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Outlaw: The Story of Robin Hood
After a fierce storm, a boy discovers a human skull, buried beneath the roots of an ancient tree. A skull with a legendary story…
Vivid re-imagining of the legendary hero Robin Hood by bestselling author of War Horse.
“Tell the sheriff, tell Sir Guy of Gisbourne, tell everyone in Nottingham, that the Outlaws rule here in Sherwood, that we rule in the king’s name… I am Robin Hood.”
Homeless and lost in a dark, strange forest, young Robin is rescued by a motley crew of misfits. He yearns to avenge his father and seek justice against cruel oppressors, to finally defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham, once and for all.
And through his friends, Robin Hood finds the courage to become a legendary hero.
Vivid re-imagining of the legendary hero Robin Hood by bestselling author of War Horse.
“Tell the sheriff, tell Sir Guy of Gisbourne, tell everyone in Nottingham, that the Outlaws rule here in Sherwood, that we rule in the king’s name… I am Robin Hood.”
Homeless and lost in a dark, strange forest, young Robin is rescued by a motley crew of misfits. He yearns to avenge his father and seek justice against cruel oppressors, to finally defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham, once and for all.
And through his friends, Robin Hood finds the courage to become a legendary hero.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Michael Morpurgo
571 books2,805 followersSir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
April 30, 2017
Recenzia completă: http://bit.ly/2qsIvKw
„- Orice s-ar întampla, i-a spus ea, te întorci în pădure, nu-i așa?”
Înainte de Legolas, Oliver Queen, Hawkeye, Katniss Everdeen sau Susan Pevensie l-am cunoscut pe Robin Hood. Unul dintre eroii copilăriei noastre, fie că ne gândim la superba animaţie din 1973 sau la numeroasele adaptări „înşirate” în ultimii zeci de ani (în caz că nu ştiaţi, următorul film apare în 2018), Proscrisul este o legendă a literaturii universale, „transpus” în ficţiune de către numeroşi autori, printre care îi amintim pe Howard Pyle, Alexandre Dumas sau pe Roger Lancelyn Green.
Acum, mulţumită bufniţei Nemi, pe listă îl adăugăm şi pe Michael Morpurgo. Povestea lui Robin Hood îmi este atât de familiară, încât nu mă aşteptam ca autorul să vină cu schimbări majore sau cu o viziune diferită a evenimentelor. Însă, cum fiecare legendă, chiar şi cea rescrisă, are un farmec aparte, stilul lui Morpurgo se reflectă în mici detalii strecurate inteligent în acţiune, prelungind aventurile lui Robin Hood şi oferindu-ne chiar şi o privelişte în spatele cortinei, după ce răufăcătorii sunt învinşi, iar Richard Inimă de Leu îşi recapătă tronul.
„- Orice s-ar întampla, i-a spus ea, te întorci în pădure, nu-i așa?”
Înainte de Legolas, Oliver Queen, Hawkeye, Katniss Everdeen sau Susan Pevensie l-am cunoscut pe Robin Hood. Unul dintre eroii copilăriei noastre, fie că ne gândim la superba animaţie din 1973 sau la numeroasele adaptări „înşirate” în ultimii zeci de ani (în caz că nu ştiaţi, următorul film apare în 2018), Proscrisul este o legendă a literaturii universale, „transpus” în ficţiune de către numeroşi autori, printre care îi amintim pe Howard Pyle, Alexandre Dumas sau pe Roger Lancelyn Green.
Acum, mulţumită bufniţei Nemi, pe listă îl adăugăm şi pe Michael Morpurgo. Povestea lui Robin Hood îmi este atât de familiară, încât nu mă aşteptam ca autorul să vină cu schimbări majore sau cu o viziune diferită a evenimentelor. Însă, cum fiecare legendă, chiar şi cea rescrisă, are un farmec aparte, stilul lui Morpurgo se reflectă în mici detalii strecurate inteligent în acţiune, prelungind aventurile lui Robin Hood şi oferindu-ne chiar şi o privelişte în spatele cortinei, după ce răufăcătorii sunt învinşi, iar Richard Inimă de Leu îşi recapătă tronul.
August 21, 2017
I have just finished Michael Morpurgo's book - The Outlaw - an original take on the legend of Robin Hood. I did enjoy it for its quality but as an adult it didn't have enough bite for me personally. This takes nothing from the fact that Michael writes mainly for children of all ages and he has produced very many wonderful books for children to enjoy and is in my opinion, worth a read for both adults and the young. He is an outstanding and immensely popular author.
