First Test (1999)

I'm still very pleased with Ms. Pierce. Keladry's another great character.

The main source I use to see what age group a book is marketed to lists this as YA, 12 and up. I found this first book of the quartet to read more like middle grade or that 11 to 14 or 15 that straddles MG & YA which I labeled juvenile-ya among my bookshelves here. It lists the couple books I checked from the Song of the Lioness as 11 to 14 and that series read more like YA to me. ( )

A lovely re-read, this series helped ease my Tamora Pierce craving while still too close to my last Alanna/Daine re-reads to be able to do back to that series. Kelandry on her own isn't quite as unique (more of a blend of both of the prior heroines I mentioned), but I like how Pierce explores a character without magic succeeding in this world. ( )

All 10-year-old Keladry wants is to be a knight, someone who can protect those who can’t protect themselves. According to the proclamation issued by King Jonathon of Tortall 10 years ago, Kel has every right to try for her shield even if no other girls have stepped forward before now. Kel should be able to go through the four years of page training and schooling just like the boys. She should be able to become a squire and serve a knight for four more years. She should be able to earn her knighthood like everyone else, but Lord Wyldon, the page training master, has other ideas. “Girls are fragile, more emotional, easier to frighten. They are not as strong in their arms and shoulders as men. They tire easily. This girl would get any warriors who serve with her killed on some dark night.” That’s what Wyldon thinks and the only way he will accept Kel is on a one-year probationary period – if she does anything wrong, fails at anything, she’s out. No boy has ever had to have a probation year; it’s just not fair, but Kel accepts the deal knowing the task she’s set for herself may be impossible: change Wyldon’s mind and prove she’s meant to be a knight. Wyldon is far from the only problem Kel faces: the training is grueling, immortal and magical creatures haunt Tortall’s lands, and the other pages don’t appreciate having a girl set in their midst. Kel may not have magic like Alanna, the only current Lady Knight, but all of Tortall will soon learn that Kel is not about to back down from this challenge. Kel will do whatever it takes to prove she’s just as good as any boy and she will become a knight. Follow Kel’s story in the rest of the Protector of the Small Quartet,[b:Page|153785|Page (Protector of the Small, #2)|Tamora Pierce|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1215394280s/153785.jpg|2665123], [b:Squire|153795|Squire (Protector of the Small, #3)|Tamora Pierce|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1215394320s/153795.jpg|1142883], and [b:Lady Knight|153800|Lady Knight (Protector of the Small, #4)|Tamora Pierce|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1215394344s/153800.jpg|1031900]. For more on Tortall, check out Alanna’s story in the Song of the Lioness Quartet.

Listened to the Listening Library CD edition in September 2007, but I've also read this multiple times. The Protector of the Small books are some of my favorites from Pierce; by the time she wrote these she had really hit her stride. Kel is a great character complete with flaws as well as strengths. With each set of books that take place in Tortall, Pierce increases the complexity and reality of the kingdom. The Listening Library CD was performed by a single narrator and was fairly well done although it took me a while to warm up to her interpretation of Kel's voice. I look forward to the release of the rest of the quartet on audio.

March 2010 Cover 2 Cover selection for Tamora's visit to our library! ( )

Keladry of Mindelan is a young girl, and the only girl to legally try for kinghthood. She is allowed to train under probation and throughout her first year has to physically keep up with the boys and endures non-stop bullying and harassment. The boys put extra weights in her training weapons, force her to run errands and pick fights. Kel does, however have a group of close and reliable friends who she completes her studies with and spends her evenings with. From previous series, Alanna is Kel's idol, someone who Kel looks up to, and later also become Nealan of Queenscove's kinght mistress.
Kel is a loveable character and her experiences and troubles make the story seem more real and believable. This book twists the typical 'knight in shining armor' storyline and is fun to read over again, more than once. Overall, a 4.5/5 ( )

RGG: One of a series by a very prolific author of fantasy books geared to age 10-14 girls. A good read; appeal to young girls is obvious.