Page: Book 2 of the Protector of the Small Quartet
As the only female page in history to last beyond the first year of  formal training to become a knight, 11-year-old Keladry of Mindelan has an  uphill battle to fight. In addition to proving herself worthy of being a page,  Kel spends her time defending first-year pages from bullies, staying on top of  homework, conquering her paralyzing fear of heights, and keeping up with Lord  Wyldon's grueling physical training schedule. Kel's detractors do everything in  their power to thwart her progress, from tormenting her friends to sabotaging  the Midwinter Festivities to kidnapping her maid and dog on the day of final  examinations. The tide of resistance begins to turn slightly during the summer  between Kel's second and third years, when she leads a team of pages in  defensive maneuvers against renegade bandits--coincidentally on the same day  that she gets her first period!Tamora Pierce revisits the imaginary Kingdom of Tortall in this sequel toFirst Test: Protector of the  Small. Fans of Pierce's exotic fantasy sequences will be hard-pressed to  put either book down. Kel is a valuable role model: she's proud of being a girl,  and she never wavers in her conviction that she can do anything a boy can--and  usually do it better. Some rather bloody battles as well as discussions about  Kel's developing body make this book appropriate for more mature readers. (Ages  10 to 14)--Emilie Coulter--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.