His prose is simple but compelling which is perfect for youngsters. ‘The Outlaw' is listed as for 9 to 12 year olds and of course is an easy read for adults. It can be read by anyone. Michael's take on the story of Robin Hood is powerful and moving in that first of all he introduces children to a little history relating to the time of Richard the Lionheart and King John his brother who was a caretaker King while Richard was away fighting in The Crusades. He shows rather than tells these facts. His aim as in all of his books depending on the age of his readers is to also bring before his readers, the morals human beings live by and the emotions we all feel both good and evil. The basic common theme is good versus evil.
I was surprised to find the author's personal approach to the legend was for me, interesting and it varies substantially with the usual books written about Robin Hood, but as I am not keen on spoilers, I won't go into too many details here. Enough to say that Michael pulls no punches in how he deals with cruelty, murder and death. He writes by 'showing' rather than in many children's books that just tell the story; which produces a deeper emotional impact on the reader. For me, I therefore feel it is more a book for older children because of this.
He deals with qualities such as friendship, loyalty, cameradie, justice, injustice, pain, anger betrayal, deceit, unforgiveness, the need for power, greed hatred and so on.
He writes of the strength of feelings inherent in both love and hate. He teaches but does not preach as he tackles diverse topics that the world is familiar with but on the level a child will understand and appreciate.
A child will learn of morality, human failings that we all have. No one is 100% good, even the 'goodies' (an important distinction in that many books hail the hero as perfect) He cleverly portrays this without risking a child's natural leaning toward 'a hero' He shows things can go wrong and for me the hardest lesson to teach his readers - not every story ends happily ever after for that is not true to life. As an adult I still kept hoping things would work out and felt so sad at the end.
I would recommend this book strongly for its excellent qualities... but with caution regarding the age and maturity of the child. If you are not sure, perhaps read it yourself first. Michael Morpurgo has written lots of other books that are more suitable for the younger child.
February 27, 2020
Никога не се уморявам да препоръчвам творчеството на сър Майкъл Морпурго. Авторът на филмирания от Спилбърг роман „Боен кон” бързо се превърна в един от личните ми фаворити, а и всеки на когото съм връчил някоя от книгите му неизменно остава доволен. С вече над 130 книги зад гърба си, Морпурго неслучайно е известен в родната си Великобритания като Майсторът на истории. Сред тях е и поредица, в която писателят дава нов живот на някои класически сюжети. Легендарни образи като Крал Артур и Жана д'Арк стават близки и понятни на днешните деца, които не си падат по сухите и дистанцирани исторически текстове. Първата книга от този цикъл, „Робин Худ”, е вече и на български, в разкошното издание на „Лабиринт”, илюстровано от дългогодишния колаборатор на Майкъл Морпурго – художника Майкъл Форман. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
March 19, 2017
Definitely for children but a decent read and a new slant. Read in my pursuit of the legend of Robin Hood.
December 8, 2015
This book is about The True Story of Robin Hood. It all starts when a boy of today's dream turns to be a real story. Robin Hood always hated the Sheriff of Nottingham and loved to help the poor. He and his dad would always hunt the deer and give it to the poor, until one day the Sheriff of Nottingham's men capture Robin's dad and Robin is left alone in the forest. Then he is adopted by outlaws who own the woods and feed and help the poor as well. Robin soon becomes the leader, and he and his outlaws start to take down the Sheriff piece by piece until they have their King back, who was away on a crusade in Jerusalem. Robin meets lot's of people that help him, but also the Abess of Kirkleigh, who wants Robin Hood dead just as much as The Sheriff. After around 10 years, Robin and his outlaws have the ransom to pay for the release of the king in Austria. The king asks Robin to be part of the kings council, and he accepts, but Robin gets used to the fame that his wife leaves him in London. When Robin realizes what happened he went after his wife, but ends up in a care house, but secretly the Abbess poisons Robins soup and he gets killed by the poison. One theme is accepting others and caring for people less fortunate.
January 4, 2014
This is an enjoyable young adult novel, and a decent retelling of the Robin Hood legend. The story is greatly simplified, but it is well-told overall with some clever twists and turns.
I would agree with other reviewers who found the present-day framing narrative around the story to be quite unnecessary to this book.
If one is looking for a decent young adult version of the legend this one stacks up somewhere in the middle, several notches above the recent A.C. Gaughen novel Scarlet and Kathryn Lasky's Hawksmaid, comparable to Nancy Springer's Rowan Hood books, but quite a few notches below Michael Cadnum's Robin Hood books.
