Book 1), Sandry's Book (Circle of Magic

My mom and dad got me this book for Christmas and I had to put on that phony smile and say "Thanks, I cant wait to read it" when my mind was sayin "great! another lame book for me to pretend to read!" but was i wrong about that........

If you like

.suspensful stories

.magic

.adventorous (please excuse me spelling) times

.betrayal

.and pure fun

then this would be a good book for you

as you can probably tell this is a fiction book soooo fiction luvers out there.....i recomend this!!!!

=) not =P

This is the first book that I read by Tamora Pierce and I loooved it! I finished this quartet and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in The Circle Opens. HOWEVER, the only reason I am giving this FOUR stars instead of five is that the rest of Tamora's series are slightly better. After I finished reading Street Magic, I read Alanna the First Adventure. That was it and I was swept up in the world of Tortall. Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and Lady Knight are all quartets based in Tortall and I think that those are better BUT the Circle books are great too! GO TAMORA! My friend thinks I'm obsessed but believe me, once you start reading you won't be able to stop.

Four children gifted with magic come together to train their powers. Along the way, they learn about trust and become friends. It's a story about magic, but it's not terribly exciting. Maybe it's because I've come to expect roaring adventures from Tamora Pierce, and this book isn't one.

The story feels lacking. It doesn't have a proper villain, whether an actual person or in the metaphoric sense. The children face some hurdles with controlling their powers, but those lack the tension of a real crisis. Also, three of the four main characters (except the eponymous Sandry) are not likable because they readily antagonize each other with their prejudice. The author tries to show their personal growth, but the progress is barely there, and by the end of the book I still don't like the characters.

This book is really great. I just finished reading this one and soon I'll go on to reading the rest of the series. Tamora Pierce is so descriptive and when I read her books I can picture everyone and see where they are and all that stuff. It's really great how in the book everyone starts out and they are all different. There's the thief, the trader, the wealthy girl, and teh Kaq. But they all become the best of friends and they are all mages. The book was really great but not quite a 5 star. I'm looking forward to reading they rest of the series.

This book was awsome! When the librarian gave it to me, I didn't like the looks of it because it wasn't set in Tortall, but I tried it anyway. I finished it less then two hours, and couldn't wait for the restof the series! I particularly like the Tamara had some of the character's backrounds in the beginning, and the way she joined up Briar, Tris, Sandry and Daja. I also liked the way she had different kinds of people (a thief, a merchant, a noble and a trader) and managed to make them like each other in a way. A must!

This book is about 4 different kids who come together only by one person. They all have different kinds of magic such as, fire, plant, storm, and weaving. Sandry has the weaving kind of magic. They are all set in for an adventure which they have to work together or else their death will be a down fall. The kids names are, Briar-plant magic, Tris- storm magic, and Daja- metal/fire magic, and I already said Sandry has weaving magic. The reason why I gave it four stars was because it was kind of confusing at times but overall it was good.

Tamora Pierce has created a fresh, new world of magic in the first book of her quartet,"Circle of Magic". Filled with never before thought of magic, the main characters Sandry, Tris, Daja, and Briar work their magic in needlework, weather, smith's crafts, and gardening. This adventure about young kids discovering their capabilities will, amaze, astonish, and entertain at the same time. After reading "Sandry's Book," you'll be eager to read Tris's, Daja's, and Briar's just as well.

A fun book. I would have enjoyed it more were it in 3rd person limited instead of omniscient. It also took me awhile to realize that the events in the beginning were happening at separate times. I found myself asking a lot "where is this going," but as the first book in the series, I think it was just setting up things to come.

I love this series. T.P. has a perfect right to write for a younger audience. Just because her earlier books were for teens doesn't mean she always has to write for them, and these books are still fun for teens *frost issues from mouth at evil reviewer*. I like the other books in the series a lot better, it's true, but this book is just setting up the next three, so that's okay. Hate this book if you want, but don't assume that whatever you feel about this one will translate over to the rest odf the series.

Book was wonderful, really enjoyed the new world Tamora has woven and loved the characters. Only gripe is the title.. in England the books weren't named for the characters, but like this:

1. The magic in the Weaving

2. The Power in the Storm

3. The Fire in the Forging

4. The healing in the vine.

These sound so much better than Sandy's book, Tris' book and so on.

