The Goose Girl

By Shannon Hale

Oh! Words cannot describe my love of this book. It is very well written, which is a bit surprising because it was Shannon Hale's first book. The characters seem to jump out of the pages. This was the second Shannon Hale book I have read. The first was the Princess Academy which is another great book.

The story follows Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree. She is loved-hated by her mother, her father seems to care for her but he dies early in the book. Her siblings ignore her. The only person who seems to care for her is her aunt, but also early in the book she must leave.
Ani is alone, and she must prepare to become queen but she hasn't any idea how to do that. Her aunt once told her that some people are born with a word of a language on their tongue. And that some people can talk to animals and then some people can talk to humans and make them believe what they want them to believe in a way. Ani is one who can talk to animals, over the centuries it has become less common and more thought down of.
When Ani is sixteen and her father dies, at the funeral her mother makes a speech of how her eldest son will become king. This confuses Ani because she thought that she would become queen. She asks her mother about it and her mother says that she is going to go to the neighboring kingdom of Bayern to marry the crown prince. Now Bayern is much much bigger than Kildenree. This marriage was arranged for the hope of keeping peace between the two kingdoms.

Ani begins the six month trek from Kildenree to Bayern with many guards and her Lady-in-waiting, Selia. During the first half of the journey was calm and peaceful. But after they cross the border, many of the guards turn against Ani and kill the other guards. Ani escapes and must take the image of a goose girl.
As a goose girl Ani makes many new friends, such as Gilsa, the kind old woman who helped her, Finn, Gilsa's son, Razo, a mischievious boy incharge of the sheep, Enna, a defiant spirited hen keeper (perhaps the first friend of Ani's). And maybe most importantly Geric, a young knight who meets Ani in the pasture where she tends geese.

Ani knows she must recover her title but how?

Oh this book is so amazing. I love this book. This is a have to read. It really is.

Review By Sweetie Pie