Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Violence: The dead bodies of criminals are hung on the city wall. A young woman is chased by soldiers and she must run for her life. She is held at knife point and also stabbed with a knife. A soldier is hit with a staff; it is assumed that he is dead. There are a few battle scenes in which soldiers fight each other. Many die at the hands of their enemies.

Adult Themes: An ancient tale is related in which, as soldiers retreat from war, their wives stand naked to the waist asking their men to see them as “your bride in your bed when your warrior hand first touched my skin.” This reminds the soldiers that they are fighting for their wives and families, the things that are most important. This is very brief.

Synopsis

Ani is the crown princess of Kildenree and will someday become queen, but, unlike her mother, she is not well-spoken or self-assured and struggles to perform the royal duties required of her. But, also unlike her mother, Ani can speak to animals and loves the things of nature.

After the death of Ani’s beloved Father, the Queen announces that the crown princess is to be wed to the prince of Bayern and that Ani’s brother, not Ani, will be the next ruler of Kildenree. Though shocked and humiliated that her mother does not consider her fit to rule, Ani agrees to the marriage because she  always does what her mother dictates she must do. Ani unhappily begins the long journey to Bayern escorted by her long time companion and lady-in-waiting, Selia, and a band of soldiers.

Mid-journey a rift develops in the company when Selia declares that she will no longer be a servant and most of the soldiers side with her. As they draw near to their destination, the guards mutiny and Ani barely escapes with her life. She enters the city in disguise to find that Selia has claimed the name and position of princess from Kildenree. Biding her time and forming a plan to go to the king and reveal her true identity, Ani hides among the Bayern peasants and works as a keeper of the King’s geese.  Selia and her guards are always on the lookout for the “yellow princess” and Ani begins to think she may never be able to reclaim what is rightfully hers. If she is to regain her name and position, Ani must shed her insecurities and discover once and for all who she really is and what it means to be a princess.

I seldom allow myself the luxury of rereading my favorite books, but since giving this book to my Mom for Mother’s Day, I’ve been itching to read it again. I was not disappointed the 2nd time around and completely enjoyed rereading The Goose Girl.

I love watching Ani’s transformation which is facilitated by the difficulties in her life. If it had never been necessary for her to survive on her own and figure out things for herself she would, most likely, have stayed the nice but self-centered princess she was raised to be. Her experiences taught her to see the needs in others and do her best to respond to them. Hardship also helped her conquer her fears and inhibitions, revealing the strong, capable young woman she was never allowed to become under her mother’s thumb.  Of course the love story isn’t bad either. This is definitely one of my YA Top 10 books.