I would agree with other reviewers who found the present-day framing narrative around the story to be quite unnecessary to this book.
If one is looking for a decent young adult version of the legend this one stacks up somewhere in the middle, several notches above the recent A.C. Gaughen novel Scarlet and Kathryn Lasky's Hawksmaid, comparable to Nancy Springer's Rowan Hood books, but quite a few notches below Michael Cadnum's Robin Hood books.
October 5, 2016
Very good writing! Happy and very very very very very very very very very very very S-A-D SAD!!!!!
August 24, 2020
WOW, this is bad. Who is it even written for? Strangely adult at times, too little dialogue and lacking the Hero's Journey you expect in middle grade...
Typical setting for Robin Hood, Richard is being held in Austria, the Sheriff and Guy are taxing and starving people. Robin is a young teen whose dad is going to be hanged for poaching, robin meets Will Scarlet's outlaws (not so typical) and Marian (who is already an outlaw), joins up with them, rescues dad (who lives, but was blinded by the Sheriff). Up to here it reads as Middle Grade - but then Robin and Marian have "a love at first" sight thing that is just, yup, they're in love(not any relationship building!) and go to bed (like, not described just "they lay together" type thing, but isn't this a kids book with a teen Robin?), and soon they are talking about their baby?! All in a dry tone, with no inner feelings/dialogue.
No characterization. Most chapters are just retelling the same old stories (meeting Tuck at the river, quarterstaff fight w/ Little John). It is super pro-monarchy, there is no talk of Norman/Saxon tension - their is even a line "people are saying Robin is the lost son of King Richard!" (...)
Robin steals from the rich, takes all the money to Austria, ransomes the King, King executes the Sheriff/Guy, Robin goes to Court and trains soldiers for crusade, then Marian is like "this isn't the Robin I know!" (I'm like, feeling that, girl!) takes their kid for Sherwood, w/ the dad (who is STILL alive?). Robin realizes he can't go on Crusade, he belongs in Sherwood! (duh) Then on the way Tuck gets sick, they all go to a church, meet the Abbess Kirklees, sister of the Sheriff and lover of Guy (weird), who is pissed at Robin and made a deal with the devil (?!) to kill him. She poisons them and he shoots the arrow and that's it. Sorry, Mike, if you wanted to write a traditional retelling, then you didn't do your research/ if you were trying to write a creative reimagining, you didn't develop the characters at all. Blahhhhh.
Typical setting for Robin Hood, Richard is being held in Austria, the Sheriff and Guy are taxing and starving people. Robin is a young teen whose dad is going to be hanged for poaching, robin meets Will Scarlet's outlaws (not so typical) and Marian (who is already an outlaw), joins up with them, rescues dad (who lives, but was blinded by the Sheriff). Up to here it reads as Middle Grade - but then Robin and Marian have "a love at first" sight thing that is just, yup, they're in love(not any relationship building!) and go to bed (like, not described just "they lay together" type thing, but isn't this a kids book with a teen Robin?), and soon they are talking about their baby?! All in a dry tone, with no inner feelings/dialogue.
No characterization. Most chapters are just retelling the same old stories (meeting Tuck at the river, quarterstaff fight w/ Little John). It is super pro-monarchy, there is no talk of Norman/Saxon tension - their is even a line "people are saying Robin is the lost son of King Richard!" (...)
Robin steals from the rich, takes all the money to Austria, ransomes the King, King executes the Sheriff/Guy, Robin goes to Court and trains soldiers for crusade, then Marian is like "this isn't the Robin I know!" (I'm like, feeling that, girl!) takes their kid for Sherwood, w/ the dad (who is STILL alive?). Robin realizes he can't go on Crusade, he belongs in Sherwood! (duh) Then on the way Tuck gets sick, they all go to a church, meet the Abbess Kirklees, sister of the Sheriff and lover of Guy (weird), who is pissed at Robin and made a deal with the devil (?!) to kill him. She poisons them and he shoots the arrow and that's it. Sorry, Mike, if you wanted to write a traditional retelling, then you didn't do your research/ if you were trying to write a creative reimagining, you didn't develop the characters at all. Blahhhhh.
December 22, 2012
Yep, it's another book by Michael Morpurgo with his trademark framing story. This one's a winner.
