Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce

 

Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce is the first in the Circle of Magic quartet. Pierce is an absolutely beloved author and I have to admit that there's a blank spot in my reading where she is. This is the first book I've ever read by Pierce and it was a great introduction.

What we have is a fantasy world in which four different teenagers from various classes, races, and backgrounds find themselves outcasts at a boarding school.  We have Sandry, a noble who is interested in fabrics and weaving, despite being told that these are things beneath her. We have Briar, a young street thief who has a flair and empathy for plants. We have Daja, a Trader who has been banished from her place in society after a boat accident in which she lost her whole family and who has a way with metalwork.  We have Tris, a bratty girl who causes weather to change when she loses control of her emotions.

In this book, they build ties that allow them to save themselves from disaster in the climax of the book. But the book isn't about action, it's about friendship and hard work and has just a ton of good stuff in it for a young readers selection.  The world building is dense, but practical, there are messages about race, class, and sex that are resonant even in 2020 (this book was first published in 1997), and it's just a gentle reminder that life can be hard, but we will all survive with the help of our friends.

I immediately put the next book in the series on my hold list at the library.