Book
Terrier / by Tamora Pierce.
When sixteen-year-old Beka becomes "Puppy" to a pair of "Dogs, " as the Provost's Guards are called, she uses her police training, natural abilities, and a touch of magic to help them solve the case of a murdered baby in Tortall's Lower City.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780375914683 (library binding)
- Physical Description: 581 p. ; 22 cm.
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Publisher: New York : Random House Children's Books, 2006.
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| Subject: | Police > Juvenile fiction Magic > Juvenile fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy fiction. Young adult fiction. |
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- 1 of 1 copy available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
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| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
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- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2006 November #2
Having followed her signature heroine into the next generation with her Trickster duet, Pierce now looks back into the history of Tortall and finds another fierce, lovable gal who won't take any guff. Sixteen-year-old Beka Cooper, born hundreds of years before Alanna drew her first sword, has just signed on as a Puppy (trainee) with her city's crime fighters, unofficially known as the Dogs. Beka's extrasensory gifts and a firsthand understanding of her tough beat help her to "scent" two heinous criminals, whom she delivers to justice--despite the limitations of her apprentice role--by rallying a lively network of informants, mentors, and allies. Pierce deftly handles the novel's journal structure, and her clear homage to the police-procedural genre applies a welcome twist to the girl-legend-in-the-making story line. Leisurely infusions of detail frequently slow things down, but homely, often comic pauses interspersing epic deeds have become touchstones of Pierce's storytelling, and not even the strained surprise ending will prevent fans from begging for more about the avenging pup known as a "Terrier among Dogs." ((Reviewed November 15, 2006)) Copyright 2006 Booklist Reviews. - Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2007 Spring
Sword-and-sorcery meets police procedural. Set some two hundred or so years before the Song of the Lioness Quartet, this new series introduces readers to sixteen-year-old Beka Cooper, a Puppy (trainee) in Corus's Guard who narrates her story via a diary. Perhaps the book's greatest strength is its raw portrayal of the fine line between law and lawlessness. Copyright 2007 Horn Book Guide Reviews. - Horn Book Magazine Reviews : Horn Book Magazine Reviews 2007 #1
Sword-and-sorcery meets police procedural in this latest from the wildly popular Pierce. Set some two hundred or so years before the Song of the Lioness Quartet, this new series introduces readers to sixteen-year-old Beka Cooper, a Puppy (trainee) in Corus's Guard. The protŽgŽe of the Lord Provost, whose attention she caught with her ability to hear the dead, she has been assigned to the best team of Dogs on the Lower City beat. Swiftly, Beka not only proves her enormous talent at Dog work but also discovers two ghastly crimes: someone has been hiring, then murdering, the desperately poor, and a mysterious figure has been kidnapping and killing the Lower City's children. The fun of this offering is in the dynamic characterization and action that take readers to Beka's inevitable triumph. Beka -- who narrates her story via a diary -- is appealing in her dedication to her fellow Lower City dwellers, and sketches of her compatriot Dogs and the criminals they sometimes apprehend and sometimes befriend are equally deft. Indeed, perhaps the book's greatest strength is its raw portrayal of the fine line between law and lawlessness in the choices the Dogs make as they do their jobs. Copyright 2007 Horn Book Magazine Reviews. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2006 December #2
Pierce returns to the Tortall Realms for a new series, a kind of prequel to those of her popular "sheroes" Alanna, Kel and Aly. Her latest heroine is not a lady knight but a "Puppy," a police trainee whose talents lift her from the slums to the manor of Lord Gershom. The noble takes in Beka's impoverished family after the girl, at age eight, demonstrates near-magical abilities in law enforcement. Beka, now 16, begins her story with her first night on the job, told through journal entries. Assigned to two of the best Dogs (veteran officers) in the Jane Street kennel, Beka quickly distinguishes herself, assisted by winged informants (pigeons who carry the ghosts of murdered children and whisper only to Beka) and her aide-de-camp, Pounce, the purple-eyed cat (who will be familiar to Alanna devotees). Beka is drawn to solve two major crimes: one involving the disappearance of people hired to dig beneath the Lower City in search of precious "fire opals," and a scarier thread about the kidnapping and murder of children by a creature known only as the "Shadow Snake." Despite many action-packed scrapes with thieves and rogues, the pace lags a bit in this series opener. Fans of Pierce's previous forays into medieval fantasy, however, will likely savor every page, and Beka herself is a brave battler who shoulders an unwieldy narrative with nearly as much ease as she hobbles a cutpurse. Ages 10-13. (Oct.)
[Page 70]. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2007 October #2
"Fans of Pierce's previous forays into medieval fantasy will likely savor every page," said PW of this novel about a 16-year-old police-trainee's efforts to solve two major crimes in Lower City. Ages 12-16. (Oct.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2007 February
Gr 7 Up-Orphaned Beka Cooper, 16, is a trainee-a "Puppy"-in the Provost's Guard. Having spent the first half of her life in Tortall's slums, she is driven by the need to do what is right and see justice done. Paired with two of the best Guards, or "Dogs," in the organization and aided by her own gifts of magic, Beka learns her job, makes friends with two mages and a thief, and uncovers two serial killers who prey on the poor and unnoticed. With Terrier, Pierce tries out a new style of storytelling and succeeds admirably. Beka, the ancestor of George Cooper from the "Song of the Lioness" series (S & S), tells her story through journal entries, making for a thoroughly engaging read. The characters are recognizable types, but all have their own personalities. Readers will enjoy meeting the Lady Knight Sabine of Macayhill, Alanna's precursor in profession and temperament; Rosto the Piper; and Beka's friends. The level of violence is comparable to that found in "The Circle Opens" series (Scholastic) but isn't as gratuitous. This seems mostly to be due to the journal format, which gives readers only Beka's thoughts and feelings as opposed to those of the killers as well. With its rollicking adventure, appealing characters, and inclusion of Tortall's history, Terrier will be in strong demand by Pierce's fans. It will keep readers on the edge of their seats.-Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. - Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews : VOYA Reviews 2007 February
Pierce returns to her beloved Tortall for an adventure set hundreds of years before the Song of the Lioness series. Beka Cooper has just joined the Provost's Dogs and become a "Puppy" in the law enforcement element of Corus City. Beka requests an assignment in the notoriously dangerous Lower City and quickly finds her hands full. Her teachers, two of the toughest "Dogs" in the guard, set her straight to work, cracking heads and enforcing the law. Fortunately Pierce's latest heroine is up to the task as she uses her magical skills and sharp mind to tame the criminal elements of the Lower City This book will be immediately snatched up by Pierce fans as soon as it hits the shelves. They will be pleasantly surprised by the first-person journal narrative from Beka's point-of-view, a first from Pierce. The huge cast of characters and complex street slang make it necessary to use the appendix in the back at times, but once readers start this book they will find it hard to stop. The only obstacle is the slow beginning as Pierce uses journal entries from characters other than Beka to introduce the story. Fans of the author will love this latest entry in Pierce's canon, and newcomers will find Beka a refreshing and enjoyable heroine.-Leslie Baker PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-91468-3. 4Q 5P M J S Copyright 2007 Voya Reviews.