At first I did hezitate to read this book because I don't know how I could ever leave Tortal. But I finally got the guts to do it. And after reading the first chapter I knew that I would LOVE this book. It has to do with four kids: Tris who has strange powers with weather, Sandry who surely can weave, Daja who has conections with blacksmithing, and Briar also known as Roach who has conections with plants. You'll absulutely love this book if you love magic and excitement!!

-Hannah M.

Sandry's Book was okay. The character development was not the best. I liked Tamora Pierce's other books better, because they were much more exciting and it wasn't ALWAYS OBVIOUS what the characters will do next. So if you haven't read the Song of the Lioness or the Immortals Quartets and you are thinking about reading the Circle of Magic first please STOP!!!!!! Read the other ones first and realize the best that this amazing author can do.

If you like Tamora Pierce, you'll LOVE this new Circle of Magic series!!! I was pleasently surprised. I'd only read one Tamora Pierce book before and thought it was a very good book, but not the best of them all. I thought that this one would be the same way. Well, I was wrong. This book is creative and original, with characters you can't help but fall in love with (the brave and generous Sandry, my favorite character; the bold and quiet Daja; the rebellios and sharp-tounged Triss; the troublesome and pleasently roudy Briar Moss, the street-boy who's probably my second-favorite character). These four, under strange circumstances, meet up and discover that they have strange magical powers. And what are they to do with them now that they know they're there? A question they have to answer.

This book at a great ending and flowed beautifully. If you're into magic, adventure, and a wild assortment of characters with well-defined personalities, pick up a copy today!

We meet four young people who have been tested for magic but none was found, and then it turns out they have magic after all, just a special hidden kind. The four begin working together and end up doing things no one else can.

i finished this book about 6 hours after i got it, and in all honesty, it really didnt satisfy me much. this is mostly because they seemed slightly childish to me, compared to tamora pierce's other works. i was 13 when i read this book, and i think that this was also a factor. for younger kids this book is excelent. for those 13 and over its just annoying. ifr ur over 13 and this intrested u try 'alanna; the first adventure' instead. if ur 12 or younger go for it, ull probably like it.

This book was worth the wait for me! I went and bought it and Tris's Book (2). And I have just recently finished Sandry's book, and just WOW! It was very good, and made me keep reading, my hands were glued to the book. The book basically is about a young girl named Sandry who is broughts upon the Wnding Circle Temple by Master Niko. There she is snet to Discipline cottage were she is introduced to Briar, Daja, and Tris. Through the book you see the diffrences between all three kids, and how Sandry who uses thread magic, mends the problems and between the kids bringing them all closer as friends. And come towards the end, well I dont want to ruin the story but it is very good. I hope Tris's Book will be just as good if not better, especially since she is my favorite charcater. Well thats about it, I hope all who read this book will enjoy it as much as I did!

I'm a big fan of Tamora Pierce's writing, and this is my favorite of the Circle of Magic Quartet. In this one, Briar, a former street rat, Daja, a trangshi (outcast) trader, Tris, an unwanted merchant's daughter, and Sandry, a noble with a strange attitude, are introduced. It involves much of the emotion that is the author's specialty. There's as always, a lot of laugh out loud and inside your head humor. Sandry's book is definitely a great fantasy!

This would be one of my favorite books. Although I think this book is the fourth best series that Tamora Pierce has writen, it is still a wonderful read! I enjoy how there is more than one main character in the book and also enjoy the magical experience that takes place! It is a wonderful mix of common life and magic! I highly recommend this book!

About four years ago, I got this book for my birthday. And at that time, I had no interest in fantasy, so I swear it sat on my nightstand for weeks--no, MONTHS before I even opened the thing. Eventually, I opened it. And I read a couple sentences, put the book down and started on homework. Then the calling came, my mind started edging towards ideas of what would happen to Sandry. Why was she in a cell, what did she do with the thread? I ended up crawling onto my bed and reading it. I couldn't stop. I fell in love with Sandry and Briar, Tris and Daja. I loved how everybody seemed to clash and then smooth over. That is when I fell in love with fantasy, with Tamora Pierce.

I reccommend this book for anybody who wants a good fantasy. Just give it a try.

This book's really good. It has rich description, varied characters, and an original plot. I think it's better than the Alanna and Immortals series because it's less clichéd and less predictable. Also with both of those I liked the first two in the series much better than the last two. With this quartet I liked them all.

