Bibliographical information:

Funke, Cornelia. Igraine the Brave. Illus. Cornelia Funke. Trans. Anthea Bell. New York: Scholastic, 2007.

First published as Igraine Ohnefurcht. Hamburg: Cecilie Dressler Verlag, 1998.

Brief summary:

On the eve of her twelfth birthday, Igraine dreams of becoming a knight. Though her parents and her brother are magicians, she finds magic dull. The next day, however, as her parents give her the magic armor they have made for her, they reveal that in the process they have accidentally turned themselves into pigs, and have run out of the giant's hair they need to restore their human form. Worse, they can't do magic in their porcine state, and their castle is being menaced by Osmund the Greedy. Leaving her brother Albert, magician in training, to protect the castle, Igraine sets off to find some giant's hair. Then she and her new traveling companion return to battle Oswald and his castellan Rowan Heartless.

Comments:

Funke blends adventure and humor, magic and valor. Igraine is an appealing hero: brave but not foolhardy, idealistic but practical. The other characters are engaging as well, and the story is entertaining.

Grade/Age level:

 Ages 8-12

Cautions:

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

--Lisa Gordis

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