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

by Tamora Pierce Narrated by Bernadette Dunne

Overview

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.
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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

Editorial Reviews

JUN/JUL 08 - AudioFile

Tamora Pierce’s new series, set in her medieval kingdom of Tortall, features 10-year-old Keladry as heroine. As the first girl to take advantage of a decree allowing females to train for knighthood, Kel must prove herself in a male-dominated world. Bernadette Dunne’s pleasant, well-paced voice allows listeners to absorb Pierce’s richly detailed settings while coming to know the story’s many characters. Dunne also brings a wry sense of humor to the challenges Kel faces and endows the feisty heroine with a believable, likable personality. Kel is brave, hard-working, and fair-minded—a great character for young female listeners to admire. Dunne draws out all the magic in Pierce’s intricately imagined, fantastical Tortall while simultaneously grounding it as a believable, sometimes grittily real, place. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

JUN/ JUL 08 - AudioFile

Tamora Pierce’s new series, set in her medieval kingdom of Tortall, features 10-year-old Keladry as heroine. As the first girl to take advantage of a decree allowing females to train for knighthood, Kel must prove herself in a male-dominated world. Bernadette Dunne’s pleasant, well-paced voice allows listeners to absorb Pierce’s richly detailed settings while coming to know the story’s many characters. Dunne also brings a wry sense of humor to the challenges Kel faces and endows the feisty heroine with a believable, likable personality. Kel is brave, hard-working, and fair-minded—a great character for young female listeners to admire. Dunne draws out all the magic in Pierce’s intricately imagined, fantastical Tortall while simultaneously grounding it as a believable, sometimes grittily real, place. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172103469
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	11/13/2007
Series:	Protector of the Small Series , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	672,206

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