Rescued by a powerful mage and brought to a school of magic, four children, each orphaned or unwanted, discover their previously unrealized magical powers in different areas of mage craft. Although the children, who come from very different stations in life, begin at odds with one another, they learn how to work together for a common purpose. Despite the title, the novel focuses equally on all of the characters. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr. 6^-9. Readers who enjoyed Mary Frances Zambreno's Journeyman Wizard (1994) and Diana Wynne Jones' Christopher Chant stories will want to read this first book in Pierce's new series about four misfits who must learn to harness their powers: Daja, an outcast trader; Briar Moss, a convicted thief; Trisana, a merchant's daughter abandoned by her family; and Lady Sandrilene (Sandry), an orphaned noblewoman. They have each run out of options when they are rescued by the mysterious Niko and brought to Winding Circle Temple. At first they are suspicious of one another, but as they learn their crafts, they become friends. Pierce has created an excellent new world where magic is a science and utterly believable and populated it with a cast of well-realized characters. Sandry is the star in this volume, providing the unifying thread that allows the quartet to combine their powers to survive a devastating earthquake. Teens will eagerly await the planned sequels. --Chris Sherman

Gr 4-7‘Sandry wants desperately to learn to spin and weave despite her noble birth; she finds that she can spin light into her threads. Tris comes from a family of merchants but has an uncanny feel for weather and hears voices on the winds. Briar, a former street urchin and thief, communicates with plants. Daja is a Trader, but metalworking calls her now. Sandry's Book focuses equally on these four children, all abandoned or orphaned and all equally unaware of being mageborn‘gifted with a particular talent and magical abilities. The four meet at Discipline Cottage, part of Winding Circle Temple, where the powerful mage Niko has brought them to heal the wounds of their past and to learn to channel and control their abilities. Although the four have some conflicts with their new surroundings and with one another, they are united when misuse of magic at another temple puts everyone in mortal danger. A bit unfocused, the story features too many main characters with individual stories to tell and borrows too much from our own world to be surprising. The youngsters are appealing and the conflicts between them are logical and believable. However, while Daja's affinity for metals and Briar's for plants are well defined, it is harder to tell how Sandry will use her magical talent, or what Tris's abilities have to do with the crafts that are predominant throughout the book. In spite of its faults, this is an enjoyable fantasy for middle-grade readers, who will look forward to the next book in the series.‘Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In a fantasy set in mythical lands surrounding the Pebbled Sea, four young people come to terms with the pain that life has dealt them, the prejudices they've inherited, and the unrecognized magical powers they were born with. The four come from varying backgrounds, but all have been misfits rankling against the restrictions that class and culture impose. Sandry (Lady Sandrilene fa Toren) feels ``Good f'r naught but to be waited on and to marry.'' She longs to be useful and competent. Daja, the Trader girl, wants to be a metalworker, but making things is forbidden to traders. Briar, a streetwise thief, harbors a special affinity for plants, and Trisana, the Merchant girl, seems to have a direct line to the forces of nature itself. Mage Niklaren Goldeye brings all four to a disciplined temple community where their special gifts can flower. Pierce (Wild Magic, 1992, etc.) employs the trappings of magic, yet never invokes it as a convenient plot device imposed from without. Instead it appears as an inner strength that each of the fully realized, compelling young protagonists must discover and harness. Meditation and the Zen-like practice of hands-on crafts are their tools of mastery. First in a series, this is a rich and satisfying read. (Fiction. 11-13)

The first two books in Pierce's Circle of Magic series feature a talented needleworker and a merchant girl who can create storms and tides. Ages 11-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved