Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Books of Bayern: Book 1

Audience: 10 and up

Rating: A-

Synopsis:

Ani is the Crown Princess of Kildenree, but this is a responsibility that she fears she’s not suited for. Gifted with speaking to animals, but awkward when it comes to speaking to people, Ani is not the daughter that her queen mother had hoped for. When Ani is sent to marry the prince of the neighboring country of Bayern, she hopes that she can make her mother proud by bringing peace to the two nations. But there is a rebellion during her journey, and Ani does not make it safely to the palace. Forced to work as a goose girl in an unfamiliar country, Ani learns more about herself than she had in all of her years within a marble palace, but she still doubts her ability to speak to people. Can she convince strangers of her true identity and save the countries from war?

Chatter:

(Spoiler Alerts! ) I was unfamiliar with the original story of the ‘Goose Girl,’ and while I was so curious while reading Hale’s tale, I didn’t want to look it up and spoil any part of her plot. So, I waited until I was done and then read Grimm’s tale. It has a remarkably similar plot… a talking horse, the handkerchief, wind speaking, the cranky co-goose herder. I hadn’t realized how much of these were elements of the original story and it helped to explain why they were included in Hales. For instance, I didn’t feel the handkerchief was fully explained, but after reading the original story, I can see why Hale included it.

I thought it was great that Geric saw Ani’s true powers the very first time he met her. She didn’t feel the need to hide her communicative abilities from him and even with that knowledge; he truly liked and accepted her. I thought it was cowardly of him to dismiss Ani in a letter, and disliked what he wrote, because he knew he was engaged to another the whole time he flirted, while Ani had no hope of recovering her betrothed. I like Geric much better later in the book, but I was disappointed with his action towards ‘Isi.’

I was saddened that Ani had no closure with Falada. I really expected that there would be an opportunity for her to say good-bye. Maybe that is what was supposed to occur with the head hanging on her goose gate, but I didn’t feel it. I wished that she had been able to return to the stables and have one final communication with him.

Hale’s prose style is so lyrical that I think you can truly say that her books are ‘crafted’ versus written. She has such a unique descriptive style and creates beautiful imagery. That being said, I think that this book is better suited for being read in a few long stretches, rather than a little piece at a time.

Questions:

Will Ani be as happy as a queen as she was as a goose girl?

Do you think Ani’s mother will ever appreciate her daughter’s gifts?

What qualities make Ani a good queen for Bayern?

Now that Ani is queen, do you think she will still be able to spend time with her friends, the animal keepers?

Why do you think Geric hid his true identity from Ani the first time he met her?

Keep reading!

-Paige

Buy Goose Girl from Amazon