A boy spends a fearful night with his grandmother in the tiny room under the stairs, lit by guttering candles, as a hurricane rages outside. In the morning he races out to see if "his" tree, a great oak in a high valley, has survived. He is devastated to see it has been entirely uprooted. As he clambers down into the crater made by its overthrow, he finds a silver arrowhead, a hollow cow's horn, a long bow of wood and — a skeleton.
Fainting, he falls into a dream. Or is it the dream falling into him? Has Robin Hood come to the future and merged with his memories or has he tumbled into the past to learn the true story of the legendary Outlaw of Sherwood Forest?
The merrie men are misfits, dwarves, hunchbacks and the disabled in this retelling. Marion is a cagot, an albino. Friar Tuck is a man of faith, his failing a fondness for a little tipple too many. Little John is the king's armourer, a smith who appears — so Tuck says — because the Lord knew the Outlaws needed one. As Much the Miller's son is the answer to a need for someone to teach the Outlaws how to wrestle.
Robin has a little son Martin who is captured by treachery. It is Marion who saves him.
All the elements of the legend are there but sufficiently rearranged to contain a more than a few surprises — and keep the interest bubbling along at a very merrie pace.
One of his best.
A boy spends a fearful night with his grandmother in the tiny room under the stairs, lit by guttering candles, as a hurricane rages outside. In the morning he races out to see if "his" tree, a great oak in a high valley, has survived. He is devastated to see it has been entirely uprooted. As he clambers down into the crater made by its overthrow, he finds a silver arrowhead, a hollow cow's horn, a long bow of wood and — a skeleton.
Fainting, he falls into a dream. Or is it the dream falling into him? Has Robin Hood come to the future and merged with his memories or has he tumbled into the past to learn the true story of the legendary Outlaw of Sherwood Forest?
The merrie men are misfits, dwarves, hunchbacks and the disabled in this retelling. Marion is a cagot, an albino. Friar Tuck is a man of faith, his failing a fondness for a little tipple too many. Little John is the king's armourer, a smith who appears — so Tuck says — because the Lord knew the Outlaws needed one. As Much the Miller's son is the answer to a need for someone to teach the Outlaws how to wrestle.
Robin has a little son Martin who is captured by treachery. It is Marion who saves him.
All the elements of the legend are there but sufficiently rearranged to contain a more than a few surprises — and keep the interest bubbling along at a very merrie pace.
One of his best.
July 14, 2017
An enjoyable read.
August 17, 2019
Книгата определено e написана за по-млада аудитория, но не беше лоша. За съжаление, няма много (почти ника��ви всъщност) романи за Робин Худ на български, а тази специално е и със страхотно оформление - твърди корици, страхотни илюстрации.
October 14, 2019
Definitely not a bad read, but I was a bit underwhelmed after going in with pretty high expectations.
March 11, 2023
Not bad for a ‘kid’ book. Sad about the ending :(
May 18, 2023
The story is decently told, but I just realized that Morpurgo is really, really bad at writing romance. Thank goodness we don't get a lot of that in children's books.
August 28, 2024
This was so good, and I want more people to talk about it.
April 6, 2023
This book was great, another gem from Michael Morpurgo. The story of the outlaw Robin Hood the best book I have read on the topic. Plenty of action and easy to read, highly recommended.
August 25, 2022
Outlaw was an incredibly fun read, full of all the charms and adventure that is anticipated from a Robin Hood tale. For a children's story, this book was darker than I was expecting, but the cruelty of the world Morpurgo presents helps to make the story much more engaging. My biggest criticism was the modern day framing of the narrative which felt entirely unnecessary and the story would have been better served had it just solely focused on Robin.
As a relatively short story, character development happens pretty fast. The narrative begins when Robin is young, so the reader gets to witness his growth into the cocky and confident figure of legend which was fantastic to see. I also really liked the interactions between the Merry Men, especially the conflict that developed as they did not always agree on what the correct course of action was. The antagonists, namely the Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisbourne, were also quite prominent in the story which helped the narrative feel more fleshed out.
Outlaw was a truly entertaining retelling of the Robin Hood legend. Robin's adventures were fun and even though it was quite a short book, the characters and their motivations were still very engaging. This has quickly become one of my favourite of Morpurgo books and it is one I would certainly recommend.
Rating - 4/5
★★★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
As a relatively short story, character development happens pretty fast. The narrative begins when Robin is young, so the reader gets to witness his growth into the cocky and confident figure of legend which was fantastic to see. I also really liked the interactions between the Merry Men, especially the conflict that developed as they did not always agree on what the correct course of action was. The antagonists, namely the Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisbourne, were also quite prominent in the story which helped the narrative feel more fleshed out.
