First Test

Protector of the Small Series

by Tamora Pierce

(0 review)

Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce is the New York Times bestselling quartet for middle grade readers that love Arthurian legends, bold and brave heroines and lots of action. The books are a true classic in the making with a whole new generation now searching for and picking them up.

The books at their core are a coming of age story, where we follow young heroine Keladry as she trains to make her biggest dream come true: joining the knighthood. Nothing stops her in her objective, not even the fact that she is the first and only female to ever train or the brutally hard trials she must overcome. As her story progresses, she fights off prejudices against female knights, teaches fellow young women how to defend themselves, becomes guardian of a griffin, gets her first crush and, finally, achieves her life-long dream of becoming a knight.

This is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys following a character's story of growth from start to finish. Can we say this is Anne of Green Gables meets The Once and Future King, with lots of action, legends and swords?

If you loved this series and would like to find more books like this, check out our blog post all about the Best Adventure Book Series for 9 and 10 year olds.

All the Protector of the Small books in order:

Book 1: First Test (1999)
Book 2: Page (2000)
Book 3: Squire (2001)
Book 4: Lady Knight (2002)