138. Friends Forever

Friends Forever. Shannon Hale. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2021. [August] 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: And this year...I was an eighth grader.

Premise/plot: Friends Forever is the third book in Shannon Hale's autobiographical graphic novel series. (See also Real Friends and Best Friends.) These graphic novels chronicle her middle school (or junior high) years. This third volume is her recollections of being an eighth grader. The book is arranged somewhat thematically. Together the chapters tell the complete story of a young girl with BIG emotions that she didn't always know how to handle. And sometimes it wasn't just big emotions but BIG circumstances as well. 

My thoughts: I would love at some point to read all three books back to back. Enough time has gone by that I only remember loving the books in a general way. I don't remember the specifics or all the whys. I remember appreciating the honesty and vulnerability especially. I believe there were photos of her in the back of the book from that time period. That takes bravery.

So what did I think of this third book? Well. In some ways it made me uncomfortable. I'll try to explain. It made me uncomfortable in that it was so relatable. It was transporting me back emotionally--and I was going kicking and screaming. Any day where you can forget what it was like to live through your eighth grade year is a good day--as far as I'm concerned. I think there is something universal about this awkwardness and insecurity. The experiences included in the graphic novel feel authentic and raw. And overall, I think that's a good thing. While adults may relate by remembering their own experiences--and perhaps they are close(r) in age to Shannon Hale--the target audience isn't remembering. The target audience is currently living through these oh-so-tough years. And I think that's where the opportunity is. As adults we can want to shield kids from darker emotions and experiences. That doesn't make them go away. This book full on acknowledges those darker emotions--the insecurity, the fears, the stress, the worries, the frustration, anger, disappointment, loneliness, uncertainty, depression, despair--that come at home and school and everywhere in between. And the vulnerability on these pages--and the graphic novel does a great job of depicting the emotional angst and despair--is painful. Painfully valid. Painfully relatable.

 

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

98. Kind of a Big Deal

Kind of a Big Deal. Shannon Hale. 2020. [August] 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It began, predictably, with a dream.

Premise/plot: Josie Sergakis (aka Josie Pie) was--emphasis on past tense--kind of a big deal in high school. Encouraged by the drama teacher to drop out of school her senior year--yes, you read that correctly--she tried for several months to make it onto Broadway. Out of desperation, this high school dropout gets a job as a nanny. The family ends up moving to Montana which is where this novel opens. Mia (the child under Josie's care) and Josie together in Montana while the mother (Victoria) flits about here, there, everywhere.

Josie's adventures--or MISadventures rather--begin when she visits a bookshop.

The premise of this one is intriguing. Josie begins reading a book...and finds herself IN the book. The characters of the book resemble her acquaintances, friends, and family--faces from her past and present. Including the employees of the book shop. Including the other nannies at the park. Including her now-distant boyfriend. (Are they together? not together?)

This happens with every book Josie reads. As Josie tries out many, many genres and sub-genres, she learns a little about life and love....but will her life lessons come at the cost of her life?

My thought: This book has some BRUTAL reviews on GoodReads. I myself was tempted to quit reading this one...after several boring set-up chapters where little happened. But by the time she jumped into her second book, I was HOOKED.

This is without a doubt a premise driven novel. It is a bit all over the place. It is at times a COMEDY--whether you laugh or groan, well, that may be up to you and your personal taste. It is at times a terrifying DRAMA. Think TWILIGHT ZONE. Think INCEPTION. This novel has serious creepy vibes. But the transition from one to the other is slow. So readers may be tempted to give up before this book truly starts to shine.

I would recommend this one to
a) readers with a sense of humor about genres and sub-genres that can LAUGH at genre-specific tropes or cliches.
b) readers who LOVE Inception and/or The Twilight Zone
c) readers who like their psychological thrillers to be more on the subtle side
d) readers who are patient in waiting for rewards for their efforts.

