More adventures from the medieval realm of Tortall from bestselling author Tamora Pierce.
Ten-year-old Keladry of Mindelan, daughter of nobles, is the first girl to take advantage of the decree that permits females to train for knighthood. Keladry applies and is accepted, but on probation. She must prove herself to the males around her. Kel uses her wits and courage to overcome the many obstacles set for her in her probationary year. Trained from early childhood by warriors, she is capable of hiding her feelings, fearless in a fight, and willing to work hard. Her sympathy and sense of chivalry earn her the admiration of a group of fellow pages. Kel performs well in her first real battle and is grudgingly allowed to stay for another year of training.
"The scrappy Kel is an appealing and believable girl whose struggles to integrate a formerly all-male world are both familiar and freshly told."- School Library Journal
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. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
