Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
ISBN: 9780547258300
Publisher: Graphia
Copyright Date: 2008
Genre: Fantasy

About the Author:
Kristin Cashore grew up in the northeast Pennsylvania countryside as the second of four sisters. She received a bachelor's degree from Williams College and a master's from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College. She has worked as a dog runner, a packer in a candy factory, an editorial assistant, a legal assistant, and a freelance writer. She has lived in many places (including Sydney, New York City, Boston, London, and Austin Texas), and she currently resides in Massachusetts.
Kristin Cashore's debut novel, Graceling, grew from her daydreams about a girl who possesses extraordinary powers- and forms a friendship with a boy with whom she is insurmountably incompatible.
Cashore, K. (2008). Graceling. United States of America: Graphia.

Curriculum Ties:

• Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
• Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Plot Summary:

In this fantasy world, some people are graced with certain skills, noticeable from their different colored eyes. Katsa is the niece of a king and is graced with the ability to fight. Her uncle uses her as an enforcer, sending her to deal with problems in the kingdom. As a way to establish her freedom, she has started a council, which works to help the people when the king refuses to. On one of these missions, she meets Po, a graced fighter from a nearby kingdom. He wants to join the Council, but Katsa is initially hesitant. Po tells the Council of the suspicious behavior of his own uncle, who has the ability to persuade people through his speech. Katsa and her companions go to rescue Po’s cousin, Bitterblue, from Po’s uncle. During this journey, Po and Katsa’s relationship grows, and Katsa must face King Leck and defeat him before he threatens all she has worked for.

Critical Evaluation:
The first book of the series, Graceling spends a great deal of time building the world and characters. However, this stretches the plot out, making the story slow. There is a number of unnecessary scenes, like when they travel to Po’s kingdom. There are no new developments over the course of multiple chapters, which makes the story drag. The characters are all portrayed as being strongly independent, with Katsa refusing to marry Po at the end of the book, even though the book makes it clear that the characters are in love. Another example of this is Bitterblue, who refuses to trust any of the other characters, which is understandable considering the abusive behavior she has undergone. However, during the course of the books, these strongly independent characters gradually learn to trust, with Po telling Katsa of his true grace, and Bitterblue putting her life in Katsa’s hands. These developments help make the characters more relatable and likable, and works to show that people can trust though they have difficult upbringings.

Readers Annotation:
Katsa is a girl graced with the ability to kill people, which has been used to enforce a king's demands all her life. She now has the chance to go save a girl from her evil father, and she will not waste it.

Book Talking Ideas:

• Talk about the characters Katsa and Bitterblue. Look for how their upbringing has made them who they are.
• Discuss what Katsa's grace gives her the ability to do. Look for other graces referenced in the book.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14-18

Challenge Issues:

• There are multiple sexual encounters in the book.
• There is regular violence, including killing and serious injuries.

Defense Collection:

• In a land of seven kingdoms, people with special talents, called Gracelings, are identified by their eyes—Katsa’s are green and blue, one of each—although she’s eight before her specific Grace is identified as a talent for killing. (While in the court of her uncle, King Randa, she swiped at a man attempting to grope her and struck him dead.) By 18 she’s King Randa’s henchwoman, dispatched to knock heads and lop off appendages when subjects disobey, but she hates the job. As an antidote, she leads a secret council whose members work against corrupt power, and in this role, while rescuing a kidnapped royal, she meets the silver-and-gold–eyed Po, the Graced seventh son of the Lienid king. That these two are destined to be lovers is obvious, though beautiful, defiant Katsa convincingly claims no man will control her. Their exquisitely drawn romance (the sex is offstage) will slake the thirst of Twilight fans, but one measure of this novel’s achievements lies in its broad appeal. Tamora Pierce fans will embrace the take-charge heroine; there’s also enough political intrigue to recommend it to readers of Megan Whalen Turner’s Attolia trilogy. And while adult readers, too, will enjoy the author’s originality, the writing is perfectly pitched at teens struggling to put their own talents to good use. With this riveting debut, Cashore has set the bar exceedingly high. Ages 14–up. (Oct.) --Staff (Reviewed July 21, 2008) (Publishers Weekly, vol 255, issue 29, p160)
• Gr 8 Up— In this debut fantasy novel, Cashore treats readers to compelling and eminently likable characters and a story that draws them in from the first paragraph. In Katsa's world, the "Graced," those gifted in a particular way, are marked by eyes that are different colors. Katsa's Grace is that she is a gifted fighter, and, as such, she is virtually invincible. She is in the service of her tyrannical uncle, king of one of the seven kingdoms, and she is forced to torture people for infractions against him. She has secretly formed the Council, which acts in the service of justice and fairness for those who have been accused and abused. Readers meet her as she is rescuing the father of the Lienid king, who has been abducted. The reasons for his capture are part of a tightening plot that Katsa unravels and resolves, with the help of Prince Po, the captive's grandson. He has his own particular Grace, and he becomes Katsa's lover and partner in what becomes a mortally dangerous mission. Cashore's style is exemplary: while each detail helps to paint a picture, the description is always in the service of the story, always helping readers to a greater understanding of what is happening and why. This is gorgeous storytelling: exciting, stirring, and accessible. Fantasy and romance readers will be thrilled.—Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City --Sue Giffard (Reviewed October 1, 2008) (School Library Journal, vol 54, issue 10, p140)
• Awards:
• Amelia Bloomer Lists - Young Adult Fiction: 2009
• Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category: 2008
• California Young Reader Medal: Young Adult
• Mythopoeic Award: Children's Literature
• Rhode Island Teen Book  Award
• School Library Journal Best Books: 2008
• YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2009
• YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults: Adventure Seekers (2012)
• Reconsideration Policy
• Freedom to Read Statement
• ALA Library Bill of Rights
• Springville Public Library Collection Development Policy
• The Library Director and designated staff actively evaluate and select materials. The Springville Public Library Board, acting under the authority given to it by Title 4, Chapter 6 of the Springville Municipal Code and Title 09 of the Utah State Code, has the ultimate responsibility for the determination of the policies for selection and acquisition of materials.
• Library materials are selected based on the following (not necessarily in order of priority):
• Local public demand and usage potential
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• Cost
• Local connection
• Social values
• Collection balance
• To assess the item based on the above criteria, staff utilize:
• Nationally recognized and relevant pre-publication reviews
• Staff expertise
• Bestseller lists

Purpose in Collection:

Graceling presents strong characters who are able to think through their problems and overcome them. Many of the characters are flawed, and have gone through difficult childhoods, which would make them more relatable to some YA's. The ending of how they have learned to trust each other and help others is inspiring.