There are so many deliciously creepy bits that I would love to share...but that would be full of spoilers. But I will share with you two quotes from bits that happen within the books she reads.

This one is from a YA post-apocalyptic romance novel:

“Hatchet? Okay. Nice to meet you. Hatchet.”

Wait … why did he say human? Did he talk to any nonhumans?

Maybe he talked to his hatchet.

She reached out to shake his hand. He slowly reached back, watching her hand as if expecting it to turn into a snake. When they finally touched, he sighed.

“I don’t think I know how to be a human being anymore.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “We all forget sometimes.”

As she said the words, she felt as if she really were talking to Justin, and her heart kind of folded in on itself. We all forget sometimes … to be human, to be decent to each other, to be in love … She blinked away the sting of threatening tears. He was still holding her hand but reluctantly let it go.

“Remember how people used to worry that personal robots and virtual-reality games were isolating humans from each other?” Hatchet said.

“Yeah, I remember!” Josie said with a forced laugh. “I mean, I do, right? At least … I probably have amnesia.”

Hatchet nodded knowingly. “From the stress.”

This one is from an adult romance, Love in the Spotlight. This one has the heroine starring in a musical production of A Scarlet Letter. They've added a porcupine to the cast...among other things!

Without a word he dropped the newspaper on her lap. It was the Arts section of the Village Voice.

Until tonight, I had studiously avoided Scarlet! at the Dorothy Gish Theatre, based on my esteemed colleagues’ scathing reviews. When, against my will and better judgment, I reluctantly attended tonight, what a shock to discover that, just a few days after the premiere, the show’s star, two-time Tony nominee Gloria Astor (High Society, Boatshow!) was replaced with Josie Pie, a novice chorus girl.

Now, I have a gentle message to my fellow critics. Fellas, you overlooked a crucial fact: Scarlet!

is a comedy. This show is a rollicking, laugh-a-second, ridiculous gem that pokes fun at everything: classic literature, Puritans, modern audiences, and even Broadway itself. Hester Prynne rises up on wires for no reason other than it’s Broadway and something should fly, right?

The Scarlet Letter is a classic novel best known for its egregious number of symbols. Scarlet! cleverly takes those symbols and blows them up till you can see their ridiculousness from the third balcony. Of particular note is the moment when Hester Prynne takes to the scaffold near the end of act three. Some of the townsfolk mock her until … the stage rises up on a previously hidden scaffold, higher than Hester. You see, the town itself is the real scaffold! The faux earnestness of the play on symbols is hilarious. In fact it was Josie Pie’s perpetually bewildered Hester, amazed at all the nonsense around her, that really drew the laughs.

The reports of Scarlet!’s death are greatly exaggerated. And if I don’t see Josie Pie’s name among the Tony nominees, I will dim Broadway’s lights myself.

Though the book started extremely slowly...I found myself hooked by the end.  

 

I loved that we see Josie's reading list (books mentioned) and mini-reviews at the end of the novel. We even get to see the BOOK COVERS.

FEMURS IN THE ATTIC

This is book fourteen in the series. At what point is someone going to say, “Hey, Emma, there sure are a lot of murders happening in your high school.”

   

THE TREMBLING

WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU—DO NOT READ THIS!!! (note to my past self after three sleepless nights)

   

DEPRESSION, DEATH, AND NARWALS

DNF*

   

VALENTINE’S DAY

So romantic! I want to live in this book! JK. You’d have to be some kind of dark. minded non-human to want to live in this. I mean, it is a really good read, but it’s not going to be what you’d expect, unless you’re expecting bleak survivalist horror with a splash of romance and a lot of post-mortem goo.

*DNF = did not finish

   

THE HIGHWAYMAN CAME RIDING

I didn’t know I was a tawdry romance kind of a gal, but this book proved me wrong. I read it aloud to my BF and he also enjoyed.:)

   

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Informative. This book is definitely for you if you like droughts, towels, firewood, fossils, and cereal without milk.