Outlaw was a truly entertaining retelling of the Robin Hood legend. Robin's adventures were fun and even though it was quite a short book, the characters and their motivations were still very engaging. This has quickly become one of my favourite of Morpurgo books and it is one I would certainly recommend.
Rating - 4/5
★★★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
June 8, 2017
Michael Morpurgo is one of my favourite authors and his book Listen To The Moon was really gripping - so I find myself a little let down by Outlaw. I loved the idea of rewriting famous legends (what better way to get young people interested in history?) and was really looking forward to this story as I've always liked Robin Hood - but I just think Michael Morpurgo glossed over the psychological journey here. I know there's a lot to fit in, but there is almost no sense of time. I found myself struggling to realise that years had gone by in the story, which is a shame as Michael Morpurgo is so good at bringing out suspense and climax. The ending of the boy's dream is a bit disappointing - Robin is portrayed as immature and as having less experience than everyone else it seems - why?
I did enjoy this book and the others that I have read by the same author, and I hope to read all of them someday, but this one just didn't quite do it for me. ;(
I did enjoy this book and the others that I have read by the same author, and I hope to read all of them someday, but this one just didn't quite do it for me. ;(
August 18, 2017
I don't know much about Robin Hood so I can't comment on its accuracy, but I know that Michael Morpurgo is quite a reliable and researched author. Outlaw was a very easy and enjoyable read and I would recommend it highly. It is quite curious how it was written. Most of the book is from Robin Hood's perspective, but you don't know whether the young boy from the first chapter is dreaming about Robin or whether Robin is dreaming about the boy. One assumes the former, particularly as it says that the boy suddenly remembers all of his 'dream', but Morpurgo has left it open to interpretation. The young boy finding the horn, arrow and stick were nice touches, connecting the two separate time settings together physically, as did the tree near the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2016
The story of Robin Hood, as told by Morpurgo.
It's a well known set of tales, and there is nothing really new here (apart from the nice touch of starting the story with Robin and indeed Marian and his friends) in their teenage years.
The expected names are all here (Little John, Friar Tuck, Sheriff and Prince John), and the story doesn't shy away from the end of Robin's adventures.
I didn't understand the bookends in the modern world, I didn't really see why they were necessary. I was listening to the audio version of this and was a little confused at both ends, it could have easily just been a re-telling of the Hood legend.
It's nicely told, with tricks and robberies, rescues and forest-hideaways.
Good, short introduction to Robin Hood.
It's a well known set of tales, and there is nothing really new here (apart from the nice touch of starting the story with Robin and indeed Marian and his friends) in their teenage years.
The expected names are all here (Little John, Friar Tuck, Sheriff and Prince John), and the story doesn't shy away from the end of Robin's adventures.
I didn't understand the bookends in the modern world, I didn't really see why they were necessary. I was listening to the audio version of this and was a little confused at both ends, it could have easily just been a re-telling of the Hood legend.
It's nicely told, with tricks and robberies, rescues and forest-hideaways.
Good, short introduction to Robin Hood.
July 24, 2016
Our text for Autumn 1 in Year 4.
A decent way to get across the story of Robin Hood, with lots of talking points: King Richard's / John's England; folklore vs. history; whether taxes are fair; etc.
To squeeze several decades into this book however, makes it feel rushed and anticlimactic.
The style of writing is sometimes dry - almost chronicle-esque - with puddle-deep emotions shoehorned in. Other times it tries to ditch the folklore style completely, as in the first and last 'flash-forward' chapters, which doesn't really work.
The ultimate effect, in any case, is not particularly memorable.
A decent way to get across the story of Robin Hood, with lots of talking points: King Richard's / John's England; folklore vs. history; whether taxes are fair; etc.
To squeeze several decades into this book however, makes it feel rushed and anticlimactic.
The style of writing is sometimes dry - almost chronicle-esque - with puddle-deep emotions shoehorned in. Other times it tries to ditch the folklore style completely, as in the first and last 'flash-forward' chapters, which doesn't really work.
The ultimate effect, in any case, is not particularly memorable.
February 15, 2014
Robin of Sherwood is an adventure story of the well known tale of Robin of Sherwood forest. The main story line is consistent but new details are prevalent creating a new take on the fantastic suspenseful adventure. The story starts off in first person narration with a boy discovering a skull by his favourite tree. Reading on in a dream like state, the story transforms into the traditional tale of Robin Hood, which soon becomes the main plot. The depiction of the original tale is wonderful and the illustrations are done in a soft colour scheme.
