Boundary Street Markets' Book Find #2: FIRST TEST | BOOK REVIEW
In a previous post I mentioned I bought two books from the books sale at the Boundary Street markets, the first being Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The second was First Test by Tamora Pierce.
Tamora Pierce is one of my favourite authors of all time. I was just discussing this with a friend the other day, and what a significant impact Pierce's books have had on my life and who I am as a person. Her books covered so many new and complex topics for me growing up, I wasn't just enjoying myself on new adventures in faraway places while reading. I was also learning about identity, gender, diversity, politics, religion, and systems of governance. JK Rowling's novels have had a similar influence on me, but that's for a whole other post.
Growing up I mostly borrowed books from libraries when I wanted to read something new. Which meant when I exhausted one section of the library I could to branch out and try new genres/authors. This also meant that I wasn't always buying my favourite books.
The last couple of years I have been buying more books, but it's been tricky trying to 1) find the books I liked reading in school (especially if they've gone out of print) and 2) ones with their original covers or my preferred choice of covers (because sometimes there's more than two!). Recently I've been trying to find Tamora Pierce's books in regular bookshops, but none of the ones in my city seem to have any in stock, and I'm trying to limit myself to just buying books that are in-store. So I guess I'll be visiting more used bookstores in my area in the near future!
I can't wait to re-read Kel's story. It follows the trials and tribulations Kel faces as the second girl in Tortall in the last century, to be a page (trainee knight). The adversity she faces from her peers, teachers and the public because she's going against the convention is enormous and daunting. This novel, which is the first in the Protector of the Small series, shows readers what Kel is capable of in spite of the challenges before her. Kel is really inspiring and so is her story, I definitely recommend adding First Test to your TBR!
Happy reading!
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