   

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

I loved it when I was in middle school, and I love it now too, though in a different way because I’m a different person. It’s so cool how books grow up with us.

LAVENDER GARCÍA AND THE UNEXPECTED CANADIAN SEMESTER

I really liked this book—great characters, great dialogue—but it has way more medical drama than the cover let on. SPOILER: Am I the only one who didn’t know that “Canadian Semester” is a kind of necrotic fungus???

   

THE NAUSEOUS LIFE

DNF

   

HEIR OF RUST AND HORNETS

So enchanting and exciting and fun! Also, the second book in a trilogy apparently! Hey, Josie, maybe read book jackets more carefully before jumping in!

   

LADY JUSTICE (Issue #318)

I’ve read this entire series from the beginning, but this issue remains my favorite. For personal reasons.

   

BLEEDING FROM OUR EYEBALLS

DNF. TBH, DNStart.

   

LOVE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

It may look bland and old-fashioned, but this is honestly a book I could live in. At least, if I could reimagine a few parts …

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Best Friends

Best Friends (Real Friends #2) Shannon Hale. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2019. 256 pages. [Source: Library]

  First sentence: In summer, nothing ever seemed to change. The sky stayed blue. The air stayed warm. And friends stayed friends forever.

Premise/plot: I’m tempted to keep it simple and short and merely say Shannon Hale’s newest book should be required reading for humanity. It’s one of those meaning of life books. Those aren’t as common as you might believe. So what is this one about? It is the follow up to her previous graphic novel, Real Friends. Both books are inspired by her childhood. Both books are set in the mid-80s. This one covers her sixth grade year, 1985/86. But it does feature a few flashback sequences to earlier years. A young Shannon is trying to figure out the rules: rules about how to be liked, how to avoid being laughed at, how to make friends, how to keep friends, how to be true to yourself yet not so true as to be deemed a weirdo. Is there a way to stay popular/semi-popular and still be kind? Why does being kind require such bravery? Is lying ever justified?

Throughout it all, she’s also struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, and a bit of OCD. Whether you personally struggle with these exact mental health issues or not—I think the book is an honest and thought provoking way for readers to experience what it is like and perhaps gain a bit of empathy.

Who hasn’t struggled at one age or another with friends—making, keeping, forgiving friends. It can be a traumatic, troubling thing—some may struggle a year or two before finding their people, their crowd, where they actually belong; some may spend decades struggling to find “real” or “best” friends. This book keeps it real, keeps it honest, and stays ever-relevant.

My thoughts: I love, love, love this one so much. It is so honest at times that it stings when bringing up memories from the past—my past. I think no matter where you fit on the spectrum of popular or unpopular, bully or bullied, it will give you food for thought. I hope it is an empathy builder especially for children reading the book. The book is incredibly amazing. I loved the glimpse into Shannon’s past. This one will be hard to beat as a favorite of the year.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate

The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate. (Princess in Black #5) Shannon Hale. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2017. Candlewick Press. 96 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: It was a clear, crisp, comfortable afternoon. The Princess in Black and the Goat Avenger had just sent a monster back into the hole. The hole led to Monster Land. It was time for the victory dance. They slapped hands. They wiggled bums. They said "Callooo!" It was their thing.

Premise/plot: Princess Magnolia (aka the Princess in Black) has a playdate with Princess Sneezewort. But unbeknownst to the Princess a monster has followed her without detection. His intent to eat pets. If he can't have goats, why not pets? She's not in her kingdom; there is no monster alarm in Princess Sneezewort's castle. Yet she has a way of knowing when she's needed. So does Princess Sneezewort. Could this princess--who has a way of blending into her surroundings--have a secret of her own?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I did. I do like the series as a whole. This was a good installment in the series. I appreciate series books. There's an age--or a stage--in reading where it's just pure HEAVEN to know that your favorite characters--your best friends and kindred spirits--appear in many, many books. That the fun does not have to come to an end as long as there's another book.

