Tamora Pierce Books

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Tamora Pierce is an award-winning American author that writes novels for teenagers. Tamora was born in 1954 in South Connellsville, Fayette. Her mother intended to call her Tamara but the nurse filling the birth certificate wrote the wrong name.

She was the firstborn in her family, four years older than Kimberly, her first sister, and five years older than Melanie, the sister that came after. During this period, her father was working for a telephone company while her mother pursued an English degree in the hopes of becoming a teacher.

The family spent some years in Dunbar during which Tamora had no idea that they were poor because every other home in the area was in the same financial boat. The one thing they never lacked was books.

The author had an uncle who introduced her to stories like Winnie the Pooh and The Cat in the Hat. It was during this period that Tamora Pierce’s love for reading was cemented. She was such an avid reader that she distinctly remembers the two weeks they spent driving to California in 1963 after her father’s employer transferred him.

The trip stands out because the author couldn’t read. Whenever she tried, she got car sick. Tamora also remembers the inconsistency of her childhood. The family kept moving, setting up shop in places like San Mateo, Miramar, and El Granada.

Her parents eventually divorced. But before her father left, he noticed that she was always telling herself stories as she did chores around the house. He was the first person to encourage Tamora to write these stories down.

An avid fan of franchises like Star Trek and The Lord of the Rings, Tamora took her father’s advice to heart. She started writing stories that mirrored those of the authors she loved. Though, in her stories, the heroines took center stage.

Even as a child, Tamora was starkly aware of the fact that strong heroines were scarce in fantasy fiction. She sought to change this. Even though she started writing fiction so early in life, the author’s passion for this hobby did not last.

By the time she was in 10th grade, Tamora was so busy writing papers and school articles that she allowed her own stories to fall to the wayside. She knew that she was only happiest when she was writing the fiction bubbling in her mind.

But the older she got, the more practical Tamora became. After concluding that it wasn’t feasible for her to pursue a career in publishing, she went to the University of Pennsylvania to study psychology.

Tamora loved young people and she started looking for ways to help them, which is why she took part-time jobs as a student social worker. During these years, the author continued to write. Even though her satiric literary critiques kept her busy, the author was still at the University of Pennsylvania when she wrote the first few stories in The Song of the Lioness series.

Tamora Pierce Awards

Tamora has received nominations for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards. She won the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award.

Best Tamora Pierce Books

Tamora writes stories with strong female characters because she never saw them in her favorite books when she was a child. The character of ‘Alanna’ is based on her sister, Kimberly. Some of the best books in Tamora’s bibliography include:

The First Adventure: Alanna and her twin, Thom, were convinced that they had no say in their destinies. Thom was expected to pursue knighthood while Alanna went on to master the art of magic. However, all Alanna wanted was to undertake the adventures associated with knighthood that only the boys were permitted to enjoy.

Thom, for his part, yearned for the chance to learn magic. So they switched places. Alanna has become Alan. By pretending to be a boy, she hopes to fool the instructors at the Castle of King Roald long enough to complete her training.

In the Hand of the Goddess: Alanna did the impossible. Disguised as a boy, she became a squire. Now the true test of her skill is about to emerge. Prince Jonathan knows Alanna’s true identity. He is also her best friend, and Alanna must do everything in her power to protect him from an evil sorcerer.

When Does The Next Tamora Pierce book come out?

The next book by Tamora Pierce is Alanna and will be released on May, 13th 2025. It is the newest book in the Song of the Lioness Graphic Novels Series.

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