Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Vol. 1)
Call it fate, call it intuition, or just call it common sense, but  somehow young Alanna knows she isn't meant to become some proper lady cloistered  in a convent. Instead, she wants to be a great warrior maiden--a female knight.  But in the land of Tortall, women aren't allowed to train as warriors. So Alanna  finds a way to switch places with her twin, Thom, and take his place as a knight  in training at the palace of King Roald. Disguising herself as a boy, Alanna  begins her training as a page in the royal court. Soon, she is garnering the  admiration of all around her, including the crown prince, with her strong work  ethic and her thirst for knowledge. But all the while, she is haunted by the  recurring vision of a black stone city that emanates evil... somehow she knows  it is her fate to purge that place of its wickedness. But how will she find it?  And can she fulfill her destiny while keeping her gender a secret?WithAlanna: The First Adventure, veteran fantasy author Tamora Pierce  has created a lively, engaging heroine who will charm middle-school readers with  her tomboyish bravado and have them eagerly searching for the next book in the  Song of the Lioness series. Like Brian Jacques's tales of Redwall, this popular  quartet is an entertaining fantasy series for younger teens. (Ages 10 to 13)--Jennifer Hubert