Shannon Hale is a fun and talented writer. LeUyen Pham has long been a favorite of mine!

© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation

The Princess in Black. Shannon Hale. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2016. Candlewick. 96 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: It was dawn. The Princess in Black had battled monsters all night. And so Princess Magnolia was tired.

Premise/plot: Fighting monsters keeps the Princess in Black (aka Princess Magnolia) exhausted, so when someone new THE GOAT AVENGER (aka Duff the Goat Boy) volunteers to fight monsters in her place, she hesitantly agrees to take a much-needed vacation. But will all go according to plan? Will the Goat Avenger face off with scary monsters? Will Princess Magnolia have a peaceful, relaxed, monster-free vacation AT THE BEACH?

My thoughts: The series is enjoyable. I love, love, love the illustrations. LeUyen Pham is my favorite and best. I adore her work. Shannon Hale's stories are nice. Are they thrilling for adult readers? Probably not. But I really like the characters--especially Princess Sneezewort--and don't mind the predictability and sameness.

(I think the all-caps are contagious.)

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Princess in Black (2014)

The Princess in Black. Shannon and Dean Hale. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2014. Candlewick. 96 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I loved everything about The Princess in Black. That doesn't surprise me. I tend to love Shannon Hale's work. I also tend to love, love, love LeUyen Pham's work. It is an early chapter book. It stars Princess Magnolia, Duchess Wigtower, and Duff the Goat Boy. It also stars some monsters and goats.

Princess Magnolia is everything a princess should be by all appearances. But Princess Magnolia has a secret. Duchess Wigtower loves secrets. She loves discovering people's secrets. On the day this book opens, Duchess Wigtower and Princess Magnolia are having hot chocolate and scones. All was going smoothly, until...her glitter-stone rang. This ring alerts her to danger, the danger from monsters. When she hears the alarm, Princess Magnolia sheds her princess-y identity and becomes the mysterious-clever-and-strong Princess in Black.

Readers get to see the Princess in Black in action. The whole book is just fun and silly and oh-so-right and just-about-perfect. I loved the writing. I loved the descriptions. I loved the characters. I loved Duff the Goat Boy more than I thought I would. I expected to LOVE the main character. I didn't expect to LOVE Duff the Goat Boy too. Overall, it's just as charming and delightful as can be.

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Dangerous (2014)

Dangerous. Shannon Hale. 2014. Bloomsbury. 400 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Dangerous was definitely an entertaining read. Hale has given YA readers a science fiction book with a super-hero twist. I wasn't sure what to expect after reading the prologue. I didn't know what type of science fiction book to expect. Would it be like Hunger Games or The Testing? I suppose it could have gone that way based on the prologue. But what readers get is something very different: it is odd mostly in a good way, and more unique than you might at first expect.

Maisie Danger Brown is the heroine of Dangerous. She wins a contest to go to astronaut camp. The camp is where it all happens; what happens at camp, well, it changes not only Maisie's life, but her whole family's life, and her best friend's life, and that's just for starters.

Dangerous is very much one of those whole-world-in-danger-we-need-a-hero books.

I liked it mostly.

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Storybook of Legends (2013)

Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends. Shannon Hale. 2013. Little, Brown. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

Completely shallow--well, mainly--but a good deal of fun too. The puns are never ending in this one, and it's obviously meant to be shallow on the surface. But. I liked this one for the most part. The heroine is Raven, the daughter of the Evil Queen in the Snow White story. Raven is dreading this year of school; she's dreading Legacy Day, the day where she'll commit herself and proclaim her destiny: she will become the evil queen, the story will live on for the next generation. Apple White, the daughter of Snow White, is her roommate. When Raven becomes obsessed with the idea of making choices and having free will and breaking from authority, well, Apple starts to panic. Raven has to become evil in order for her story to work. But Raven, well, she's just not the evil type. And she starts to notice that others aren't quite perfect for their prescribed roles either. Will she sign the Legacy Book? Or will she rebel against the system?

