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Tamora Pierce
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Magic Steps (The Circle Opens, Book 1) Mass Market Paperback – April 1, 2001

by Tamora Pierce (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 775 ratings
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Part of the 8-book Tamora Pierce reissue for Fall 2006, this title in the Circle Opens quartet features spellbinding new cover art. Concides with the release of WILL OF THE EMPRESS in trade pb.

Lady Sandrilene fa Toren knows all about unusual magic--she herself spins and weaves it like thread. But when she witnesses a boy dancing a spell, even she is confounded. To her dismay she gets news of a mysterious murderer stalking a clan of local merchants. The killer employs the strangest magic of all: the ability to reduce essence to nothingness. As the murders mount and the killer grows bolder, Sandry's teaching takes on a grave purpose. It becomes clear to everyone that the killings can only be stopped by the combined magic of two people: the young teacher and her even younger student.
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    12 years and up
  2. Book 1 of 4
    The Circle Opens
  3. Print length
    264 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    7 - 9
  6. Dimensions
    4.5 x 0.75 x 7 inches
  7. Publisher
    Scholastic Paperbacks
  8. Publication date
    April 1, 2001
  9. ISBN-10
    0590396056
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0590396059
  11. See all details
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New in teachers' picks. More children's books by grade. New in teachers' picks. More children's books by grade.

Editorial Reviews

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.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scholastic Paperbacks; Reissue edition (April 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0590396056
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0590396059
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.99 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.5 x 0.75 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 775 ratings

About the author

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Tamora Pierce

Tamora Pierce

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Tamora Pierce is a bestselling author of young adult fantasy books that break past the traditions of the fantasy genre to feature teenage girls as knights, wizards, and above all: heroes. A #1 New York Times bestseller and the recipient of the 2013 Margaret A. Edwards award, Tamora has written over 30 books, including the newly-released TEMPESTS AND SLAUGHTER.

Tamora was drawn to books from a young age. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, the child of a "long, proud line of hillbillies," her family never had much. "We were poor, but I didn't know it then. We had a garden where my folks grew fruit and vegetables and our water came from a well," she explains. But one thing they did have was plenty of books. So Tamora read.

A self-proclaimed "geek," she devoured fantasy and science fiction novels, and by the age of 12 was mimicking her literary idols and writing her own action-packed stories. It was thanks to her father that Tamora began writing. "He heard me telling myself stories as I did dishes, and he suggested that I try to write some of them down," Pierce says.

But Tamora's novels had one major difference: unlike the books she was reading, her stories featured teenaged girl warriors. "I couldn't understand this lapse of attention on the part of the writers I loved, so until I could talk them into correcting this small problem, I wrote about those girls, the fearless, bold, athletic creatures that I was not, but wanted so badly to be."

Seventeen years later, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, a brief career in teen social work and some time spent writing for radio, Tamora Pierce held true to her childhood crusade, and published ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE, the first in a quartet about a valiant, young, female warrior. Pierce's heroine struck a chord with readers across the country and quickly earned her a loyal following.

Now, with over 30 critically-acclaimed books to her name, Pierce lives in upstate New York with her husband Tim and their menagerie of nine cats, two birds, a flock of pigeons, various raccoons and squirrels, and one opossum. "It's a pretty good life, if I do say so myself. Struggling along as a kid and even through my twenties, it's the kind of life I dreamed of but never believed I would get. Yet here I am, after a lot of work, a lot of worry, a lot of care for details, and a massive chunk of luck, the kind that brought me such strong friends and readers. Pretty good for a hillbilly, yes? And I never take it for granted."

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
775 global ratings
Misleading - buyers beware - did not receive the same edition as in the picture
1 Star
Misleading - buyers beware - did not receive the same edition as in the picture
I have read this series before (borrowed at the library) and it is a great series for young adults with strong female characters. I wanted to buy this book because 1/ I loved the series so much I wanted to buy the whole series and 2/ I was looking forward to complete the edition I had of the series. I received the book but it was not the same edition so I feel really really disappointed. This was misleading. Hence the one star review.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
This was a reread, but I really didn't remember most of the story. I liked getting to see Sandry grow.
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Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars Tammy does it again. Lovely book.
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
The Emelan series is always a favorite of mine, and this is no exception. All of them involve the nuances of finding magic in every day things, and this one confronts the idea of breaking away from your family to attempt something entirely new. While it is technically a YA book, I'm 31, and I still love Tamora Pierce books; I've been reading them since I was 9, and I'll never stop. I can't recommend her stuff enough, particularly if you're a parent with children and you want a book to share and talk about together.
One person found this helpful
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Murph01
4.0 out of 5 stars Magic Steps: Dancing into the Circle Opens Quartet
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2014
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This quartet continues telling the lives of the four young mages who were introduced in the previous quartet. In that series, all of the students were together in each book, although one took a primary role. This series begins four years later, and the mages are no longer together: Tris, Daja, and Briar are off on journeys with their mentors, while Sandry has remained in Sumersea to care for her uncle, the Prince. In this novel, we see Sandry growing into adult roles: assisting her uncle with running the city, becoming a training mage for a young man who possesses a rare wild magic but has had no training, and taking a dangerous part in discovering and attempting to trap a pair of assassins who are slaughtering a merchant family (men, women, and children).
Pierce is a wonderful writer, and this novel continues that pattern. Her characters feel "real"; they grow and change as the books develop; her descriptions of life in Sumersea are detailed and interesting; the plot is tense and engaging. This is a tough book to put down: less than 24 hours for me. Now I can't wait to see how the other three are faring in the rest of the quartet.
3 people found this helpful
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SarahtheEagle
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2017
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I loved this book! I always identified the strongest with Sandry, and seeing her frustration with Pasco and her Uncle was so relatable.
It's been a while since I picked up a Tamora Pierce novel, and I forgot how violent they get. It's tasteful, but unlike a lot of other YA or children's novelists, Pierce doesn't always pull punches. People get straight-up murdered in this book. Even an infant. Which is horrifically brutal for a book, but totally realistic for the story.
In all honesty, I thought the book was going to go in a different direction than it did - I was worried for Lord Vedris! - but I really loved where it went. It tied together really nicely, and the action scenes are always good. The ending with what Sandry did was BALLSY and I LOVE IT. Finally, we get a protagonist who is ready to make the hard choices and get her hands dirty instead of roll over like an obedient puppy when faced with a hostage situation.
Can't wait to read the other 3
One person found this helpful
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K.W.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for adults and teens
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2017
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I loved the Circle Magic series when I first discovered them about 5 yrs ago, but like a lot of people life and other interests took me to other authors. I am happy to reconnect and discover the rest of the series. T.Pierce has a wonderful way of easing you into her artfully descriptive worlds without losing you in too many details. The characters of the first set of books are there, and she gives you just enough to say, even after years, oh I remember that or to perhaps a new reader to the series just enough to engrossed them so they might want to read the previous books. However you don't have to go back, bc this is a joy ride of a story by itself with new characters and a plot that makes you want to finish the book in one day... Start reading it, you will not want to put it down.
Forgive me if I rambled on too much in this review, I'm a visual artist not a writer.
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Loren Harkins
5.0 out of 5 stars great new series
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2014
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Magic Steps is book one in the new series The Circle Opens, following the series The Circle of Magic, by Tamora Pierce.

Our favorite four mages have grown up a bit and scattered to different countries for their own adventures. Poor Sandry is left at home with her uncle the Duke. Of course, this may sound like the short end of the stick, but Sandry soon find out there's a set of murderers loose in her city and they don't intend to stop. Together with the law keepers of the city, Sandry must stop the killing.

Of course, finding a new mage with dance magic only complicates matters. Pasco is young and sure he doesn't have the magic Sandry can see in him. She works him through his doubt and trains him in the ways of magic. And he could be an instrumental part of bringing down the bad guys, if she can just get him to focus.
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Tj Reilley
5.0 out of 5 stars Sandry the She-ro Again
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2005
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Sandry starts off the second Pierce quartet covering the lives of the four young mages at age 14, now. This book gives all of the Circle of Magic fans just what we were waiting for after immersing ourselves in the Winding Circle lives of Sandry, Tris, Daja, and Briar and their great mage teachers Lark, Niko, Frostpine, and Rosethorn.

Sandry, still a student of Lark's, finds herself in the "in between" role of teacher as well. I don't want to say too much because, as readers of Pierce know, the unfolding of the plot is pure "magic." This one is filled with Pierce's wonderful wisdom and insight ---"Live the moment you're in. Stay open to all the things around you ..."

Lots of new characters and developments await as Sandry and student, Pasco, begin to learn the difference between academic mages and ambient mages. So, get to reading today!!!
One person found this helpful
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Donna
5.0 out of 5 stars 2nd Book for Lady Sandrilene
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2020
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Sandry sees a magic spun by a young boy that she doesn't understand but she wants to. In order to learn the magic she has to become the boys teacher. There comes sone dark magic on the land and she knoes that she and her young pupil will have to work together to save the land.
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Top reviews from other countries

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don
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2017
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Fast perfect thankyou
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fettle
5.0 out of 5 stars 最後は考えさせられる
Reviewed in Japan on May 3, 2004
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この作者の作品は、みんな面白いのですがこんどはそれだけではなくて最後はうーんとうなってしまいます。なんでもできそうなSandyさんですが、今回は弟子を取るということで苦労してます。ここら辺は、中学で始めて後輩を教える立場になったころを思い起こしながら読みました。教えながら自分が成長するということもありますね。
はずれがない面白さなので、The Circle of Magicシリーズが面白かったというひとはこいつも読んではどうでしょうか（OpensよりもMagicの方が先なのでまずはMagicを読みましょう）。
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Marek Kuczynski
5.0 out of 5 stars You won't be disappointed - quite the contrary!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2001
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This book is amazing. It lives up to all Tamora Pierce's previous books and it proves that not all sequels are bad ones. In this book, Sandry is looking after her sick uncle, away from Winding Circle. Then she sees a boy called Pasco dancing magic, and Lark tells her that as she is the discovering mage, she is the one who must teach him. Sandry ends up having to teach Pasco (which isn't as easy as it sounds!) and she has to find a way to stop the Rokat family being wiped out my two assassins and a mage who works wih the sinister unmagic... Read it - it's amazing.
4 people found this helpful
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Joann W
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2016
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always a good read
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Christy B.
3.0 out of 5 stars First book of circle opens
Reviewed in Canada on June 6, 2015
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This is great reading for young people. I feel as if this book was written by a really young author!? Enjoy
Seems as if these books are rather "short".
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