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A super quick robin hood for planet pulp’s march challenge!

Shadows of Sherwood (Robyn Hoodlum)by Kekla Magoon. Bloomsbury USA Children's Books. 2015. Review copy from publisher.


The Plot: A Robin Hood retelling, with Robyn Loxley as a twelve year old girl who seeks her imprisoned parents and allies herself with the have-nots of her world.

The Good: I love retellings, I love seeing what is kept, what is changed, how it's updated.

Confession: this is one of those books that while I'd heard a bunch of buzz, I'd avoided most reviews, wanting to read it fresh. The cover told me that the retelling was also updating the setting, putting Robyn in a modern world.

Well, I was wrong. And right. Yes, it's a modern world but it's not our modern world. The technology seems about fifty years in the future; the city is Nott City, and the discussion of the city and its surroundings, while matching the Robin Hood tales, doesn't match our own geography. So it's not just a retelling; it's a fantasy, in that it's not our world. But it's so close to our world, that even non-fantasy readers will enjoy it. And the names of places and people will make those familiar with Robin Hood smile: Loxley Manor, the Castle District, people named Tucker and Scarlet and Merryan.

Robyn is amazing. Awesome. Courageous, stubborn, smart -- and a bit spoiled. She's the child of privilege who likes to sneak out at night. It's the sneaking out that saves her, when her politically involved parents are taken as part of a coup. Suddenly, she's without anything or anyone and is forced beyond the borders of her comfortable life. For example: Robyn isn't even familiar with money or trading, because chips and credit have always covered her needs. But as she meets others -- a young girl living on her own, a boy who is hiding something -- she adjusts. Forced to be an enemy of those in charge, she quickly sides with the others who are enemies of those in power: the poor, those without connections, those living hand to mouth.

Robyn is biracial; her parents, and their backgrounds, are part of the story and even mystery Robyn is trying to uncover. Mystery may be the wrong word; but while her parents now have powerful connections and jobs, allowing for Robyn's very upper class upbringing, Shadows of Sherwood quickly sketches in the background of their lives and world. And their background is what targeted them during the current coup, and their lives before Robyn's birth is part of what she needs to learn more about to figure out her own present and future. Robyn's hair is braided, and it turns out it's a distinctive style taught to her by her father. It's unique; and when she is alone, seeing another with the same style of braid is one of those clues. While this is not our world, it's a world where skin color and money matter, just in different ways. So while there is the adventure of survival, and helping others, there is also the mystery of the past and the future and finding her parents.

This is the start of a series, and so it's Robyn's origin story. Who she was. How she becomes Robyn Hoodlum, robbing from the rich to give to the poor. With that told; and with the start of her "merry band" coming together, I look forward to what Robyn and her crew will do next.

Because Robyn is terrific. Because the world building is so full. Because it's an inventive retelling that is also true to the source. Because I want more. Shadows of Sherwood is a Favorite Book of 2015.

Meanwhile, while waiting for more Robyn, over at Nerdy Book Club the author, Kekla Magoon, shares a bit about writing this book.










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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

“Underneath this little stone
Lies Robert Earl of Huntington;
No other archer was so good -
And people called him Robin Hood.
Such outlaws as he and his men
Will England never see again.” 

_Roger Lancelyn Green

I’m late posting this (though I did do a ridiculous victory dance on Twitter when it was first announced. But I’m happy to say that Will in Scarlet is in very good company. Just in time for the holidays, too . . . .

I’m currently in lovely Saratoga Springs visiting the equally lovely Northshire Bookstore, but I wanted to take a moment from the road and share this very nice review from The Bulletin. They say so many nice things I’m going all blushy.

I’ll be traveling the country this fall talking about Will in Scarlet to any vagabonds and scallywags that will listen! Below is the schedule of where you can find me and when. Be sure to check back for updates as we get closer to the actual dates!

Huzzah!

