First Test (1) (Protector of the Small) - Softcover

Tamora Pierce

4.24

60,759 ratings by Goodreads

9780679889175: First Test (1) (Protector of the Small)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0679889175 ISBN 13: 9780679889175

Publisher: Random House USA Inc, 2000

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Tamora Pierce returns to the land of Tortall with a heroine who refuses to quit in this first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Protector of the Small series.

Ten years after knighthood training was opened to both males and females, no girl has been brave enough to try. But knighthood is Keladry's one true desire, and so she steps forward to put herself to the test.

Up against the traditional hazing of pages and a grueling schedule, Kel faces one roadblock that seems insurmountable: Lord Wyldon, the training master of pages and squires. He is absolutely against girls becoming knights. So while he is forced to train her, Wyldon puts her on a probationary trial period that no male page has ever had to endure. Further set apart from her fellow trainees, Kel's path to knighthood is now that much harder. But she is determined to try, and she's making friends in the most unlikely places. One thing is for sure, Kel is not a girl to underestimate.
From the Hardcover edition.

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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.

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