The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale

Bibliographic Information:
Hale, S. (2003). The Goose Girl. Bloomsbury. ISBN-10: 1582349908

Book Awards:
2003 Josette Frank Award for youth fiction


Plot Summary:
Ani is an inept and awkward Crown Princess whose only joy is talking to animals. Naturally, her mother, the Queen, strictly forbids this pastime. At 16, Ani's mother betroths her to the prince of a neighboring kingdom in order to prevent a war. During the long journey, Ani is betrayed by her lady-in-waiting, and her loyal guards are killed. Now in a foreign kingdom, Ani must serve as a goose girl for its king, discover within herself the ability to become a queen, and depose her former servant, who has taken her name.

Critical Evaluation:
A wonderful adaptation of the Grimm's fairy tale by the same name. Ani faces the common adolescent problem of feeling overshadowed by a powerful parent who doesn't seem to care who she is, only what the parent would like her to be. Ani must learn independence and search within herself for the qualities that make her special, regardless of how those qualities are valued by her mother. Hale's writing style is lyrical and magical without getting too sluggish. She conveys the horrors of battle and loss and the sweetness and power of love without excessive gore or detail.

Reader's Annotation:
A goose girl must use her ability to communicate with animals to wrest her throne back from her betrayer.

About the Author:
Shannon Hale was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1974. She has a masters degree in creative writing from the University of Montana. The Goose Girl was her first successful novel, and she has written several more since 2003, including a Newbury Honor winner. She is currently working on a series of graphic novels with her husband.

Genre:
Fairy tale

Curriculum Ties:
Folk literature

Booktalking Ideas:
-languages of animals
-if you found out your best friend had always hated you

Interest Age:
9+

Challenge Issues:
none

Reason Included:
I love fairy tale adaptations, and the YA librarian said that this one was very popular.