Recently I read these 12 books by Tamora Pierce.
- The Song of the Lioness quartet
- Alanna: The First Adventure
- In the Hand of the Goddess
- Woman Who Rides Like a Man
- Lioness Rampant
- The Immortals quartet
- Wild Magic
- Wolf-Speaker
- Emperor Mage
- The Realms of the Gods
- Protector of the Small quartet
- First Test
- Page
- Squire
- Lady Knight
These books, along with many others Pierce has written, are juvenile fiction with strong female protagonists. I enjoyed the stories and Pierce’s writing voice. I still ponder the world building, character development, and plots, which is a good indicator of how the stories influenced me. My writing style does not compare with Pierce’s, but I learned much from her. While I do not aim for the juvenile market with my stories, I hope what I write is accessible to the precocious readers in that age group.
An additional book related to these is Tamora Pierce’s Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales. This compilation of short stories contains The Dragon’s Tale in which Skysong, a young dragon we met in The Immortals quartet, is the protagonist. Skysong, called Kitten by her human caregiver Daine, is one of the most lovable dragons I have ever met. This story is one of my all-time favorites.
Another collection of juvenile fiction I enjoyed is by Patricia C. Wrede.
- Enchanted Forest Chronicles
- Dealing with Dragons
- Searching for Dragons
- Calling on Dragons
- Talking to Dragons
These stories take traditional fairytale tropes and twist them with great effect and Wrede’s writing style is great fun to read. Again, I improved my own writing skills by reading Wrede’s books.
I also enjoyed these books by Lloyd Alexander.
- The Chronicles of Prydain
- The Book of Three
- The Black Cauldron
- The Castle of Llyr
- Taran Wanderer
- The High King
These five high-fantasy novels about Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper and his companions were a fun read and left me with many indelible mental images.
Books written for young people have taught me much about writing.