First Test

 First Test by Tamora Pierce 258 Pages

Summary: 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.

My Thoughts: This book is for all the girls who've been told they can't achieve something because they are not a man. Kel has no magic and just sheer determination to become a knight even if it means getting bullied and her years as a page and squire miserable. This first book shows how much the Training Master does not want a female in with the boys and will do everything in his power to get her to quit, as will several of the boy bullies. This book series also ties in with the other two Tortall Universe series. Kel faces many trials and tribulations to prove her worth and I love a strong woman character! I think she is the strongest out of the 3 main female characters, Alanna, Daine, and Kel.