and shaman of the Bazhir Alanna goes off seeking adventure and forgetting that adventures equal stories and stories equal fame. She travels to the roof of the world, seeks glory for her king, has dalliances with dragons, and learn yet more techniques with both fist and blade. All of which will help her with what waits for her when she finally makes it home to the castle.

Although the slowest of Alannas four books it is still one of my favourites (if we can excuse the white saviourness of it which being the very early 90s when it was published makes plenty of sense) I love the tribes and their magic and the lil teen shamans and the way Alanna both loves the desert and chafes under the expectations of the Bazhir

So many of Alannas most important things appear in this book! Her cat, her ember, her sword. Both her great loves and the first war she sees and the first time she really starts to use her gift for something good. A fantastic start to her adulthood and end to her youth happen here 💙💚💜

I‘ve loved these books for my whole life and upon my latest reread the internalized sexism didn‘t bother me nearly as much as when I was in my late teens. I love this series so much because it‘s such a lovely way to introduce you to all the key players in tortall as children 💙💚💜

I‘m always excited to see some of my tweenage favourites on the shelving trolley…

Alanna: The First Adventure was written by Tamora Pierce in 1983. This is a wonderful fantasy book about an adventurous girl who wants to train as a knight so she swaps places with her twin brother. This book is honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award. Great read!