Alanna the First Adventure

Hi everyone, sorry that it has been so long since I have posted but a lot has been going on in the past two years. This book review is on the book "Alanna the First Adventure" by Tamora Pierce. Alanna is the daughter of Lord Alan who is the lord of Trebond. Alanna is also a twin. Her twin brother, Thom (pronounced Tom) is interested in magic while Alanna wants to be a knight. There's only one problem with Alanna's ambition, the last female knight lived over a century ago. The problem with Thom's ambition is that he was born first and the first born son of a noble is required to serve as a knight to the king. Alanna comes up with a plan for them to switch places, she Alanna will assume the guise of a boy and Thom will go to the convent that Alanna would have gone to and study magic. Thom, being the more cautious one, doesn't want to do it at first but Alanna can be very persuasive when she needs to be and he eventually agrees to go through with it. Thom, who is conveniently good at forging signatures, forges their father's signature on paperwork that was also forged. On their way to Corus, Tortall's capital, she reveals to Coram, her companion and manservant, that she is Alanna not Thom. At first Coram is very upset to hear this and threatens to take Alanna back to Trebond but he eventually comes around just like Thom did. When Alanna arrives in Corus she is afraid that everyone will know that she is a girl, but her fears were unfounded. Alanna goes on with life in knight school until the sweating sickness which is fatal. The prince of Tortall, Jonathan or John to his friends, gets infected with the sweating sickness and no one can heal him. Alanna has the gift of magic and has not yet told anyone, but when the prince, who is one of her friends, falls ill she reveals that she has the gift. Alanna is able to heal John and after the sweating sickness life goes on as usual, that is until the squires and Alanna take a trip to Persopolis. Alanna and the squires are warned to stay away from the Black City, which you can just see from Persopolis, but Jonathan was hypnotized to go to the Black City. He takes Alanna with him, Alanna tries to protest but is forced to go with John if she wants to protect him. Once in the city Alanna wants to go back but John refuses. In the middle of the city there is a chapel like building that they enter, which was a very bad idea for the building contains the Ysandir, ancient beings that look like humans but are unnaturally strong. The Ysandir take Alanna and John prisoner but Alanna and John fight them. I will not tell you the details of the fight, but afterwards John knows that Alanna is a girl. Alanna is worried that he will tell someone and her dreams of being the first woman knight in over a century will be over. To find out what happens to Alanna in the parts that I left out and the end you will have to find this book for yourself. I'll even make it easy for you and tell you where to look for it. You can find this book in the young adult section of your library along with most if not all of Tamora Pierce's other books. On a scale of one to ten I would give this book more than ten if I could but since I can't I will give it a ten.