Street Magic (Circle Opens Series #2)

by Tamora Pierce

Overview

Part of the 8-book Tamora Pierce reissue for Fall 2006, this title in the Circle Opens quartet features spellbinding new cover art. Coincides with the release of WILL OF THE EMPRESS in trade pb.Briar Moss been training four years as a plant mage, but he hasn't put his past behind him. He meets a street girl, Evvy, using powerful magic to polish stones for a merchant, and resolves to find her a teacher. But Briar understands the city's gangs as well as he understands Evvy. When gang warfare breaks out, he discovers that the fiercest gang is seeking a stone mage to lead them to hidden gems. Only Briar and his magic can offer Evvy protection. Swept up in a bloody conflict, Briar must decide if he's ready to make the final step away from his former life as a "street rat".

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545405850
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Series:	Circle Opens Series , #2
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	166,499
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Tamora Pierce is the critically acclaimed author of more than twenty novels, including the Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens quartets, The Will of the Empress, Melting Stones, and, most recently, the New York Times bestselling Beka Cooper trilogy. She lives in New York State with her husband, Tim, and her seven cats and two birds. Visit her online at www.tamorapierce.com.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 5-8-In the "Circle of Magic" quartet, Tamora Pierce introduced readers to four young mages who each had different magical abilities. Briar Moss, the plant mage, is featured in this second book (Scholastic, 2001) of a new quartet. Briar has traveled to Chammur with his mentor, Rosethorn, in order to help the farmers of the town. While roaming the busy market, Briar meets a street urchin who has the ability to turn lumps of rock into glowing stones. Briar is dismayed to learn that since he discovered Evvy's magic, he is responsible for training her. Matters become complicated when rival street gangs struggle to control Evvy for their own ends. Evil Lady Zenadia controls one of the gangs and is determined to have her way. Pierce fans will find much to enjoy here. Briar is a likeable character and it is amusing to see his role reversal from student to teacher. The accompanying music enhances the Middle-Eastern setting. The full cast of narrators do a fine job of bringing all the characters to life. A treat for fantasy fans.-Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Pierce (Magic Steps, 2000, etc.) continues to individually develop her quartet of adolescent mages. Former street rat Briar Moss, now 14 and a fully certified Mage, visits the distant city of Chammur with his mentor Rosethorn, in order to use their plant magic to replenish its depleted soil. While sightseeing, Briar discovers the homeless waif Evvy leaking stone magic. Reluctantly tutoring her in the control of her incipient powers, he becomes embroiled in a gang war, as the Vipers, prodded by a bored noblewoman, seek to profit by Evvy's talents. While retaining his most appealing traits-his affectionate bond with plant life, his jaundiced skepticism towards authority, and the prickly sarcasm disguising his deep love for his teacher and foster sisters-Briar also matures through the rewards and frustrations of teaching; and the threat to his protégé forces him to confront his romanticized ambivalence toward his own childhood gang. Strong-willed Evvy is a delightful addition to Pierce's mostly female cast, and the villainous Lady Zenadia oozes serpentine menace. Most fascinating is rose-red Chammur itself, with its timeworn stones, bustling bazaars, dusty rooftop roads, and cool, shaded palaces. Ancient, arid, elegant, sinister, sophisticated, weary, and cruel, Chammur drips with an exotic atmosphere clearly inspired by (if uncomfortably close to stereotyping) classical Arab culture. A must for Pierce's many fans, and a solid choice for those interested in a different take on gangs, faraway lands, or just good imaginative fantasy. (Fiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews

Briar Moss reluctantly adopts street urchin Evvy, who has a powerful gift with stones. Doing so puts him back in touch with the street life he has left behind. When Briar discovers he must not only protect Evvy but also teach her to control her magic, he’s dismayed. This Full Cast Audio production manages Pierce’s large cast of characters well, with especially believable performances for main characters like put-upon but good-natured Briar, distrustful Evvy, and short-tempered Rosethorn. (In fact, Evvy’s irritable whine is so grating that it occasionally put this listener’s teeth on edge.) Narrator Bruce Coville’s pleasant delivery still manages to turn up the tension and highlight plot twists while illuminating the humor and wisdom of Pierce’s vision. J.C.G. 2007 Audies Award Finalist © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

FEB/MAR 07 - AudioFile