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198th out of 1,143 books
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4,667 voters
Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest (Rowan Hood #1)
by
Nancy Springer (Goodreads Author)
Rosemary has nowhere to go when her beloved mother dies. She has never met her father-the outlaw Robin Hood-and she's grown up among the woodland creatures her mother loved. So she decides to change her name to Rowan, disguise herself as a boy, and undertake a perilous journey through Sherwood Forest, in search of Robin Hood. But how will she find him? And will he offer he...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
September 16th 2002
by Puffin
(first published June 25th 2001)
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3 1/2
From the author of the Enola Holmes stories (which, if you've been paying attention, you know I adore) - a similar type of story which follows the daughter of Robin Hood. Since I quite like Robin Hood as much as Sherlock Holmes, I just had to give them a go.
I thought the story was pretty good, and I liked the magical/fae (aelfe in the book) aspects of the story, definitely adding a fantasy element to the story.
I admit I was a bit worried that the stories would be a little too similar to th...more
From the author of the Enola Holmes stories (which, if you've been paying attention, you know I adore) - a similar type of story which follows the daughter of Robin Hood. Since I quite like Robin Hood as much as Sherlock Holmes, I just had to give them a go.
I thought the story was pretty good, and I liked the magical/fae (aelfe in the book) aspects of the story, definitely adding a fantasy element to the story.
I admit I was a bit worried that the stories would be a little too similar to th...more
Boy, Logan just ate this up. Rosemary's half-Aelpha (sort of Elfen) mother is killed by the local lord's henchmen, so she has to figure out how to survive on her own. Her mother had once said that Rosemary's father was Robin Hood, so she sets out to find him, acquiring on the way a dog/wolf, an over-sized boy minstrel as a friend, and some help from her Aelpha kinsfolk. She disguises herself as a boy and takes the name Rowan. There are 4 more books in the series and although it looks like they'r...more
Aug 11, 2011
Lisa Rathbun
added it
I always hem and haw over the star ratings - maybe I should give this a five. I thought it was a well-written and exciting YA book. Robin Hood is the Robin Hood of legend - both reckless and gallant. The descriptions of the woods are compelling and make me wish I were there!
The story could confuse some young readers though, because it seems to be historic fiction but is really fantasy. One thinks it is a tale set in the brutal middle ages, but then suddenly finds references not only to spirits...more
The story could confuse some young readers though, because it seems to be historic fiction but is really fantasy. One thinks it is a tale set in the brutal middle ages, but then suddenly finds references not only to spirits...more
Nov 11, 2012
Jessica
added it
I can remember liking the first book of this series. (It's been several years since I read these) The concept of a series about Robin Hood's daughter was so interesting. I also remember not liking some of the books in this series just because, it was about a tom-boy, independent minded girl living in the forest with a bunch of guys. It wasn't so much that she was with a bunch of guys as it was, some of the predicaments that came up due to the fact that she was the only girl. The boys in her band...more
This is a great book that makes the legendary story of Robin Hood accessible to girls, and lets them experience similar adventures from a girl's point of view. The protagonist is a young girl named Rosemary whose mother is part aelfin, which gave her some magical powers, most especially in the art of healing. Rosemary returns home one day to find her cottage burned down, and herself newly orphaned. Her mother had always told her that her father was Robin Hood, and so she sets out to find him and...more
Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest was a bit silly at times, but hey, it's in the YA section, so it's bound to have a bit of childlike fun in it. On the whole I really, really enjoyed the book, which is part Robin Hood, part My Side of the Mountain, and part The Mists of Avalon.
Reading this made me want to pick up more Nancy Springer. Upon entering this review I learned that Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest is actually part of series. This pleases me greatly, but I'm also curi...more
Reading this made me want to pick up more Nancy Springer. Upon entering this review I learned that Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest is actually part of series. This pleases me greatly, but I'm also curi...more
Thirteen-year-old Rosemary and her mother, a healer with elfin blood and powers, have always lived alone in a small cottage in the forest. The villagers come to her mother for cures, but the lord and his men fear and distrust her, believing her to be a witch. But Rosemary never expects that they would go so far as to kill her mother. But in just a few moments on a peaceful day, they do. Rosemary knows the same men who killed her mother might now come after her, even though she lacks her mother's...more
I harbour the unjustified prejudice that the YA books that work best are those that continue to work for an adult audience, but I don't really know how it holds up; the numerous problems I had with this book are likely to be irrelevant for its intended audience. It's an adventure. A circle of loyal friends accrue around the brave protagonist. Gender disguise (actually plausible) and Mary-Sueism abound. Adults are threatening and difficult to talk to, but this can be overcome. It's an enjoyable r...more
Rosemary has nowhere to go when her beloved mother dies. She has never met her father-the outlaw Robin Hood-and she's grown up among the woodland creatures her mother loved. So she decides to change her name to Rowan, disguise herself as a boy, and undertake a perilous journey to Sherwood Forest, in search of Robin Hood.