Fantastic! I absolutely couldn't put it down! A wonderful start to the Circle of Magic series. If you like young adult fantasy... YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. Simple as that. Heck- I wouldn't be surprised if everyone who read it loved it! Very well written, well-developed characters- I fell in love with this book after two chapters. Pick it up- give it a read! You won't regret it.

Let me see...fans of Harry Potter will absolutely adore this, particularly girls. WHY?! Because it has an almost all-female cast with the exception of Niko and Briar. This book was a little boring, but it was well written. :P My favorite characters were Tris and Briar, and I think they both have crushes on each other. Don't you just love love/hate romances?

When I bought this book I thought it would be alot like Tamora Pierces former 2 sets (which I absolutly love), but when I started reading it I realized it was completely different and now I can't wait to start reading the next one. I hope everyone who reads it will enjoy it as much as I did.

Like most of the other reviewers, I was somewhat reluctant to read a book by Pierce that wasn't set in her Tortall universe. I would like to take a moment to thank the librarian at the Huntsville Public Library who not only pointed this series out to me, but made .... sure that I checked the first three out. I loved this book. I still love this book. Like Pierce, I have always loved the idea of magic in everyday, 'mundane' activities. Finding books about it, however, was next to impossible. Until now. Mrs. Pierce, I look forward to more books in this universe. Heck, I look forward to anything you write!

I have read this book numerous times and so have my friends. We all love this book. I do like the English titles better, though. The rest of the books that follow are also favorites epecially Will of the Empress. Don't put this book down until you are done, it is worth it.

I cut my reading teeth on the fantasy worlds of Tamora Pierce, and I still enjoy an occasional read through of my old paperbacks. I was looking for something I could encourage my sister-in-law (age 10) to read and discuss. I purchased this series over the last several days for my kindle to prieview these books before I lent copies to said sister-in-law. She is not a strong reader, and I hoped to engage her imagination with these titles. However, having skimmed the works, there are too many errors in the digital text. How can I help her improve her reading ability if the works intended for her age group are virtually illegible? Pun intended. If we read these books, and I hope to, we will be using paperback copies. I love the store, but this is a major contingency for me when purchasing books. Preserve the integrity of the text when converting to digital format. Encourage young readers to pursue work attentively and with clarity.

Sandry is a princess who gets seperated from her fmaily and locked in a magical room for her own protection. Daja is the lone survivor of a shipwreck. Tris is a girl who can't get along with her family or anyone else. Roach is a street tough facing a lifetime of hard labor. Luckily the mysterious Niko recognizes the seeds of magical talent in all of them, and bring them to the magic school at Winding Circle. And then...

...nothing happens. Therein lies the main problem with this book. The bulk of the pages go to the trivial problems of everyday living, and the minutae of magic lessons and meditation. There is no plot, at least not until the very end when a fight scene and an earthquake are tacked on. In the middle, we get chapter after chapter about gardening, roof-climbing, and lots of talk. In particular, we see much belaboring of the obvious. A "big" revelation around page 150 is that Tris has magical control over wind and storms, but this has been obvious to the reader since the beginning.

I also found the writing to be fairly dull and repetitive. The characters don't have any personality, and their dialogue blends together whenever they talk. But really the plot is the central problem. All good children's books from "The Wind in the Willows" to "The Phantom Tollbooth" to Harry Potter have used plot as a driving force to keep the reader's interest. In "Sandry's Book", we get nothing.

I have read the Cicle of Magic quartet, and I loved them all. Tamora Pierce made a world unlike the one we live in. The world is a place where mages (people who have magic in a certain area)thrive. The stories are about 4 teen mages come together and discover their power, and find that it is greater than anyone could have ever guessed. Each mage has thier own book, where a story is told of amazing courage and friendship. The four mages aglong with their teachers discover more than enough to satify your crave for adventure. The quartet takes you to a place where anything can happen, and will happen.

This book is great!In the whole Circle of Magic series it's one of the best(and I like them all!).I like it that their talents are all found in such diverse places,and that their lives are all so different.It makes the book exciting!Get it and enjoy!

I love any book by Tamora Pierce. This series is good and if it was by any other author I would call it great. However, since I have such high expectations for Tamora Pierce I cannot call it truly wonderful.

Tamora Pierce just gets better and better. Alanna was good, Daine was great and this is the best yet. I was supposed to read it for school in a week, but I ended up staying up late to finish it in just one day.

Tamora Pierce is able to write stories that capture the reader so that we feel as though the story is happening in front of us. I found it hard to put down. The links between the last series and now the mages going out on their own were well done. It is hard to wait for each new story to be written!