Friday, October 4^th

Voracious Reader (Larchmont, NY)

Sunday, October 13^th

New York Comic-Con

Tuesday, October 15^th 

Lemuria Books (Jackson, MS)

Thursday, October 17^th

The Country Bookshop (Southern Pines, NC)

Friday, October 18^th

McIntyre’s Books (Chapel Hill, NC)

Saturday, October 19^th

Barnes & Noble (Cary, NC)

Sunday, October 20^th

Barnes & Noble (Skokie, IL)

Monday, October 21^st

Anderson’s Bookshop (Downer’s Grove, IL)

Tuesday, October 22^nd

The Book Stall (Winnetka, IL)

Saturday, October 26^th

Books of Wonder (New York City, NY)

Friday, November 1^st

The Center for Fiction (New York – not open to the public)

Sunday, November 3^rd

Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga, NY)

Saturday, November 9th

YALLFest (Charleston, SC)

Like a signature, each animator has their own little quirks or trademarks that distinguish their animation from others. Some draw character’s features in a unique way (eyes, hands, etc.), some lean heavily on certain principles or include abstract imagery or gimmicks into their scenes, and some fall back on specific poses or gestures. The “Milt Kahl Head Swaggle” is an example of the latter, and it both intrigues and aggravates me at the same time.

To clarify, the “Milt Kahl Head Swaggle” is when a character (animated by Disney legend Milt Kahl) sort of rattles his/her head from side to side, usually at times when they’re feeling cocky or self-assured. Sort of an “Am I great or what?” type of gesture.

Again, I can’t deny how remarkable an animator Milt Kahl was, but for a long time I considered him to be a really hammy animator in the worst possible sense, and this gesture cemented that idea in me for a good long while.

In a Frank Thomas or Ollie Johnston scene, I could see the wheels turn in the character’s heads and felt that the characters were sincere, emotionally-driven personalities. I never felt that in the majority of Kahl’s characters. A lot of his characters are like actors on a stage, projecting themselves a bit too far in their performances.

But at the same time, he uses this gesture for a reason, and it works well in every scene he implements it. He only used it on broader, more caricatured characters like Tigger, Sir Ector or Brer Rabbit, characters with strong egos and a cocky sensibility, and the gesture defines the character’s personality in the most simple and direct way possible.

Much like finding an often-reused piece of animation or sound effect in a Disney film, my dislike for it came only from repeated viewings. Because we live in the age of DVDs, Netflix and Quicktime files,  we now can have a studio’s entire library literally at our fingertips, able to survey and dissect the content any way we choose, including surveying an animator’s entire forty-year output front to back and taking shots completely out of context like I have here.

Another thing I realized over time is that Kahl seemed to prefer being a broader animator. For years he was stuck with the most difficult and seemingly less interesting assignments, which the rest of the animators couldn’t pull off because they weren’t as good of a draftsman as him. For example, he clamored to work on characters like Captain Hook but was stuck doing Peter Pan and the Darling children, or with Alice instead of the more zany, off-the wall characters that populate the rest of Alice and Wonderland. He would end up designing a lot of these other characters, but never get to animate most of them.

Luckily for him, by the 1960s, Kahl’s creative shackles were loosened and he was back to doing broader animation, and like a free spirit, he went all out on each character, from The Sword in the Stone through The Rescuers. Each character he animated during that period overflowed with energy, all of which was probably pent up inside him for so many years. His days of princes and realistic little children were over, and for the rest of his career he was able to let loose, have fun and do the things he wanted to do.

Milt Kahl knew he was a good animator, and he wasn’t afraid to show it through brash flourishes of animation. The head swaggle, corny and over-the-top though it may be, not only defines those Disney characters, but also defines the self-assured Kahl himself.

Robin Hood
By David Calcutt
Illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith
Barefoot Books
$12.99
ISBN 978-1-84686-799-6
Ages 6 and up
On shelves October 1st

Robin Hood has, for years now, been the bane of my existence. And yes, I’m well aware that this statement makes me sound like nothing so much as the Sheriff of Nottingham. That doesn’t make it any less true. There I’d be, sitting merrily at my reference desk in the children’s room of the library when someone, adult or child, would wander up and ask “Where’s your Robin Hood?”. Then I’d be stuck. Stuck explaining that unless you wanted some long extended version by Howard Pyle you were pretty much up a tree. Robin Hood related picture books, easy readers, or early chapter books are, were, and evermore shall be in short supply. Into this gaping lack comes one of the finest editions ever to grace a library’s shelves. With slam bang writing, all the Robin Hood related hits (The Friar! Maid Marian! Little John!) are included and I think it safe to say that any library or literary collection worth its salt would be well advised to grab this ultimate Robin Hood tome forthwith if not sooner. At long last we’ve a RH we can all enjoy.

