45. Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Terrier by Tamora Pierce
ISBN: 978-0375814686
Random House Books for Young Readers, New York, 2006
592 pages

Teaser: Sixteen year old Beka Cooper is a "puppy," a trainee in the law-enforcing Provost's Guard. In her diary she records her adventures and misadventures as she works to bring some measure of justice to the slums she grew up in.

Summary: Beka Cooper grew up in one of the worst slums in Corus, the capital city of Tortall. At age eight, she provides a tip to the Lord Provost, head of the Provost's Guard, that leads to the capture of a nasty gang of aggressive thieves. Impressed by her backbone and intelligence, the lord tracks Beka down and discovers her mother is dying. The lord decides to adopt Beka and her family into his household and provides for the children after the mother passes away. At 16, Beka has joined the guard herself, and is starting her first year. Guards are often referred to as "the Provost's Dogs," and a whole slew of canine slang has developed around this. New trainees, like Beka, are "puppies."

In her first year, Beka must deal not only with the normal thieves, rogues, drunks, and murderers, but also with two serial killers preying on the people in her district. As if that weren't enough, Beka can also hear more than other people can. When Beka claims her information came from a "birdie," she isn't using the dog slang for informant. The ghosts of the dead travel to the afterlife on the backs of pigeons, and Beka can hear them before they complete the journey. Dust spinners also catch voices that only Beka can hear, though only the voices of the living, carried on the wind. Pounce, Beka's cat, is also unusual, able to make himself understood with human words, though he only speaks to Beka. No matter how difficult the job seems, or how crazy her life gets, Beka is determined to catch the killers stalking the poor in her district.

Evaluation: I loved this look into the history of Tamora Pierce's well-established Tortall universe. Terrier is set in the "past" of Tortall, focusing on the six times great grandmother of the king of thieves in Tortall's "present day." Three brief journal entries from various characters lay out the base information for the story, followed by Beka's diary. Beka is an intelligent, determined young woman learning how to uphold the law in a city where the law enforcement field is still developing.

I like the way Pierce takes the time to create a glossary and character list. The developing state of the law enforcement field is explained, as are terms and slang readers might not understand. Major characters have a brief bio as well, so that readers can keep track of the large cast of characters. Beka's entry reads "Rebakah Cooper: "Beka," Puppy, Evening Watch, Jane Street kennel, training Dogs Goodwin and Tunstall, sixteen years old." While readers can pick up all of the info in the back section in the story itself, it is nice to see the extra effort. These details can also help slower readers, who might forget some things over the course of reading the book.

Challenge issues and age recommendation: Crime and magic form the base for this fantasy tale. With the journal format, the crime and violence is a bit less intense than other book formats, while the suspense and adventure remain fully intact. I'd recommend this book for readers 12 and up.