It was interesting, a bit magical, a tad slow and not very exciting. I can not believe that this is the same author of the Enola Holmes' witty and entertaining and sometimes dow...more
It was interesting, a bit magical, a tad slow and not very exciting. I can not believe that this is the same author of the Enola Holmes' witty and entertaining and sometimes dow...more
Rosemary is a misplaced girl in a big forest. Shortly after her mother is murdered by the castlefolk, Rowan is forced to rename herself and the future of her life. She must go as a boy where no girl nor woman would dare to travel, for an uncertain reward: for a new life, a home... and maybe for the first time, a father. Celandine, her mother, had only mentioned Robin Hood in passing, and only went as far to tell Rowan that he was her father and that he lived far, far away, on the other side of S...more
BY complete happenstance I have recently found myself reading a lot of female empowerment for teens type books. I.e. this and the Enola Holmes Mysteries. I have enjoyed both and really found this one to be well written and rather delightful.
I read these types of books to avoid the really heavy stuff. Sometimes you just want to get lost in a book and feel all akin to the characters without having to decipher text or find hidden meanings. Sometimes (as it often isn't in life) it is nice to just be...more
I read these types of books to avoid the really heavy stuff. Sometimes you just want to get lost in a book and feel all akin to the characters without having to decipher text or find hidden meanings. Sometimes (as it often isn't in life) it is nice to just be...more
(Genre:Children's fiction/fantasy) After the death of 13 year old Rosemary's mother, Rose (soon to call herself Rowan) heads off to Sherwood forest to find the father that she never knew--Robin Hood, the famous outlaw bandit.
My sons were appalled that someone wrote a story about Robin Hood having an illegitimate child. "What?!! What about Maid Marion?" they asked. You have to understand that their favorite movie when they were young was "The Adventures of Robin Hood" starring Errol Flynn (very o...more
My sons were appalled that someone wrote a story about Robin Hood having an illegitimate child. "What?!! What about Maid Marion?" they asked. You have to understand that their favorite movie when they were young was "The Adventures of Robin Hood" starring Errol Flynn (very o...more
I love Robin Hood stories, and was really intrigued by the thought of his having a daughter and seeing what her adventures were like. This book really disappointed me. I expected so much more from it.
Rosemary knows that she's the daughter of Sherwood's most famous outlaw, Robin Hood, and after her mother's murder she decides that she will go join her father's ranks. The catch? Not only is she a girl, but her father doesn't even know she exists. So, she changes her name to Rowan and makes her app...more
Rosemary knows that she's the daughter of Sherwood's most famous outlaw, Robin Hood, and after her mother's murder she decides that she will go join her father's ranks. The catch? Not only is she a girl, but her father doesn't even know she exists. So, she changes her name to Rowan and makes her app...more
This writer started out with an awesome idea...telling a story of Robin Hood from his daughter's perspective. This story had some very masterful and unique elements to it. But I didn't like the way Rowan Hood seem to resent the fact she was a girl. She wants to do boy things and I relate to that (I was and still am a bit of a Tom-Boy myself), but the impression I received was that she considered her feminity as an inconvenience. I felt that the book also lacked the amount of swash-buckling actio...more
After her greenwitch mother is killed by the local lord's men, Rosemary is left with no where to live. With just her half-wolf and a shoddy bow to protect her, Rosemary tramps to Sherwood Forest, where she hopes to find the notorious outlaw Robin Hood--her father. The beginning is particularly enchanting, with lots of earthy details about living off the land. The end is a little contrived ((view spoiler)...more
What a fun romp! When her mother is murdered, 13-yr-old Rowan sets off to find her father, Robin Hood. Helped by her mother's elfin magic, a playful wolf-dog and a giant boy who makes magical music, she finds Robin Hood. More adventures await, as Robin is captures and Rowan's motley group joins Robin's band to rescue him.
Don't expect a deep or adult-level tale. This is a short, fun book for girls in grades 3-8, especially those who like outdoor, rough-and-tumble adventure stories.
This is the...more
Don't expect a deep or adult-level tale. This is a short, fun book for girls in grades 3-8, especially those who like outdoor, rough-and-tumble adventure stories.
This is the...more
This was a fun, quick read, and I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the series. I like Rowan a lot, especially with how honest she was with herself, her friends, and her father. I liked how she wasn't afraid to be herself and how kind she is. I also thought Robin was stellar--Springer did a good job showing why men would follow him--and that he really handled the whole thing well. If I'd gotten to be a father the way he'd gotten to be a father, I might have been a tiny bit put out/sh...more
This was awful. It read like a self-insert fanfic... right down to Rowan making her own band of "merry men" that included a horrifically childish minstrel (he seriously called people "meanie!") and a princess on the run from an arraigned marriage (and nowhere do they indicate what this girl is a princess OF... there was a limited amount of royalty in England, and this girl was someone completely made up).
Painfully anachronistic, a super-modern girl in Medieval England, and too simplistic for eve...more
Painfully anachronistic, a super-modern girl in Medieval England, and too simplistic for eve...more
Apr 01, 2012
Grace
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens,
fantasy-or-syfy
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
view all 11 comments
Good book even for fantasy
Rosemary’s mother dies and all she knows of her family is that her mother was an elfe and her father is Robin Hood, whom she has never met. She sets out to meet him and along the way she meets
Guy of Gisborn - hunter of outlaws who rides armoured in black horse hide
Tykell - wolf-dog who befriends Ro and who can catch arrow in mid flight
Lionel - harper boy who’s harp playing enchants all who hear it
Ettarde - Etty - a runaway princess who Rowan rescues
Rosemary’s mother dies and all she knows of her family is that her mother was an elfe and her father is Robin Hood, whom she has never met. She sets out to meet him and along the way she meets
Guy of Gisborn - hunter of outlaws who rides armoured in black horse hide
Tykell - wolf-dog who befriends Ro and who can catch arrow in mid flight
Lionel - harper boy who’s harp playing enchants all who hear it
Ettarde - Etty - a runaway princess who Rowan rescues
A super quick read with a plucky heroine (Ha. Plucky. But she is!). I was hoping for something a bit more like the Enola Holmes series, which I absolutely adore. I think the difference for me was in how I connected with the supporting cast of characters, and while I loved Ty, I didn't feel much for any of the humans other than Rowan. I'll probably give the rest of the series a try since it was such a speedy read, and I'd definitely recommend it to kids, it's just not my favorite from Springer.
Great YA book. Read it this morning and really enjoyed it. I loved the protagonist Rowan (a.k.a. Rosemary) who is Robin Hood's daughter. It was a fun read for adults who like to take a break from adult reading and head into the world of YA.
I really liked Nancy Springer's series about Elona Holmes (Sherlock's much younger sister) also. Springer writes wonderfully strong girl protagonists who are independent and yet understand the longing for family and a few good girlfriends.
I really liked Nancy Springer's series about Elona Holmes (Sherlock's much younger sister) also. Springer writes wonderfully strong girl protagonists who are independent and yet understand the longing for family and a few good girlfriends.
Aug 21, 2012
Megan
added it
I quickly consumed another series by Enola Holmes author Nancy Springer--very enjoyable, and absorbing. These were written before the Enola Holmes books, and seem a little rougher by contrast, but perhaps that is just due to my preference for the later series. I think it very satisfying to upend and investigate these classic stories from a girl's perspective--and to accomplish it without diminishing the allure of the original works. I look forward to more from this author.
This was a pretty good little juvenile historical fiction/fantasy book. Very quick and easy (I read it in about an hour). The only thing that's keeping me from passing it down to Amya to read is that it has a couple references to prima nocte (sp?) and being a virgin on the wedding night and, maybe this is native of me but oh well, I'm just not ready for her to be reading stuff that talks about that. Other than those couple of things, it's one I'm sure she would like.
Rosemary flees to Sherwood forest when her mother is murdered and their house burned down. Rosemary renames herself Rowan, disguised as a boy, and takes up with Robin Hood's men in an effort to learn more about her father: Robin Hood.
This was a mildly entertaining, quick read. Not as good as the Enola Holmes series. The plot was predictable with no twists or turns and the characters, while interesting, weren't enough to carry the book alone. Not a bad book, but I doubt I'll be reading the others...more
This was a mildly entertaining, quick read. Not as good as the Enola Holmes series. The plot was predictable with no twists or turns and the characters, while interesting, weren't enough to carry the book alone. Not a bad book, but I doubt I'll be reading the others...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When Rosemary's mother is murdered because they believed she was a witch, Rosemary renounces her femininity. She becomes Rowan and sets out to find someone she's never met before--her father. Rowan's father is none other than infamous outlaw Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest is fraught with much peril. Rowan rescues a princess from a unhappy marital fate and befriends a minstrel. She, like her father before her, becomes an outlaw.
What I thought: I love the idea of giving favorite stories a fresh face...more
What I thought: I love the idea of giving favorite stories a fresh face...more
Rosemary has nowhere to go when her beloved mother dies. She has never met her father-the outlaw Robin Hood-and she's grown up among the woodland creatures her mother loved. So she decides to change her name to Rowan, disguise herself as a boy, and undertake a perilous journey through Sherwood Forest, in search of Robin Hood. But how will she find him? And will he offer he
Once in a while, you come across a book that you think "Wow, as a kid's book, this was really good." I'm sorry to say, this is not that book. Overall, it was the plotline that got me, and the overall writing. It has nothing to do with my higher level of reading, because even my six year old niece thougt this book was really bad.
Just as good as I remembered! Now I'm desperately wanting to re-read the whole series though and I have waaaay too many other books to be reading at this time. It is a very quick read. I read it in probably an hour and a half. And I will admit, I am a very fast reader, but this book just flew by. It was great to re-read this story I read when younger because it isn't stupified for the younger children. I can read it now and not gag at the simplicity of it because it's not that stupid and simple....more
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BIO -- NANCY SPRINGER
Nancy Springer has passed the fifty-book milestone, having written that many novels for adults, young adults and children, in genres including mythic fantasy, contemporary fiction, magical realism, horror, and mystery -- although she did not realize she wrote mystery until she won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America two years in succession. DARK LIE...more
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