You say you think you know the story of Robin Hood? Sure you may have some vague particulars in mind, but sit ye back and hear the tale of a man who fought the odds. Targeted by the Sheriff of Nottingham’s corrupt foresters, the bloke known as Robin Hood quickly became an outlaw, living in the woods, recruiting like-minded fellows to be part of his band. Chapter by chapter we learn of his adventures with Little John, Friar Tuck, Alan-a-Dale, and even Maid Marian. Tales like “Robin and the Widow” and “The Golden Arrow” lead to a climax with the King’s men. Robin and friends escape but “Robin’s Last Battle” shows how the hero of the woodland met his final end. Backmatter includes a note on research and a complete Bibliography with many useful websites.

As I mentioned earlier, for all his cultural cache why is the man in green as elusive in children’s literature as, say, King Arthur (a different rant for a different day)? The trick may lie in the source material. Which is to say, there isn’t any. When parents would ask me for “the original Robin Hood” book for their kids, I am without resources. The closest thing I can come up with would be an edition illustrated by N.C. Wyeth. Part of the problem lies in the story itself. To make an ultimate Robin Hood book you’d have to do a crazy amount of research into old sources. That’s where Calcutt really shines. Explaining that the first Robin Hood ballads weren’t even collected until the 19th century, Calcutt explains in the Research and Bibliography section of the book that his stories come from an amalgamation of several sources. Combining them expertly alongside ballads translated into modern English the final product feels like a Robin Hood designed to please purists and those of us raised on Hollywood’s vision of the man alike.

That’s the upside. There is a downside to faithful renditions, though. After all, it’s not as if the original stories were written or told with young readers in mind. As such there are some distinctly amoral moments here and there in old Robin Hood’s wanderings. The book itself begins with a story called “Robin Hood Becomes an Outlaw” where Robin’s surefire shooting skills systematically pick off and kill a whole slew of men from a tree. Similarly later in the book we learn that the Merry Men are in trouble with the law because they found some dozing members of the king’s guard and kinda sorta slaughtered them in their sleep to get their clothes. There’s something oddly refreshing about a story for kids that isn’t sanitized within an inch of its life, but readers would be well-advised to know beforehand that there’s a fair share of corpses strewn about the pages before you get to the end. I had the distinct impression as I read this book that Calcutt was doing his darndest to play it both ways too. For example, a storyline where Robin and his men decide to rob an abbot on some pretty shaky grounds is quickly justified by going into the abbot’s head and showing that he’s a greedy guts who has it coming. Parents may raise an eyebrow on some of the morality here but kids won’t notice a thing.

Granted the book is not a picture book, so itty bitties trying to get their Robin Hood fixes may be out of luck. On the other hand, it’s not as if this edition lacks for illustrations. Artist Grahame Baker-Smith’s style incorporates a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Says the book, “The artwork was painted in acrylic, painted in watercolor, and drawn in pen and ink, then combined, blended and composed in Photoshop.”. The end result is a book with art on almost every page. It’s full and lush and green with the occasional double page spread for a big scene, like the fight between Robin and Little John. There is a mild CGI flavor to the proceedings but it doesn’t overwhelm the senses.

If it’s any additional incentive, it can’t hurt matters any that the World Wide Robin Hood Society placed their own seal of approval on this book saying, “A twenty-first-century classic where author and artist have woven their individual magic to breathe new life into the popular story of the world’s most famous outlaw.” Interestingly, though the king is mentioned in the book we never hear his name. So while this is undoubtedly the most complete Robin Hood you’ll encounter, there will still be the occasional naysayer. Fortunately for all of us they’ll be few and far between. Calcutt and Baker-Smith have met a need and a gap in library collections nation, nay, worldwide. A lovely object, a rip-roaring adventure tale, and fun to its core. A necessary purchase.

On shelves October 1st.

Source: Advanced readers galley sent from publisher for review.

Professional Reviews: A star from Kirkus.

Misc: Get a glimpse behind-the-scenes into the book and the art with this Barefoot Books blog post.

On the planet Kaskaya, becoming a thief is a skilled and honorable achievement. In the newest release of my Christian Sci-Fantasy, Sons of the King, the middle son sets his sights on that difficult task. Co-written with my 9 year old daughter, it is available now from Trestle Press for ONLY 99 Cents right here: http://goo.gl/zzTfX

I guess it's been a while, but Olivia and I have finally put together the fourth episode of Sons of the King. In case you are not familiar with it, this is the Christian sci-fantasy that I am co-writing with my nine-year-old daughter.