I absolutely love this book. This was my favorite series in Jr. High but I still love it and keep reading it over and over again. My little sister just got into them, but as her school's library does not own them, I bought her a set for Christmas. It is amazing how quickly this girl can read books, but they were well worth the money to purchase rather than rent or borrow them.

O.k listen. I hated the idea of new charaters. I love the tortall setting and I thought that was the end of it all intil the first test came out. Anyway, I tried reading it and I thought hey this is pretty tight and then got absorbed in them like the immortal and song of the lioness series. I thought that i was the only persom in the world who was absest with tamora pierce book then i saw this girl reading and realized i wasn't. yeah, i know i sound like a dork.I thinl george deserved alanna. Peace

Yes, I know, I know. Most people who read Tamora Pierce's books all like her Tortall books better. But I think the Circle of Magic books are just as good!!! Sandry's book is a wonderful book, with humourous, exciting, and suspensful parts. It might be a little hard to get into, but when you finish it, you won't regret it. Anyways, if you havent read this book, read it!

A magical and exciting book for people who love fantasy. Sandary, Daja, Tris, and Briar find themselves living together at Discipline. Briar doesn't like Discipline because he is the only boy. Sandary, Daja, Tris, and Briar find themselves getting into fights on the streets with other kids. One day they find themselves in a lot more trouble than a fight on the street. Can each of them call upon their special magic to save each other from certain death?

i think Sanrdy's book is one of the best books i've ever read. it has a wonderful story line that makes me never want to stop reading it. i think i must have read it at least 6 times, and it gets better each time i do. Tamora Pierce has a way of writing that takes you away from and gives you a surreal break from reality. it is one of the few books that i get evneloped in. it was and amazingly enchanting book.

I just loved this book! I love all of the Circle of magic books, but this just about tops it! When I held it in my hands I almost felt as though I was holding magic! The plot is wonder ful and I love how Tamora introduces the charaters. Rosethorn is a wonderful touch because if you didn't have her the world would seem to mushy. Read this book if you can read my review. You can thank me later!

Four people: Daja, Sandry, Tris and Briar; are brought to Winding Circle Temple, for each of them it is their last resort. Each of them from so different ways and stations in life, but joined together by their powers, that none of them know anything about.

this book was very exciting. i couldn't put it down. i read it because a friend reccomended it. i can't wait to read the next three. i think that anybody would enjoy it. my favorite character was Lady Sandreline fa Toren. she had an interesting story behind her. actually they all did. THIS BOOK WAS GREAT!

A very precice and neatly written book (not as good as her latest books) and too clean. Not enough rise to the climax, and it needs more twists. I would recommend this book only for preteens with a lot of free time.

Sandry's Book is a book I had to read for an assignment at school. The book gives you about 100 pages of almost a Martha Stewart, Dr.Phil feeling like your watching it on tv (you'd get it if you read it - which you should NOT)and the other 152 pages are dissapointing. There's about 2 parts of excitement and they both end quickly. This novel is very, very boring and I would only reccomend this to a person that is into weaving, gardening and metalwork.

i can't really do a review but what i cansay is this book is the best book . it leaves u in the past w/a spooky felin, with the chills. Katryn Reiss is a brillant person and i recomend this book to anyone!

As a writer and a critical reader, 'Circle of Magic #1 Sandry's Book' by Tamora Pierce was not a very well-thought-out book. Interesting concept sure, but the plotline itself was weak and lacking. There's so much more she could have done with the story, but it was confusing at times, especially the way she tried to describe magical scenes. In my humble opinion the story was poorly devised. I don't know how many times her characters meditated and breathed, meditated and breathed. I would definitely NOT recommend this book.

My 9 yr old daughter an I have read Tamora Pierce's books on Tortall, and found them very good. These books were recommended to me also, and since I enjoyed the Alanna series very much, I decided to read these. They aren't as good as the books on Tortall. What's more, although Pierce writes about magic in all of her books, these ones in particular I have found to be quite occult in nature.

The occult elements include magic circles, craft magic, and gods/goddesses. The human mages are part of a Temple and practice meditation. Their blessing is tracing a "gods circle" on their chests with their fingertips.

Just as a warning to parents who like to monitor what their children read, these books could almost be a primer to Pagan/Wiccan rites. Read them before your kids do, or with them... but if you are concerned about the occult, don't let them read these books on their own.