November 24, 2014
From my son:
I really liked this book. I've always liked Robin Hood. I like most stories placed in Medieval times.
The main conflicts he had were with the sheriff and Sir Guy of Gizborn. He was fighting them because they put high taxes on the people of Nottingham. The high point of the story is when Robin Hood and his men pop out of the wheat and start attacking the sheriff's men. They end up winning with 35 casualties on Robin's side. King Richard gets rid of the taxes. Robin becomes a knight.
I really liked this book. I've always liked Robin Hood. I like most stories placed in Medieval times.
The main conflicts he had were with the sheriff and Sir Guy of Gizborn. He was fighting them because they put high taxes on the people of Nottingham. The high point of the story is when Robin Hood and his men pop out of the wheat and start attacking the sheriff's men. They end up winning with 35 casualties on Robin's side. King Richard gets rid of the taxes. Robin becomes a knight.
November 19, 2017
AMAZING book.
August 26, 2020
This was an interesting take on the Legend of Robin Hood, but overall it was enjoyable.
It’s written for children and it’s definitely an easier understanding of the base idea of what the story is of Robin Hood. There was some very interesting changes that at first I wasn’t fond of but then eventually grew to be fine with.
The story reads quickly and while at times I did find some of the words used in it a bit out of the age range the overall telling did have that child like feel to it.
The added illustrations were nice as well.
It’s written for children and it’s definitely an easier understanding of the base idea of what the story is of Robin Hood. There was some very interesting changes that at first I wasn’t fond of but then eventually grew to be fine with.
The story reads quickly and while at times I did find some of the words used in it a bit out of the age range the overall telling did have that child like feel to it.
The added illustrations were nice as well.
February 28, 2021
I really enjoyed this fresh and different take on the legendary Robin Hood, an easy read and perfect for children and adults alike.
Morpurgo has an amazing gift of conveying simple but compelling historical stories that are easy to follow and are able to hold your interest. I find his prose and style enjoyable and easy to follow.
This book along with the novel Sparrow are great alternative reads about great historical legends and are perfect for a choice for those who wish to delve in to a good historical fiction.
Morpurgo has an amazing gift of conveying simple but compelling historical stories that are easy to follow and are able to hold your interest. I find his prose and style enjoyable and easy to follow.
This book along with the novel Sparrow are great alternative reads about great historical legends and are perfect for a choice for those who wish to delve in to a good historical fiction.
October 8, 2022
I picked this up at a local book swap, as I usually like Michael Morpurgo books. This one is the exception however.
It is a retelling of Robin Hood, which is a legend I always have time for. I really liked the Outlaws being made up of albinos, hunchbacks, dwarves and lepers. It makes sense that people who were different would be driven out into the forest.
Robin himself was likeable enough and the story familiar, but it didn’t wow me. Also the telling of the story through one of Robin’s ancestors dreaming it after finding his bones didn’t work for me. So overall, 3 stars.
It is a retelling of Robin Hood, which is a legend I always have time for. I really liked the Outlaws being made up of albinos, hunchbacks, dwarves and lepers. It makes sense that people who were different would be driven out into the forest.
Robin himself was likeable enough and the story familiar, but it didn’t wow me. Also the telling of the story through one of Robin’s ancestors dreaming it after finding his bones didn’t work for me. So overall, 3 stars.
October 25, 2022
I've not read many Michael Morpurgo books despite being told on numerous occasions how good they are. This is predominantly due to the topics they cover, so when I saw a Robin Hood story I thought it was a good opportunity to try one, and it didn't disapoint.
I enjoyed the story, the familiar tale with a twist, and the writing style. Although I haven't actually ever read any versions of this tale before, so it was a nice experience and has encouraged me to look up some of the other versions.
I enjoyed the story, the familiar tale with a twist, and the writing style. Although I haven't actually ever read any versions of this tale before, so it was a nice experience and has encouraged me to look up some of the other versions.
January 6, 2018
I found this through an online review of fairy tales. It's YA before it was called that. I am enjoying the story as I have never read any stories of Robin Hood before. The writing is definitely geared towards adolescent readers. It makes me want to read an original version with a more detailed story.
May 3, 2018
Similar to my review of Joan of Arc, it just wasn't for me, it wasn't unique enough. It kept me going, I think, but the fact that I read it so long ago, and that my only remember of it was that I didn't really like it says slot on my opinion of it. Morpurgo please stay away from biographys at the moment.
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