Page

At the royal palace of Tortall, Keladry is now a young page and is still the only female who is training to attain the rank of squire. Narrator Bernadette Dunne ably portrays Kel as a tough girl handling swords at training practice, fighting bullies in dorm halls, and facing her first battle with bandits. When adolescence brings Kel unexpected and uncontrollable bodily changes, Dunne is equally adept at capturing her emotional confusion. The story's male characters far outnumber the females, and Dunne has quite a challenge creating distinct voices for the supporting roles. She doesn't always succeed, but that doesn't matter. Her portrayal of Kel is as strong as the steel of a squire's sword. M.M.O. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine