The Goose Girl

Title : The goose girl

Author : Shannon Hale

Citation : Hale, Shannon. The goose girl. New York : Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2003.

The Crown Princess of Kildenree, Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, spends the first years of her life under the guidance of her aunt to learn to communicate with animals. Developing the skills of animal speech as she grows up, she is never comfortable when speaking with people. Then, Ani is helpless and cannot persuade anyone to assist her when her silver-tongued lady-in-waiting steals her identity and distract control of the guards during Ani's journey in a foreign land, Bayern. She, eventually, acknowledge her own special powers to find her way to her true destiny. This retelling story maintains many similarities to the original tale of Brothers Grimm, including the harsh punishment for treason. Also, similar to Robin McKinley's heroines, this leisurely-paced story is rich, full of eloquent description and beautiful imagery with a complex plot, a large cast of characters and a strong female protagonist. Readers who enjoy getting lost in an enchanted world will be satisfied not only by the conclusion but also by the suspenseful tone, full of danger and surprising twists. These appealing elements make the novel the winner of Jossette Frank Award and of Utah State Book Award.

Guinevere's Gift

Title : Guinevere's gift

Author : Nancy McKenzie

Citation : McKenzie, Nancy. Guinevere's gift. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.

Thirteen years have passed after a prophecy foretelling that Guinevere would one day be highest lady in the land and married to a great king. The fact now, Guinevere is an orphan living with her aunt and uncle, the king and queen of Gwynedd. Nobody takes the prophecy seriously, not even Gwen who is tomboy, awkward and no great beauty. Then, one day she meets a young man in the forest who claims to be part of ancient tribe whose mission is to guard and be her protector. She, then, stumbles across a sinister plot and fearlessly helps rescue her cousin from kidnappers who are plotting to overthrow the king. Gwen's true gift is to inspire love and admiration in people. Therefore, the author has succeeded in detailing everyday royal life with all of its conflicts. With subtle details of Arthurian legends are woven into the story, the author seems to allow each character to rise to surprising heroism. Her female characters are strong such as Gwen and Queen Alyse who are strong and fearful and take responsibilities while the mean are not around. This appealing factor makes this a good "girl power" story.