Ten top heroes in disguise

Laura Powell spent most of her childhood with her nose in a book, studied classics at University and then worked at a publishing company. Her books for young adults include the highly acclaimed Burn Mark and its sequel Witch Fire, forthcoming in the US early this summer.

"Heroes have a tendency to hide from the world," Powell writes in the Guardian. "They often have to conceal a secret power or identity; sometimes it's their true nature that's disguised, sometimes just their appearance."

One of Powell's ten favorite heroes in hiding:

Alanna of Trebond in The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce

Yes, it's another girl-disguised-as-a-boy. Alanna is destined to go to a convent to learn to be a lady, but she longs to be a derring-do knight. Disguised as "Alan", she goes to the royal palace to follow her dream. Tamora Pierce was writing wonderfully strong, stubborn female leads long before "feisty" became a literary cliché for girls.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue