Customer Reviews

Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl Of Sherwood Forest (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the last two outings for YA by Nancy Springer, both Arthurian tales that added a dark and tragic tinge to famed but 2-D characters. "Rowan Hood," a tale of Robin Hood's daughter in Sherwood Forest, doesn't really make me go "wow!" Maybe my expectations were too high.

Thirteen-year-old Rosemary lives with her woodwife mother Celandine (who is also part aelfe) in the forest -- until one day when the lord's horsemen ride in and burn the cottage -- and Celandine with it. Rosemary is left alone and with two options: Live in the woods and be killed eventually by the lord's men, or go to the village and be parceled off to a husband. She chooses the third option: Go off into the woods to find her father, the famed Robin Hood.

Rosemary disguises herself as a boy and heads off. Before long she encounters the mystical aelfe, a gentle giant with a gift for beautiful music, a princess running from an arrange marriage, and a wolf-dog who becomes her steadfast friend. And soon she finds that Robin Hood himself is in danger -- can she help?

Nancy Springer's use of atmosphere and mystical surroundings is as good as ever; she becomes a little less descriptive in ordinary surroundings. The actual plot is a strained idea in itself; and the product feels very bland and bloodless. It focuses less on characterization and more on the heroes dashing from one place to the next.

One of the problems is that I didn't find Rosemary particularly compelling as a heroine. Heroes like her are a dime a dozen in fantasy, and there are really no thoughts or responses from her that make her in any way interesting. The idea of a gentle giant is hardly new, but given a good twist by making him a master minstrel. The only problem arises when Springer overemphasizes his immaturity, such as whacking a knight on the head and saying "Meanie." Ettarde is the worst character in the book, who seems to think constantly about how her father tried to marry her off and who doesn't have enough pizzazz. Robin and his band are pretty cool and believable, making me wish that Springer had written a book about a woman in THEIR camp instead.

A pleasant little tale, but don't go into it with expectations that are too high.

When her half-aelfe mother, Celandine, is murdered, thirteen-year-old Rosemary Hood finds that she has no choice but to go find the father she has never known---the famous outlaw of Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood. Disguising herself as a boy, and taking the name Rowan, she begins her daring journey into Sherwood Forest to track down her father. Soon she enlists the help of a band of followers, including Lionel, the cowardly giant, who has a gift with music, a runaway princess, and a half-wolf, half-dog. Together this strange pairing of people must survive the many perils of Sherwood Forest. However when Rowan gets the news that Robin Hood had been captured, can she gather up her courage to go and save him? Can she live up to her famous name?

I had high expectations for Nancy Springer's book Rowan and many of them were met, though not all. As always Nancy Springer weaves together a great fantasy tale, but somehow Rowan just doesn't pass to me as a heroine. This book is still good and I do recommend people who enjoy fantasy to read it.

The tale of Robin Hood just never seems to get old. I would disagree with the posted age suggestion and say ages 7-10. The book is very thin and a quick read without many difficult vocabulary words.

What I enjoyed about this book was its characters. Rowan herself was more adult than child in terms of the way that she thought but was an excellent heroine due to her selflessness and desire to help others. The character of Etty will definitely will some fans as she sheds her princess role and becomes an outlaw girl, one that is one of Rowan's best friends. The only character I was a little surprised at was Robin Hood himself as he seemed to be a little too ignorant and gutsy to have really survived half a day in Nottingham. Regadless, it was an excellent and fun character.

I would say that readers of this book would also like the books by Tamora Pierce and Robin McKinley when they are older due to the definite presence of strong female heroines.

I loved Rowan Hood. I am a huge fan of books and I adore long books because they last longer. My only wish for Rowan Hood is that it were longer or had a sequal. The book is full of suprises and some humor. I read this book the day I bought it and I couldn't put it down.

I'm Ali from Texas and I read Rowan Hood Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest in the middle of the night and I couldn't put it down! Its a wonderful book and its that kind of book that makes me want to read and learn more about Robin Hood and his life! I wish there were more people who wrote books and told tales about fictional charecters! The world would be a lot more fun. I enjoyed this book because of the fun loving charecters and becasue I think every girl at my age would think of she had a little bit of Rowan Hood in them to...

