First Test (Protector of the Small #1) by…

First Test (Protector of the Small #1) (original 1999; edition 2004)

by Tamora Pierce

Series: Protector of the Small Quartet (1), Tortall Universe (14 (Protector of the Small 1))

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
4,706	63	2,393	(4.12)	117
Ten-year-old Keladry of Mindalen, daughter of nobles, serves as a page but must prove herself to the males around her if she is ever to fulfill her dream of becoming a knight.

▾Book information

Member:	emlevs18
Title:	First Test (Protector of the Small #1)
Authors:	Tamora Pierce
Info:	Bluefire (2004), Paperback, 240 pages
Collections:	Tamora Pierce, YA, Your library
Rating:
Tags:	None

Work Information

First Test by Tamora Pierce (1999)

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▾Member reviews

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Showing 1-5 of 64 (next | show all)

i really liked this book. I loved the main character and the world building much better then the last series that i read by this author. (

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lmauro123 | Dec 28, 2023 |

i really liked this book. I loved the main character and the world building much better then the last series that i read by this author. (

)

lmauro123 | Dec 28, 2023 |

Great series about strong girls! (

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panamamama | Aug 2, 2022 |

As good as I remember! (

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fuzzipueo | Apr 24, 2022 |

A young girl in a traditional fantasy world wants to train as a page with the boys and one day be a knight but runs into all kinds of resistance from the established patriarchy. She eventually proves her worth, of course.
Standard fare for this particular trope; it was a fun but nothing extraordinary. Perfect for if you want an easy fantasy read that doesn't require a lot of effort. (

)

electrascaife | Apr 6, 2022 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Tamora Pierce	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Dunne, Bernadette	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Patti,Joyce	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Tenneson, Joyce	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Watkins, Liselotte	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Protector of the Small Quartet (1)

Tortall Universe (14 (Protector of the Small 1))

Is contained in

Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce

First Test / Page / Squire by Tamora Pierce

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee – 2002)

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee – Grades 3-6 – 2003)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

First Test

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1999-06-07

People/Characters

Important places

Tortall

Mindelean

Corus

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

To Jacqueline Korn and Bruce Hunter, the embodiment of English grace.

To Mallory, who totally made it happen (1999 Random House Fantasy paperback edition)

First words

Alanna the Lioness, the King's Champion, could hardly contain her glee.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

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Wikipedia in English (1)

First Test

▾Book descriptions

Ten-year-old Keladry of Mindalen, daughter of nobles, serves as a page but must prove herself to the males around her if she is ever to fulfill her dream of becoming a knight.

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▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

"You have one year in which to prove that you can keep up with the boys. If you do not satisfy me on that count, you will go home."

It's ten years since royal decree permitted girls to train as knights. No one applied - until now. Keladry of Mindelan is determined to follow in the footsteps of the nation's greatest legend: Alanna, Lioness of Tortall. She's in for a nasty surprise.

The royal training master, Lord Wyldon of Cavall, thinks girls should stick to embroidery. He will take her for one year only - on probation. If Keladry doesn't meet his exacting standards, she's out.

It seems so unfair. Keladry knows she's equal to any of the boys, but how can she hope to succeed when Lord Wyldon's mind is already made up?

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