Who needs a family when you've got friends like these? In Alanna: The First Adventure, Alanna's family inadvertently pushes her into becoming a knight. If Alanna didn't have a twin brother, her plan to take his place in knight training never would've worked. And if their father hadn't been so distant and out of touch with his kids, they would've never needed a secret plan to switch places and pursue their heart's desires in the first place—and Alanna never would gotten away with it. But once Alanna reaches the capital, family relationships remain in the spotlight: she becomes friends with Jonathan (son of the king and queen), she also befriends Gary (son of her benefactor Duke Gareth), and she turns to Sir Myles as a father figure and mentor. She also stays in touch with her brother Thom while he learns sorcery. Alanna's family might be a tad dysfunctional, but she makes the best of it, and learns that other families work differently while on her journey to knighthood.
Questions About Family
- Which sibling would you rather have in your family, Alanna or Thom? Why? How would you characterize their relationship?
- "Like father, like son" is true for which families in the book? Why are there so few mothers in the book?
- Which family relationships appear the healthiest in the book?
Chew on This
If Alanna's mother hadn't died in childbirth, Alanna's life would have turned out very differently.
Alanna is so single-minded about becoming a knight that she'll never have a family of her own.