I enjoyed this one.


© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Rapunzel's Revenge

Welcome to the first day of the blog tour for Shannon Hale's newest book, Calamity Jack. I'm starting off the three day tour by sharing a previously-posted review of the first book, the companion book, Rapunzel's Revenge. This book is just one of many Shannon Hale books I've reviewed through the years. You see, she's one of my favorite authors.

Hale, Shannon and Dean. 2008. Rapunzel's Revenge. Illustrated by Nathan Hale.

Rapunzel's Revenge is a graphic novel. A great graphic novel of an empowered and spunky Rapunzel who's on a quest for revenge. Really there are no words for how much fun this one is. It does begin in a familiar way, "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl..." and it is loosely based on the fairy tale...but most of the story is original and fun and wonderful. The book really begins to take off when Rapunzel rescues herself from the tower. One of the first things she does is meet her "adventuring hero" who would have rescued her...not. Here's how that exchange goes:

Rapunzel: Ow! What in the--
Would-be-hero: Are you all right?
Rapunzel: Oh...am I...am I all right? Well I was until someone shot my new pet pig. I was going to call him Roger.
Would-be-hero: You're welcome! All in a day's work. I'm an adventuring hero.
Rapunzel: Well, It's nice to meet you. It's nice to meet anyone, really. Can you give me directions to--
Would-be-hero: I was getting so bored watching the workers farm my fields all day. So I left behind the civilized comforts of Husker City, following tales of a beautiful maiden trapped in a high tower.
Rapunzel: Oh! That's so noble of you to come all this way to help her.
Would-be-hero: Yes, noble is a good word for me. I can't actually rescue her, of course. The word is she's Mother Gothel's pet and I won't risk crossing the old lady. But I can tell her I'm going to rescue her. She's bound to be too naive to know the difference, and it'll be such fun in the meantime!
Rapunzel: Oh.
Would be hero: So, tiny ragamuffin, as payment for saving you from that rampaging beast, you may point the way to her mystical tower.
Rapunzel: Uh, yeah, the tower is a huge tree just back that way, but...but she's slightly deaf. If you keep calling out, she'll hear you. Eventually.
Would-be-hero: Excellent! And I'm off.
Rapunzel: Remember to yell as loud as you can!
Narrator: This is where the "once upon a time" part ends, with yours truly finally free from that perpendicular prison.

But Rapunzel's story is far from over. And her adventures have just begun. I loved the story. I loved the style. I loved the illustrations.

I loved this one!!!

To visit others on the tour,


Sally Apokedak, Reading is my Superpower, firesidemusings.blogspot.com, Through the Looking Glass Book Review , Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Becky’s Book Reviews, The Hungry Readers, , My Own Little Corner of the World, Book Blather, GreenBeanTeenQueen, Book Crumbs , Abby (the) Librarian, Dolce Bellezza, Homeschoolbuzz.com, The Book Cellar, Carrie’s YA Bookshelf, Bookshelf Monstrosity, Everyday Reading, Frenetic Reader, KidzBookBuzz.com

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Forest Born

Hale, Shannon. 2009. Forest Born. (#4 in the Bayern Series) Bloomsbury. 400 pages.

Ma had six sons.

The Bayern series is a fun fantasy series by Shannon Hale. The other books in the series include Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and River Secrets. While each book has a different narrator, they all are set in the same fantasy world--Bayern--and share common themes of young people discovering that they possess magical gifts that connect them with nature and each other. Our heroine in Forest Born is a young girl, Rinna, sister to Razo. As the title hints, Rin is forest born. She loves her home. Loves her family. Loves the trees surrounding her home. Loves communing with the trees. Being near trees--or better yet up in them--gives Rinna inner-peace and serinity. But now that Rinna is getting to be all grown up, and after her first disappointment with love, she's ready for a change. She's ready to embark on her own adventure. She's off with Razo to see how he lives, to meet his friends, and to obtain a place within the household--one of the waiting ladies to the Queen, Isi. But that wouldn't be much of an adventure if Rinna just stayed at the palace would it?

