First Test: Book 1 of the Protector of the Small Quartet - Softcover

Pierce, Tamora

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0375829059 ISBN 13: 9780375829055

Publisher: Random House Children's Books, 2004

Synopsis

Kel will not allow this first test to be her last. Her adventure begins in the New York Times bestselling series from the fantasy author who is a legend herself: TAMORA PIERCE.

Keladry of Mindelan is the first girl who dares to take advantage of a new rule in Tortall--one that allows females to train for knighthood. After years in the Yamani Islands, she knows that women can be warriors, and now that she's returned home, Kel is determined to achieve her goal. She believes she is ready for the traditional hazing and grueling schedule of a page. But standing in Kel's way is Lord Wyldon. The training master is dead set against girls becoming knights. He says she must pass a one-year trial that no male page has ever had to endure. It's just one more way to separate Kel from her fellow trainees. But she is not to be underestimated. She will fight to succeed, even when the test is unfair.

More timely than ever, the Protector of the Small series is Anti-Bullying 101 while also touching on issues of bravery, friendship, and dealing humanely with refugees against a backdrop of an action-packed fantasy adventure.

"Tamora Pierce's books shaped me not only as a young writer but also as a young woman. She is a pillar, an icon, and an inspiration. Cracking open one of her marvelous novels always feels like coming home."
--SARAH J. MAAS, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Tamora Pierce didn't just blaze a trail. Her heroines cut a swath through the fantasy world with wit, strength, and savvy. Her stories still lead the vanguard today. Pierce is the real lioness, and we're all just running to keep pace."
--LEIGH BARDUGO, #1 New York Times bestselling author

About this title

Review

"Tamora Pierce creates epic worlds populated by girls and women of bravery, heart, and strength. Her work inspired a generation of writers and continues to inspire us."
--HOLLY BLACK, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Few authors can slay so effectively with a single sentence--I mean fist-in-the-air, shouting-at-my-book slay--as Tamora Pierce. All these years later, I still draw strength from her words."
--MARIE LU, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Tamora Pierce is a seminal figure in the fantasy field of writing, turning out one terrific book after another."
--TERRY BROOKS, New York Times bestselling author of the Sword of Shannara trilogy

"It's impossible to overstate Tamora Pierce's impact on children's literature. Her tough, wise, and wonderful heroines have inspired generations of readers."
--RAE CARSON, New York Times bestselling author

"In the world of YA fantasy, there's before Tamora Pierce, and then after her female heroes started kicking down the doors (and walls, and other barriers)!"
--BRUCE COVILLE, New York Times bestselling author

"Tamora Pierce is a trailblazer for so many fantasy writers, hacking through the old tropes with her narrative machete and showing us that girl-centered adventures are not just possible but amazing."
--RACHEL HARTMAN, New York Times bestselling author

"Tamora Pierce's writing is like water from the swiftest, most refreshingly clear, invigorating, and revitalizing river."
--GARTH NIX, New York Times bestselling author

"Tamora Pierce is gloriously unafraid to give her readers joy and laughter along with adventure and struggle, to let us love her characters wholeheartedly and find the best of ourselves in them."
--NAOMI NOVIK, New York Times bestselling author

"Tamora Pierce and her brilliant heroines didn't just break down barriers; they smashed them with magical fire."
--KATHERINE ARDEN, author of The Bear and the Nightingale

"Tamora Pierce's bold, courageous heroines illuminate the journey to womanhood."
--CALLIE BATES, author of The Waking Land

"Tamora Pierce is the queen of YA fantasy, and we are all happy subjects in her court."
--JESSICA CLUESS, author of A Shadow Bright and Burning

"Tamora Pierce's novels gave me a different way of seeing the world. They were like nothing I'd encountered before. Alanna stormed her way into my thirteen-year-old heart and told me that I could write gorgeous, complicated novels about vibrantly real people in fantastic situations, and to be honest, she's never left."
--ALAYA DAWN JOHNSON, award-winning author of Love Is the Drug

From the Author

A new girl warrior, with all kinds of differences
About seven years ago I began to realize what a hold the image of a girl warrior, particularly the girl in armor, had on my readers and on me. It occurred to me that I hadn't really explored the idea of female knights to the fullest when I wrote Alanna's story, and that I wanted to give it another try.

I'm an odd creature, though. I didn't want to do Alanna again; I wanted to do something different. Keladry of Mindelan is her own person, different from the other girl warriors I've created. She is big and kind, a diplomat's youngest daughter who hates bullies above all things. Kel is also like most people in her world, forced to live with magic and mages while having no magic of her own. Surrounded by magic--from her friend Neal's healing Gift to the wild magic which has made her animal friends better able to understand and help her--Kel comes to terms with it. Most importantly, everyone knows Kel is a girl. A great many people who think she has no place among the pages, the squires or the knights. They'll do their best to get rid of her. Will they win? Will they break her down? Or will Kel find the things she needs to achieve her dream? My money's on her. She is VERY determined, and she believes in her dreams.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Children's Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0375829059
• ISBN 13: 9780375829055
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240