Circle of Magic #1: Sandry's Book Sandry's Book - Reissue

Part of the 8-book Tamora Pierce reissue for Fall 2006, this title in the Circle of Magic quartet features spellbinding new cover art. Coincides with the release of WILL OF THE EMPRESS in trade pb. Four elements of power, four mages-in-training learning to control them. In Book 1 of the Circle of Magic Quartet, gifted young weaver Sandry is brought to the Winding Circle community. There she meets Briar, a former thief with a way with plants; Daja, an outcase gifted at metalcraft; and Tris, whose connection with the weather unsettles everyone, including herself. The four misfits are taught how to use their magic, but when disaster strikes, it's up to Sandry to weave together four different kinds of power to save herself, her friends, and Winding Circle.

Tamora Pierce says she first got the idea for the Circle of Magic books by watching her mother and sister do needlework. "Seeing them knit, quilt, and crochet in the evenings, I often thought-as I eyed my two left hands-that what I witnessed was magic in our real world, the magic of turning thread and cloth into beautiful, useful things with little fuss or ceremony. That notion lodged in my brain. For years I fiddled with the concept of crafts magic, including a play, a short story, and mentions in a book that all dealt with thread magic. "At the same time I was conducting those experiments, I became friends with an artist jeweler who, over the course of his long career, had turned his hand not only to weaving, sewing, and embroidery, but also to architecture, woodworking, pottery, glassblowing, and the smithing of all kinds of metals. Our friendship broadened my conception of magic expressed in crafts, while my initial fascination with magic worked in thread gave me a place to start. Offered the chance by Scholastic to create a new magical universe, I decided to get serious about crafts and their power, both real and imagined." Tamora Pierce was born in western Pennsylvania, has lived in various states across the country, and currently resides in New York City with her husband. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she has studied social work, film, and psychology. She has worked as head writer for a radio production company, martial arts movie reviewer, housemother in a group home, literary agent's assistant, and investment banking secretary. Today she is a full-time writer. Ms. Pierce began to write at the age of eleven. Her first two fantasy cycles, The Song of the Lioness and The Immortals, are very popular with young readers and have won many honors. The Circle of Magic quartet-including Sandry's Book, Tris's Book, Daja's Book, and Briar's Book-has been hailed by reviewers as "gripping adventure" (School Library Journal) and "a rich and satisfying read" (Kirkus Reviews). Upcoming are four more books, called The Circle Opens, which will feature some characters familiar from the Circle of Magic as well as many new ones.