I won't spoil this one for you. Much adventure and danger is to be had. Kingdoms are in peril. (Let's just say that an old enemy resurfaces.) Forest Born is a good fantasy novel (without much romance to it) with a universal theme. Rinna is coming-of-age and she's at the point where she's just beginning to write her own story, to discover who she is and what she wants and needs.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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The Princess Academy

I have had so much fun reading and re-reading the works of Shannon Hale. And my review of Princess Academy will be my final installment in "Author Spotlight: Shannon Hale." I hope she has a long career in the field of children's literature because she is very talented!

Hale, Shannon. 2005. PRINCESS ACADEMY. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 1582349932

PRINCESS ACADEMY written by Shannon Hale, author of THE GOOSE GIRL and ENNA BURNING, is a delightful novel set in the fictional locale of Danland. In a setting reminiscent of "long ago and far away," Miri and her companions are selected to attend a "princess academy" to prepare themselves to meet the prince. (The priests have forseen that the future bride of the prince will come from this small town on top of a remote mountain.) The girls range from twelve to eighteen. For the first time in their lives, they are learning to read and write. Of course, there are other less essential items taught at the school as well: conversation, poise, curtseying, dancing, diplomacy, etc. As the school year draws to an end, however, some of the girls are realizing that they do not want the prince to choose them. They begin to doubt that the royalty lives "happily ever after." After all, how much do they actually know about this prince? Then the girls realize something: this education they're receiving is empowering them. It's not about who "wins" the prince; it's about gaining knowledge of themselves and the world. This education is something that they will have the rest of their lives no matter where they live or who they marry.

PRINCESS ACADEMY is narrated by Miri, a fourteen year old with a sensitive insight to her own emotions and of the emotions of those around her. She has always felt like an outcast in her village, but through her experiences at the academy, she learns that she has many strengths. Her academy experiences make her smarter, wiser, and ultimately a strong leader. PRINCESS ACADEMY is a delightful and enjoyable read with a satisfying ending.

River Secrets

Hale, Shannon. 2006. River Secrets.

Razo, a character first introduced in The Goose Girl and further developed in Enna Burning, is the narrator of Shannon Hale’s third companion novel in the Bayern series. Set several months after the second novel, it begins with discussions of the peace treaty between Bayern and Tira. But can the two countries forget the war so quickly? The two decide to exchange ambassadors in order to further the process. Razo, Enna, Finn, Conrad, and Talone are among those in the Bayern guard protecting Lady Megina in Tira. Risking their lives in the name of peace, they live day by day questioning how long the peace settlement will last as Tiran rebels try to murder them all and drag the nation back into war. Will Lady Dasha, the daughter of Tira’s ambassador, hold the secret to keeping the peace or is she part of the rebellion?

As Razo becomes friends with various Tirans, the reader is led on a mysterious quest. Who is behind all the burned bodies they keep discovering? Who is trying to frame them for murder? And who is so anxious to begin the war again? Can people from these two nations ever learn to trust each other?

http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_razo.html

Enna Burning

Hale, Shannon. 2004. Enna Burning.

Enna, a character first introduced in Shannon Hale’s first novel The Goose Girl, is the narrator of Hale’s second novel, Enna Burning. Set a year or so after the the first novel, Enna has returned to the forest to care for her brother, Leifer, who is unknowingly about to unleash a dark power that will either save or destroy Bayern. What he has discovered buried deep in the forest is an ancient parchment that reveals a secret kept hidden from mankind for centuries: the power of fire.

