First Test, by Tamora Pierce

This is the first book in the Protector of the Small quartet. It details the journey and efforts of Keladry of Mindelan to become the first known girl page in the Kingdom of Tortall. Ten years ago the King decreed that any noble girl could become a knight if she so desired. No one has taken him up on that offer, until Keladry. She has spent most of her life in the Yamani Islands where she learned many things, not the least of which is fighting skill. But hers is not an easy task: the training master convinces the King to put her on probation for a year until deciding if she can stay to become a knight. Very few of the boys in the palace wish for her to succeed and they try to make her leave by using every dirty trick imaginable. But Keladry is made of stern stuff and she refuses to back down from her goal, even when it is nearly unattainable.

Fortunately, Kel does make some friends in the Palace. First and foremost is Neal, one of the oldest pages in history. Originally he trained to become a healer at the university, but he decided to continue the tradition of knighthood in his family. He has a wonderful sense of humor that totally lightens the book and makes it less grim than it could have been. He is a staunch friend, although given to dramatics, and is always ready with a jest. That usually gets him into trouble with the training master, but that’s Neal. He wouldn’t be Neal if he wasn’t getting into trouble in some way.

Kel is very different than Alanna. One might almost expect them to be alike, but delightfully they are not. I happen to prefer Kel to Alanna, and you might call it a matter of taste. Kel seems more real: she is just as stubborn as Alanna, but she has more spunk, more spirit. Alanna was just a fireball with a temper. Kel will do whatever it takes, putting up with a lot more dirty tricks than most could ever. She is bright and clever and I must admit that I envy her. I envy her strong will and her determination. I definitely don’t have a temper to speak of, but I doubt I would last half as well as she did under that type of torment. I know she is just a character written in a book, but I wish there were more characters that made me feel like this because then maybe I’d do something about it. I’d do whatever I needed and what I most wanted, but overall I’d hopefully become someone better and nobler. Books are the key to many things—insomuch as we allow them to be.