{"product_id":"page-isbn-9780375829079","title":"Page","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe second book in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling series from the fantasy author who is a legend herself: TAMORA PIERCE. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen they think you will fail . . . fail to listen.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e As the only female page in history to pass the first year of training  to become a knight, Keladry of Mindelan is a force to be reckoned with.  But even with her loyal circle of friends at her side, Kel’s battle to  prove herself isn’t over yet. She is still trying to master her  paralyzing fear of heights and keep up with Lord Wyldon’s grueling  training schedule. When a group of pages is trapped by bandits, the boys  depend on Kel to lead them to safety. The kingdom’s nobles are  beginning to wonder if she can succeed far beyond what they imagined.  And those who hate the idea of a female knight are getting  desperate—they will do anything to thwart her progress.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMore  timely than  ever, the Protector of the Small series is Anti-Bullying  101 while also  touching on issues of bravery, friendship, and dealing  humanely with  refugees against a backdrop of an action-packed fantasy  adventure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Tamora  Pierce's books shaped me not only as a young  writer but also as a young  woman. She is a pillar, an icon, and an  inspiration. Cracking open one  of her marvelous novels always feels  like coming home.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eSARAH J. MAAS\u003c\/b\u003e, #1\u003ci\u003e New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Tamora   Pierce didn't just blaze a trail. Her heroines cut a swath through the   fantasy world with wit, strength, and savvy. Her stories still lead  the  vanguard today. Pierce is the real lioness, and we're all just  running  to keep pace.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eLEIGH BARDUGO\u003c\/b\u003e, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author“Tamora Pierce creates epic worlds populated by girls and women of  bravery, heart, and strength. Her work inspired a generation of writers  and continues to inspire us.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eHOLLY BLACK\u003c\/b\u003e, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Few  authors can slay so effectively with a single sentence—I mean  fist-in-the-air, shouting-at-my-book slay—as Tamora Pierce. All these  years later, I still draw strength from her words.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eMARIE LU\u003c\/b\u003e, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Tamora Pierce is a seminal figure in the fantasy field of writing, turning out one terrific book after another.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eTERRY BROOKS\u003c\/b\u003e, New York Times bestselling author of the Sword of Shannara trilogy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s  impossible to overstate Tamora Pierce’s impact on children’s  literature. Her tough, wise, and wonderful heroines have inspired  generations of readers.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eRAE CARSON\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “In the world of YA fantasy, there’s before Tamora Pierce, and then  after her female heroes started kicking down the doors (and walls, and  other barriers)!”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eBRUCE COVILLE\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Tamora Pierce is a trailblazer for so many fantasy writers, hacking  through the old tropes with her narrative machete and showing us that  girl-centered adventures are not just possible but amazing.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eRACHEL HARTMAN\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Tamora Pierce’s writing is like water from the swiftest, most refreshingly clear, invigorating, and revitalizing river.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eGARTH NIX\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Tamora  Pierce is gloriously unafraid to give her readers joy and laughter  along with adventure and struggle, to let us love her characters  wholeheartedly and find the best of ourselves in them.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eNAOMI NOVIK\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Tamora Pierce and her brilliant heroines didn’t just break down barriers; they smashed them with magical fire.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eKATHERINE ARDEN\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Bear and the Nightingale\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Tamora Pierce’s bold, courageous heroines illuminate the journey to womanhood.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eCALLIE BATES\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Waking Land\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Tamora Pierce is the queen of YA fantasy, and we are all happy subjects in her court.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eJESSICA CLUESS\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eA Shadow Bright and Burning\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Tamora Pierce’s novels gave me a different way of seeing the world.  They were like nothing I’d encountered before. Alanna stormed her way  into my thirteen-year-old heart and told me that I could write gorgeous,  complicated novels about vibrantly real people in fantastic situations,  and to be honest, she’s never left.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eALAYA DAWN JOHNSON\u003c\/b\u003e, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eLove Is the Drug\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eTAMORA PIERCE\u003c\/b\u003e is the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of over eighteen novels set in the fantasy realm of Tortall. She first captured the imagination of readers with her debut novel, \u003ci\u003eAlanna: The First Adventure.\u003c\/i\u003e Since then, her bestselling and award-winning titles have pushed the boundaries of fantasy and young adult novels to introduce readers to a rich world populated by strong, believable heroines. Her books have been translated into many languages, and some are available on audio from Listening Library and Full Cast Audio. In 2013, she won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.” Pierce lives in Syracuse, New York, with her husband, Tim, and their cats, birds, and occasional rescued wildlife. Visit her at TamoraPierce.com and follow her on Twitter at @TamoraPierce.PAGE KELADRY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFall that year was warm. Heat lay in a blanket over the basin of the River Olorun, where the capital of Tortall covered the banks. No breath of air stirred the pennants and flags on their poles. The river itself was a band of glass, without a breeze anywhere to ruffle its shinning surface. Traffic in the city moved as if the air were thick honey No one with sense cared to rush. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBehind the royal palace, eleven-year-old Keladry of Mindelan stared at the rising ground that led from the training yards to the pages' wing and decided that she had no sense. She felt as if she'd let people beat her with mallets all morning. Surely it was too hot for her to do as she normally did -run up that hill to reach her rooms and bathe. After all, she would be the only one to know if she walked today. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho would think this cursed harness would make such a difference? she wondered, reaching under her canvas practice coat to finger broad leather straps. At some point during her first year as page, she had learned that second-, third-, and fourth-years wore weighted- harnesses, and that more weights were -added every four months, but she had never considered it in terms of herself Now she wished that she had donned something of the kind in the empty summer months, when she made the daily trek to the palace to keep up her training. If she had, she wouldn’t ache so much now. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe wiped her sleeve over her forehead. It's not even like you're carrying a lot - of weight, she scolded herself. Eight little disks- maybe two pounds in lead. You trained last year and all summer with lead-weighted weapons, just to build your strength. \u003ci\u003eThis\u003c\/i\u003e can’t be that different! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut it was. Hand-to-hand combat, staff work, archery, and riding took extra effort with two pounds of lead hanging on her shoulders, chest, and back. I've got to run, she told herself wearily. If I don’t move soon, I'll be late to wash and late to lunch, and Lord Wy1don will give me punishment work. So heat or no, I have to go up that hill. I may as well run it. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe waited a moment more, steeling herself. She hated this run. That slowly rising ground was torture on her legs even last spring, when she'd been running it off and on for more than half a year. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo stranger, looking at her, would have thought this disheveled girl was the sort to cause a storm of argument at court. She had a dreamer's quiet hazel eyes, framed in long lashes, and plain brown hair that she wore cropped as short as a boy's. Her nose was small and delicate, her skin tan and dusted with freckles. She was big for a girl of eleven, five feet three inches tall and solidly built. Only someone who looked closely at her calm face would detect a spark in her level gaze, and determination in her mouth and chin. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt last she groaned and began to trot up the hill. Her path took her behind the mews, the kennels, and the forges. Men and women in palace livery and servants' garb waved as she ran past. A woman told some kennel workers, \"Looka here- tol' ya she'd be back!\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKel smiled through pouring sweat. No one had thought that the old-fashioned training master would allow the first-known girl page in over a century to stay after her first year. When Lord WyIdon surprised the world and allowed Kel to stay, many had assumed Kel would \"come to her senses\" and drop out over the summer holiday. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou’d think by now they'd know I won't quit, she thought as she toiled on up the hill. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe was lurching when she reached the kitchen gardens, her shortcut to the pages' wing. There she had to catch her breath. An upended bucket did for a seat. She inhaled the scents of marjoram, sage, and thyme, massaging her calf muscles. For the hundredth time she wished she could use the palace baths as the boys did, instead of having to go all the way to her room to wash up. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Hi! You!\" cried a male voice from the direction -of the kitchens. \"Come back with those sausages!\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKel got to her feet. A cook raced out of the kitchen, waving a meat cleaver. Empty beanpoles, stripped after the harvest, went flying as he crashed through them. Metal flashed as the cleaver chopped through the air. The man doubled back and ran on, plainly chasing something far smaller than he. Once he stumbled; once he dropped the cleaver. On he came, cursing. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe dog he pursued raced toward Kel. A string of fat sausages hung from his jaws. With a last burst of speed, the animal ducked behind Kel. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe cook charged them, cleaver raised. \"I'll kill YOU this time!\" he screeched, face crimson with fury. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKel put her hands on her hips. \"Me or the dog?\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Out of the way, page!\" he snarled, circling to her left. \"He's stolen his last meal!\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs she turned to keep herself between the man and his prey, Kel glanced behind her. The dog huddled by her seat, gobbling his catch. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Stop right there,\" Kel ordered the man. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Move, or I'll report this to my lord Wyldon,\" he snapped. \"I'll get that mongrel good and proper!\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKel gathered dog and sausages up in her arms. \"You1l do no such thing,\" she retorted. The dog, knowing what was important, continued to gorge. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You'll hand that animal over now, my lad, if you know what's right,” the servant told her. \"He's naught but a thieving stray. He's got to be stopped.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"With a meat cleaver?\" demanded Kel. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"If that's what it takes.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo,\" she said flatly. \"No killing. I'll see to it the dog doesn't steal from you.\" \u003cbr\u003e\"Sausages is worth money! Who's to pay for them? Not me!\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKel reached instinctively for her belt and sighed, impatient with herself She didn't wear her purse with training clothes. \"Go to Salma Aynnar, In charge of the pages' wing,\" she said loftily. \"Tell her Keladry of Mindelan requests that she pay you the cost of these sausages from my pocket money. And you'd better not overcharge her,\" she added. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Kel ... Oh, Mithros's\"- he looked at her and changed what he'd been about to say-\"shield. You're the girl. Being softhearted will do you no good, mistress,\" he informed her. \"Be sure I'll get my money. And if I see that animal here again” -he pointed at Kel's armful-\"I'll chop him up for cat-meat, see if I won't!\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe thrust his cleaver into his belt and stomped back to the kitchens, muttering. Kel adjusted her hold on the dog and his prize and headed for the pages' wing. \"We aren’t allowed pets, you know,\" she informed her passenger. \"With my luck, all those sausages will make you sick, and I'll have to clean it up.\" She passed through an open door into the cool stone halls of the palace. As she trotted along, she examined her armful. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe dog's left car was only a tatter. He was gray-white for the most part; black splotches adorned the end of his nose, hi§- only whole ear, and his rump. The rest of him was scars, healing scrapes, and staring ribs. His sausages eaten, he peered up into her face with two small, black, triangular eyes and licked her. His tail, broken in two places and healed crookedly, beat her arm. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I am not your friend,\" Kel said as she reached her door.","brand":"Ember","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301086482661,"sku":"NP9780375829079","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780375829079.jpg?v=1767734427","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/page-isbn-9780375829079","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}