Warrior Girl: A Novel of Joan of Arc

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 .

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