bookshelf

FORBIDDEN FOREST

Name: FORBIDDEN FOREST
Author: Michael Cadnum
ISBN: 0-439-31774-6

THE STORY OF LITTLE JOHN AND ROBIN HOOD

by Michael Cadnum ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2001

bookshelf

In this companion to In a Dark Wood (1998), Cadnum intertwines two tales, neither (despite the subtitle) belonging to Robin Hood. One introduces John Little, a youth strong of body but slow of thought, assistant to a thieving ferryman. When a fracas results in a knight’s death, John is protected by Red Roger, an amoral nobleman who trains him in outlawry. Repelled by Roger’s cruelty, John flees and joins the more lighthearted Robin, and soon becomes Little John, his trusted lieutenant. The second story tells of Margaret Lea, a Nottingham tradesman’s daughter, betrothed above her station. When her husband is murdered on her wedding night, Henry, the Sheriff’s avaricious deputy, attempts blackmail; but Margaret escapes to Sherwood and is rescued by Little John. Their mutual attraction inspires John to a daring scheme to free her from Henry’s threats and himself from Red Roger’s retribution. Although setting and character overwhelm the plot, Cadnum succeeds admirably in capturing the squalor and casual brutality of the times. John, the introspective giant with the instinctive connection to the spirits of woodland and field, and the more spirited Margaret, barely comprehending her own chafing at the restrictions of town life, are portrayed with subtle nuance. While modern teens may not relate to their submissive attitudes towards fate and society, they will appreciate their aspirations for self-determination. Readers looking for a swashbuckling adventure may be disappointed; those willing to put the effort into a more restrained exploration of mood and character will be rewarded. (Fiction. YA)

Pub Date: May 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-439-31774-6

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Orchard

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
SEIZE THE STORM
by Michael Cadnum

- BOOK REVIEW
FLASH
by Michael Cadnum

- BOOK REVIEW
PERIL ON THE SEA
by Michael Cadnum

bookshelf

THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE

by Rodman Philbrick ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2000

bookshelf

In this riveting futuristic novel, Spaz, a teenage boy with epilepsy, makes a dangerous journey in the company of an old man and a young boy. The old man, Ryter, one of the few people remaining who can read and write, has dedicated his life to recording stories. Ryter feels a kinship with Spaz, who unlike his contemporaries has a strong memory; because of his epilepsy, Spaz cannot use the mind probes that deliver entertainment straight to the brain and rot it in the process. Nearly everyone around him uses probes to escape their life of ruin and poverty, the result of an earthquake that devastated the world decades earlier. Only the “proovs,” genetically improved people, have grass, trees, and blue skies in their aptly named Eden, inaccessible to the “normals” in the Urb. When Spaz sets out to reach his dying younger sister, he and his companions must cross three treacherous zones ruled by powerful bosses. Moving from one peril to the next, they survive only with help from a proov woman. Enriched by Ryter’s allusions to nearly lost literature and full of intriguing, invented slang, the skillful writing paints two pictures of what the world could look like in the future—the burned-out Urb and the pristine Eden—then shows the limits and strengths of each. Philbrick, author of Freak the Mighty (1993) has again created a compelling set of characters that engage the reader with their courage and kindness in a painful world that offers hope, if no happy endings. (Fiction. 10-14)