Isi, now the princess of Bayern, has the power of wind--the ability to control the wind and learn its secrets. But now a young man is about to teach himself the power of fire. After an incident where his anger literally burns his sister, Enna, she flees to the city--to the palace--to seek her old friend’s advice. She wants to know just how dangerous her brother could be. Enna is already curious wanting to know if it might not be better for everyone if she could learn this power to in order to help her brother learn how to control his new gift. Isi makes her promise never to try to learn the power. It is a gift as much as a curse to be able to commune with nature and control it.

But all promises are forgotten when Bayern is attacked by the neighboring country of Tira. Could this ‘curse’ be the secret weapon that will save the country from years of war? Is risking one’s sanity--and one’s life--worth it if it means a victory in the end? What will Enna decide? And can she live with the conseqences...

http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_enna.html

The Goose Girl Revisited

Yesterday's review of The Goose Girl focused on the similarities between the traditional tale and Hale's new novel. Today I'd like to briefly revisit the novel to prepare the reader for the companion novels Enna Burning and River Secrets.

1) Friendships. The Goose Girl did an excellent job of portraying the friendships of "Ani" or "Isi." From her most trusted guard, Talone, to her first new friend, Finn, whose home she took refuge in when she was most distraught to her fellow animal-yard workers Enna, Razo, and Conrad. It was her ability to learn to trust again that strengthened her spirit and enabled her to rise from obscurity to reclaim the prince and earn her happily ever after ending. Her success was a group effort. These people MATTERED to the story. So it was to Hale's advantage that they were so well-developed thus opening the door up to companion novels drawing not from traditional fairy tales but new original stories.

2) Important magical concept. In The Goose Girl, Anidori Kiladra Talianna Isilee was raised in her early years to be open to certain magical ideas. An aunt told her nursery stories of people having the ability to 'speak' other languages and communicate with different animals, the wind, fire, and water. These 'fanciful' stories were forbidden by the king and queen especially after they heard Ani speaking to swans as a young child. But these stories--and the notion that one could learn to communicate with others in a secret language--formed an important part of Ani's heritage. As the reader finds out in THE GOOSE GIRL, Ani or Isi has the ability to speak with birds (at least swan and geese) and she learns to speak with the wind and have it do her bidding.

Orson Scott Card's review of Shannon Hale's Goose Girl
Orson Scott Card's review of Shannon Hale's Enna Burning
Orson Scott Card's review of Shannon Hale's The Princess Academy

The Goose Girl

Hale, Shannon. 2003. The Goose Girl.

Drawing from the richness of the Grimms fairy tale 'The Goose Girl,' Hale expands the simple story of a bride's mistaken identity into a beautiful, romantic novel adding new layers of depth to an already promising tale. Whether the reader is familiar with the Grimms' text or not, they can't help but be swept up into the story of the bravery and strength of a young princess robbed of her title, her groom, and her freedom by a lady in waiting who has been waiting for a chance all along to betray her.

Anidori Kiladra Talianna Isilee was born to be Crown Princess. Raised to be the future queen of Kildenree. But plans change when her father dies and her mother arranges her marriage with a foreign prince in order to ensure peace for another generation. Ani accepts her fate with patience and hope. Hope that her new country, her husband will treat her well. But on the long journey to her new home, Selia, her lady in waiting, charms the royal guard and plans a violent upheaval before they arrive in Bayern. Escaping with only her life, Ani must take on a new identity until one day when she can reclaim what rightfully belongs to her.

Her disguise? What better way to stay hidden than to work as a goose girl tending the flocks of the king and queen. As "Isi" (her new name) befriends her fellow workers, she begins to discover new things about herself. New strengths. New determination. New confidence.

What the reader discovers while reading The Goose Girl is that 'happily ever after' endings don't come easily. And that the journey to 'happy endings' are often paved with disappointment, frustration, injustices, and unexpected difficulties.

Grimm 089: The Goose Girl
The Annotated Goose Girl
Shannon Hale's Official Site Page for Goose Girl with discussion guide, deleted scenes and chapters, quizzes, etc.