Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Cashore, Kristin. (2008). Graceling. NY: Harcourt Children's Books.
ISBN: 978-0152063962
Awards/Honors: Amelia Bloomer List (2009)
Andre Norton Award Finalist (2008)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2009)
William C. Morris YA Debut Finalist (2009)
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (Children's Literature, 2009)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2008)
Locus Recommended Reading (First Novel, 2008)
Locus Nominee (First Novel, 2009, 6)
SIBA Book Award (Young Adult, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Independence, Moral Integrity, Survival, Love, Strong Female
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: At eight, Katsa was able to kill full grown men with a single blow. Now, at 16, she takes fate into her own hands to escape the evil king making her kill and save the kingdom from his tyrannical reign.
Summary: Katsa has been blessed with a powerful “Grace”: an extreme and often feared skill. Her Grace makes her almost invincible, but she is in the service of an evil king, her uncle, and is forced to use her Grace to harm others. With her different colored eyes, the mark of the Graced, she stands out as one to be feared. Then she meets Po, a prince who is willing to look her in the eye with his own mismatched eyes. With Po on her side, Katsa attempts to end her uncle’s tyrannical reign and struggles for redemption from her own Grace.
Evaluation: Katsa and Po are compelling and believable characters; they contain the power of self-reflection and honest emotion in a way that makes us like them all the more. The story they are unfolding is full of adventure, danger, love, and evil too. A great read.