Protector of the small

Gr 6 Up--Pierce's graphic novel adaptation of the fantasy book of same name is a character-driven adventure. Giants, spidren, and ogres do not scare Kel, a 10-year-old girl whose dream is to become a knight. When Kel is accepted as a page with a one-year probationary period, she is frustrated to be treated differently than the boys. Kel soon learns that her time at The Royal Palace will not be easy. Almost nightly fights with the other pages, having her lance tampered with to make it heavy, and being called names like "the Lump" are all a part of the grueling hazing experience she endures. When she stands up for several of her peers who have been bullied by a specific group of pages, Kel slowly begins to make her own friendships after showing them what it means to defend themselves. Kel is a strong-willed girl, a fierce warrior, and a caring individual; readers will love her determination. Farrow's illustrations bring the world of Tortall to life. The expressive characterizations perfectly demonstrate Kel'sexperiences and emotions as she makes this tough journey. Kel is white; there is some variation in skin tones of the secondary and background characters. Back matter includes a list of characters and glossary terms that have been and will be used in future books to come. VERDICT This graphic novel adaptation of the fantasy novel is a captivating look into the world of Tortall and its newest fierce page.--Kharissa Kenner

As the only girl in training to be a page, Keladry of Mindelan has a rough year in this graphic adaptation of Pierce's 1999 novel. Readers who haven't experienced Tortall in the original print version may find this sketchy, all-dialogue adaptation hard to follow, but Grayson does proper fan service--even to the point of retaining the crossover cameos from Daine and Numair, mages from The Immortals series. The original's main strands and themes remain intact as well. The work quickly retraces Kel's arduous training, her war against school bullies Joren and Zahir, her battles with deadly spidren, and her long struggle to prove to hard-nosed, skeptical schoolmaster Lord Wyldon that girls have what it takes to be knights. Also, in contrast to most women warriors in graphic fantasies, she really does look sturdy enough in Farrow's clean, solidly modeled panels to compete with taller and heavier male schoolmates. An opening scene and the comprehensive cast list and glossary at the end will help bring readers unfamiliar with this world up to speed. Kel is light-skinned; the rest of the cast, as in the print versions, is racially diverse. Decent, if not top, marks for a budding hero's relaunch. (Graphic fantasy. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.