Page (Tamora Pierce)

Author Biography

Tamora Pierce has written numerous renowned fantasy novels, set in either the “Tortall” universe or the “Circle” universe. In 2013 she received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her body of work.

Published By: Random House Inc.

Year: 2000

ISBN: 0-679-88918-3

Reading Level: Grades 7 and up

Reader’s Annotation:

Having proven herself worthy to be a page, Kel trains to become a squire and then a knight. As she does so, she makes new friends and faces new hardships, but her tenacity and courage remain unchanged.

Plot Summary:

Having finished her year of probation, eleven-year-old Keladry of Mindalen is now an official page of the Tortallian royal court and continues her training to become a lady knight. Over the course of the next three years, she faces each rigorous new lesson with the same stoic determination that made her trial year a success. Meanwhile, her circle of friends grows as the male pages gain increasing respect for her, and as her protective instinct brings her two constant new companions: Lalasa, a maidservant whom she defends from sexual abuse, and Jump, a stray dog whose life she saves.

But not all goes smoothly. The changes of puberty set her further apart from the boys and she begins to develop awkward new feelings for her best friend Neal. She also continues to face the bullying Joren, his cronies, and sexist adults in the court, as well as her own crippling fear of heights. And in addition to these ordinary struggles, every now and then she faces unexpected real danger. Will she manage to withstand it all and fulfill her dream of knighthood?

Critical Evaluation:

This second book of the Protector of the Small quartet is a worthy follow-up to First Test and yet another worthy addition to Tamora Pierce’s Tortall universe. Once again, Page avoids the “epic adventure” pattern set by the Song of the Lioness and Immortals books, instead focusing on Kel’s everyday struggles as she trains to become a knight and as she faces the awkward, universal process of growing from childhood to adolescence. The action here is more “epic” than in First Test, though; first as Kel is called upon to lead her fellow pages in fighting bandits, and then, at the climax, when a mysterious crime forces her both to face her worst fears and to put her dream of knighthood at risk for the sake of the devotion to protecting others that fuels it. 

Meanwhile, the slice-of-life format reveals the dark underside of Tortallian society more than ever before. In addition to sexism, which still pervades despite the reforms made in previous books, we also see homophobia and the upper classes’ systematic oppression of the working class, in particular the sexual exploitation of servant women. But the justice-loving Kel is never daunted for long by oppression, no matter how pervasive. Whether fighting on behalf of the powerless, encouraging them to fight for themselves, or simply facing the struggles of everyday training and her own coming-of-age, she remains wise beyond her years, stoically brave (even when terrified), and dedicated to the ideals of knighthood. As with First Test, we end this installment proud of her achievements and very eager for the next phase of her journey.

Curriculum Ties:

•Fantasy worlds

•Feminism

Challenge Issues:

•Violence

•Sexual references

•Rape references

•Menstruation and bodily function references

•LGBTQ references

Why This Book?

Both as the second Protector of the Small book and as the tenth book set in Tortall, Page is a believable, engaging, exciting, thoroughly worthy chapter of the saga.