Warrior Girl: A Novel of Joan of Arc [Hardcover]

Pauline Chandler (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

A war-torn country waiting for a hero

An ebony box holding the key to a young orphan's life

A determined young woman who hears voices promising that she will save her beloved France

And another with no voice to say that her future is in peril

For centuries, Joan of Arc's legendary journey has spoken to readers' sense of adventure. Pauline Chandler's riveting novel delivers the tale with astonishing freshness and unflinching truth.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–Left mute after her mothers death at the hands of English raiders, Mariane de Courcey is sent to live with the family of her cousin Jehanne, the girl who will become known as Joan of Arc. Mariane becomes aware of Jehannes visions and becomes involved in her plans to travel to the Dauphin, Prince Charles, and convince him to rally the French to chase the English out of France. In her travels, Mariane realizes that her uncle, Sir Gaston de Louvier, was behind her mothers murder. She searches for her deceased fathers lost seal and travels to her familys estate to establish her claim as its heir. Through letters, Mariane relates Jehannes efforts to motivate the French forces, and she eventually rejoins her cousin during her trial and execution. Chandler uses Marianes and Jehannes stories to paint a picture of life in France in the 1400s, creating a moving account of two girls struggles to be true to themselves. Jehanne is portrayed as pious and focused on her mission, but she has realistic doubts. Other characters mainly serve as background for the cousins stories. This historical portrait will intrigue readers, though the well-known ending of Jehannes story lessens the suspense. A historical note provides a time line of events following the young womans death, though the lack of an authors note about sources and a clear delineation of which characters are fictional and which are real detracts from the overall value of this book.–Beth L. Meister, Pleasant View Elementary School, Franklin, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Following her heroine from village to battlefield to her fiery death in 1431, Chandler builds a novel around the controversial young woman who claimed she was guided by saintly voices to liberate France. As in Nancy Garden's Dove and Sword: A Novel of Joan of Arc (1995), Chandler tells her tale through a secondary character: the narrator here is Mariane, Jehanne's (Joan's) mute cousin and companion, whose observations reveal a far more sedate, resigned young woman than Garden's lively Joan. While Jehanne's self-containment and spiritual focus are in some ways intriguing, these qualities may hinder readers from forming a strong attachment to the character. It is equally difficult to feel connected to the relatively passive Mariane, although a secondary story line concerning her family and inheritance lends interest to the plot. Though not as exciting as some may wish for a novel inspired by such dramatic events, this is a serviceable choice for readers not quite ready for Garden's more sophisticated story, and it may also work well paired with nonfiction biographies of the martyred teen. Holly Koelling
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (January 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060841028
• ISBN-13: 978-0060841027
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,033,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing new spin on a classic historical story, February 24, 2006

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warrior Girl: A Novel of Joan of Arc (Library Binding)

Poor Mariane became mute after witnessing her mother's murder at the hands of English raiders. Left voiceless and devastated, Mariane is sent away from her Reims home by her Grandmere because it is too dangerous. She is to stay with her aunt, uncle, and cousin Jehanne. Mariane feels a close bond with her cousin, but has noticed that sometimes Jehanne acts a bit odd and appears to be talking to herself. She then finds out that Jehanne has a plan: Jehanne wants to travel to the Dauphin and convince him to rally the French to chase away the English. Jehanne claims that God has spoken to her through the saints and has asked her to become his "warrior" and "his archangel."

Mariane doesn't know what to make of her cousin's claim, but she doesn't want to be abandoned with her aunt and uncle. Plus, her Grandmere is in Reims. She insists that Jehanne takes her along on the travels.

As the adventure ensues, Mariane realizes something surprising and even more upsetting about her mother's murder. Plus, her Grandmere gives her a box that holds mysteries about her family secrets that only she can unravel.

In WARRIOR GIRL author Pauline Chandler does a good job of using two strong female characters to retell the well-known story of Joan of Arc. Young girls might especially enjoy reading about such brave female heroines.

The blur between historical fact and fiction, however, might be slightly confusing since the book doesn't clarify what is true and untrue about the story. Also, there are some unexplained French words that might cause frustration. Overall, however, WARRIOR GIRL takes a classic historical story and puts an intriguing new spin on it.

--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING BOOK, March 19, 2006

By 

Whip-Cream "Vipasha" (Ontario , Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warrior Girl: A Novel of Joan of Arc (Hardcover)

Warrior Girl is an heart-stopping retelling of the story of St.Joan of Arc. Instead of writing the story from Jehanne's (St.Joan of Arc )point of view , the auothor uses Jehanne's cousin , Mariane De Courcey's point of view . This story also tells that men aren't the only brave soldiers out there . Girls are soldiers as well . It is such a heart-stopping tale of bravery that I was quite sad when Jehanne died but realized she died saving her beloved country , France . This story shows that the story of St.Joan of Arc is a story of betrayal , bravery and battle . This story shows that girls are soldiers as well .