The Goose Girl

Written by Shannon Hale

               Do you love princesses, animals, romance, treason, betrayal? Then the Goose Girl is the perfect book for you.  Anidori is the Crown Princess of Kilendree, and has the gift of animal speaking.  When her  father is killed, her mother announces that her little brother will take the crown instead of her.  Her mother sends her to the neighboring land of Bayern, to marry the young prince.  But on the way, she is betrayed, and has to walk to Bayern on her own,  and there makes new friends and has many adventures.  Enna and Razo are as true of friends as any, and help her out of many situations. When she meets Geric, the guard to the young prince, she secretly falls in love with him, but their love cannot be.

                I absolutely loved this book. It was exciting, fun, and hard to put down.  Shannon Hale writes in such a way that you feel like you have a personal relationship with all of the characters.  Unlike  J.K. Rowling, Hale doesn't use magic or wands in her stories.  She weaves animal, people, and nature speaking into her words and adventures.  I LOVE that!

             All in all, this was one of my favorite books.  This story is perfect for all those who love fantasy worlds, princesses, adventures, romance, and excitement.  I think that Shannon Hale has outdone herself with this book.  She writes so perfectly, it's amazing.

              There are three other books to the Books of Bayern;  Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born.  If you don't start with the Goose Girl thought, none of the others would make any sense. This book gets an A+ for sure.