The Blue Sword and its prequel, The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley are two my favorite books. My Mother had brought me a signed copy of the Hero and the Crown after LTUE when I was in elementary school. Since they'd gone to the trouble of getting me a signed one I decided to read it. They taught me to love the genre and from there to writing. Robin McKinley expertly tells two coming of ages stories.

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George was given to me as a Christmas present one year. I was so delighted with this children's story that I haunted the internet until the sequel, Dragon Flight, came out. They both tell the story of an unexpected Heroine, a seamstress and not a great warrior. The character remains true to her origins and believable throughout the tales.

During the summer I fatefully attempted to move to the Seattle area I stumbled across the author Gail Carson Levine. I don't remember which of the books I read first but I've read just about all of her Children's books she has written. Ella Enchanted and The Two Princesses of Bamarre are two of my favorites of hers. In both of these two young maidens have to overcome forces within themselves to save those they love.

Sister Light, Sister Dark and White Jenna by Jane Yolen. What can I say about these books? This is another of the novels I read in elementary school. The story of the orphan girl destined to change the world enthralled me. They have definitely had a lasting impact on my life. For one thing it's how I found a nickname that fit me.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was a book I read for a book club that was not fated to last long. However, parts of this book reached me and made me think. It also connected to things happening in my life and made me look at them in a new way or clarify things I had been thinking about before. It is the story of a boy setting out to find his treasure and to learn where he belongs in the world.