Alanna is not meant to be a great lady: she enjoys wielding a knife and the thrill of adventure. When her twin brother Thom rejects the idea of a knight for sorcery Alanna sees a chance for them to each get what they desire. At eleven the twins are sent to a convent for magic and etiquette and to the palace for a knight's training. Two forged letters and a haircut later Thom and Alanna become Thom and Alan.
The young lady is giddy at the prospect of enjoying her training, but worries constantly at the threat of discovery. Alan makes friends with the boys, including the Crown Prince Jonathan. These friends help when a bully decides Alan's weakness and small stature are the reason enough to pick on and heap abuse upon the new recruit. Alan's friend George Cooper, in Corus, also teaches Alanna some tricks for fighting dirty.
The day comes when Alanna can no longer ignore her woman's body and the fear of discovery becomes even more fraught. George Cooper again comes to her rescue, this time introducing Alanna to his mother. Alanna continues to keep her secret despite the increasing difficulty.
After several years as a page, a knight's skills are not limited to swardwork and etiquette. A magical sweating fever rips through Corus and many of the capital's important figures are sickened. When Alanna has the chance to use her magic, but doesn't and one of her friends dies, she is wracked with guilt. She uses the opportunity to save her friend and the future king when jonathan takes ill.
With the illness Jonathan's favorite cousin and the most powerful mage returns to Corus. Alanna and the duke butt heads, and she is unreasonably distrustful of Roger's motives. When the duke begins training those knights-in-training with magic Alanna becomes even more suspicious. A challenge to the Crown Prince draws all the suspicions Alanna fells to a point when Jonathan's life hangs in the balance.
Each moment looms with discovery of Alanna's secret. Along with each moment her skills grow to match her spirit. To become the first Lady Knight Alanna develops her personal armor along with her martial skill and hides her female-ness to become one of the boys.
Similar to Garth Nix's Abhorsen series and Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief, Alanna is high fantasy for all ages. With some suggestive content, Alanna is a young girl growing into a woman among men.
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