A tale of Robin's young, innocent daughter, Rowan, finding her place in a world suddenly made harsh by the death of her mother. Along the way she blooms in adversity and meets new friends, two legged or four, each of them helping her come to terms with her destiny. The story ends with her and all of the characters given much room for further development, though Rowan given a firmer base than her other companions, understandably. I find that it was a good place to end considering there is obviously a sequel for one of the other main characters.

It is a nice relaxing book for those who have read too much drama and darkness in the different versions of Robin Hood. However, if it is your first time into the world of Robin Hood, make sure you're young enough to enjoy it at face value, for while the themes of the story have depth, it was written for children after all.

It was all excellently put together and I would keep this book (and perhaps its entire forthcoming series) on my shelves for my kids when I have them, right beside "Tuck Everlasting" and "Bridge to Terabithia".

I'm a bit torn on this one...one the one hand I really got a kick out of this sweet little adventure, on the other, it's a bit over-simple and predictable. With Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest we are introduced to 13 year old Rosemary (who later changes her name to Rowan) who lives with her mother (a "woodwife" - herbal healer and considered by some to be a witch) alone in the woods. Her world is torn asunder when the local Lord's men show up one day and burn down their little cottage in the wood...and her mother along with it. She wisely weighs her options and decides she'd prefer to seek out her outlaw father Robin Hood. So, she sets out disguised as a boy and along the way becomes enmeshed in her own adventure complete with a half wolf, half dog companion (who can catch arrows in mid-flight); gentle giant (and fantastically talented minstrel); a runaway princess; and of course Robin Hood and his men.

I liked the twist that the author came up with to explain who Robin Hood could so easily (and for so long) fool the Sheriff of Nottingham, it was cute, a little humorous, and I think appropriate. I'll be perfectly honest, I liked this book very much, except where I didn't...what I mean is that I (like many others) have a love of all things Robin Hood. So in that light, how could I not want to read this book AND how could I not fall in love with it? At the same time, this book is has fairly shallow characterization, the plot is pretty simple and easy to figure out, and it is almost TOO easy...BUT this isn't an adult book, it's a children's book, so this is forgivable. As an adult reading this, I can't help but think that there is a serious romanticizing of Robin and his men...that there would definitely be danger for young girls (or women in general) in the woods, this book paints Robin (and his men by association) as total gentlemen. Given the age range listed (9-12), the author probably could introduce some of the dangers that women faced (beyond what she did).

In the end, I gave this book 4 stars - it's a very cute, easy to like (and easy to read) book with an interesting and enjoyable twist on Robin Hood tales, complete with heroes, villains, fairy tale touches, and just a little magic. I think the word charming best describes Rowan Hood, it's one of those stories that is a little too perfect, but it leaves you smiling anyway.

When I read Rowan Hood, I was amazed by the emotional, detailed, and utterly unforgettable story. It's one of the most emotional books I've ever read. I enjoy the book because it's not like any other book I have ever read; it's hilarious, engaging, and filled with adventure. The characters were well developed, the plot was a page turner, and the setting was richly detailed. I would definitely recommend this book for anybody who enjoys fantasy style novels. Don't forget to check out the other books in this series, "Rowan Hood," "Lionclaw," "Outlaw Princess of Sherwood Forest," "Wild Boy," and "Rowan Hood Returns."

An awesome book by far! If you like female heroines and tales of Robin and his Merry Men this is the book for you! A book about Robin Hood's daughter who grew up with her mother just outside a small village, but when her mother dies her world turns upsidedown. Thus begins a story of courage and strength as a young girl sets out on quest to find her father.

(...)I liked this story. I thought it was a really, really good book but not perfect. The only thing that kept it from being the best was that the author gave away too much too soon sometimes.

Rowan Hood is about a girl whose house is burned down by a bad person (I'm not going to tell you who though since I don't want to spoil the story). The bad person goes on to capture and kill her mother leaving Rowan with only a father who she has never met and who lives out in the woods. Rowan is forced to use her toy bow and arrow to hunt for food to survive but eventually her skills get better and so do her weapons.

My favorite character was Guy of Gisborn. He is a bad guy who hunts outlaws but he does a lot of exciting things that make the book more adventurous.

I liked this book because there is a lot of adventure and surprises along the way. I would recommend you buy this book if you are into books that are set in the time of knights and archers. I think both kids and grownups will like this book.

If you like this book, I think you will also like The Dragon Slayer's Academy series and the Deltora Quest series.

I hope you like this book as much as I did.