SHADOWS OF SHERWOOD

Robyn is a fearless 12-year old who always seems to find trouble in this futuristic take on Robin Hood.

“She would have preferred having a friend to join her from time to time, but she found it hard to interest the other girls in even the most harmless sorts of mischief.” Her curiosity saves her life when she is out prowling in the Castle District as armed guards seize her parents, government officials, in a coup. Driven by fear and confusion, Robyn tries to learn what happened to her parents. She is joined by Laurel, a street-savvy orphan, and eventually Key, a boy who has made a home in a treehouse. As Robyn and her friends follow clues left by her father, her technical abilities and instincts help them avoid capture. However, Robyn’s efforts to help the downtrodden of Sherwood make her most wanted by the new regime. This colorful adventure does not easily fit into a genre box, as it combines futuristic elements with fantasy and folklore. The novel’s strengths are its compelling mixed-race protagonist and her growing band of friends. Robyn knows some were biased against her father’s dark skin, but the differences between people in the story have more do with societal position than race.

Although the action sometimes slows as series components are introduced, the adventure and cliffhanging ending will entice readers.