1. Heracles (Hercules)

When Heracles was born, he made enemies with Hera, one of the most powerful gods of Greek Mythology. When Heracles was a baby, Hera sent two serpents down upon him, but Heracles crushed both of them with his bare hands. As Heracles enters manhood, he accomplishes the impossible “Labours of Heracles”. Heracles eventually dies when the centaur, Nessus tricks his wife into poisoning him. During his moments of life, Heracles makes a funeral pyre for himself. As the flames engulfed this legendary hero, Zeus lifts his son up into the sky and Heracles takes his rightful place as a God of Olympus.

Heracles Crushing the Serpents

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Heracles Wrestling Cerebus, the Guard of the Underworld

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2.Thor

This warrior god of Norse Mythology was the son of the “mighty Odin”, king of gods. Thor is one of the most powerful gods of Asgard. Thor wields a short hammer called Mjolnir which has the ability to launch thunderbolts and it magically returns to the wielder whenever it is thrown. Thor travels around in a magical chariot that scorches the Earth as it soars through the sky. Thor is also known as a dangerous enemy toward the giants.

Thor Fights the Giants

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Marvel’s Adaption of Thor

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3. Achilles

This hero of the Trojan Wars is one of the most well known figures of Greek Mythology. Achilles was the son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus. When Achilles was a child, Thetis dangled Achilles on a mystical fire and started to burn away her son’s mortal half, her practice was interrupted by Peleus who was appalled at the sight. Thetis successfully burned away most of Achille’s mortal half except one small weakness, her son’s heel. Achilles set out to the Trojan War and won many victories for the Greeks. Achilles challenged Hector, prince of Troy to a duel and defeated him. After this event, he dragged Hector’s around Troy refusing to bury the warrior. This action offended the Gods and it eventually lead to his downfall. Paris, Hector’s brother shot an arrow guided by the god Apollo into Achilles’s heal. Then the great warrior fell, never to rise again.

Achilles Offends the Gods

- Note: Prince Hector’s dead body

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Death of Achilles

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4. Robin Hood

This legendary outlaw of English folklore known by people everywhere. Robin Hood is mainly known for his adventures with his outlaw group, the “Merry Men”. Robin Hood is known to have lived in the Sherwood Forest of Nottingham-shire. He is known mainly for his “stealing from the rich, and saving the poor.” Robin Hood is known as a skilled archer and in many tales, the enemy of the sheriff. Whether this figure is real or not, he has clearly earned a place in the top 5 mythical figures.

The Memorial of Robin Hood

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The Classic Disney Adaption of Robin Hood

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5. King Arthur

King Arthur, the legendary leader of the Britons is a classic symbol of chivalry and the Medieval Age. According to most Medieval histories and romances, he lead the defense of Britain from the Saxons during the 6th century. Many mystical figures surround the tales of King Arthur such as the wizard Merlin, the enchantress Moran Le Fay, and the mysterious Lady of the Lake. Arthur also wields the infamous Excalibur which makes the user win every duel and its scabbard enables the user to be invincible. At peak of his power, Arthur established the Round Table and the mystical kingdom of Camelot prospered. Arthur’s kingdom eventually fell after knights were corrupted and the king passed away.

King Arthur and the Holy Grail

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King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake

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Robin of Sherwood, the BBC version from the mid 1980s, is one of my favorite versions of Robin Hood. Oh, the series has a few drawbacks (bad 1980s hair; some iffy special effects; not a strong enough series story arc); but the good far outweighs that.

The good: Michael Praed's strong performance as Robin Hood; a Maid Marian that is no wimp to await rescue; and a mix of realistic history and Celtic mythology and magic that works very well. The original music by Clannad was a perfect pairing of story and music. Ray Winstone adds a rough, threatening edge to the Band of Merry Men. The end of the second season (after just thirteen episodes) took an amazing turn in storytelling, one not often seen in series TV. And for those wondering, yes, it came back for a third season.

This version also introduced Nasir, a Saracen warrior, something not found in the traditional retellings. This no doubt influenced the adding of Azeem, the Moor, in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (which is worth seeing just for Alan Rickman and the odd directing; clearly half the cast was told to play it seriously, half to go over the top and eat the scenery.) The current BBC version (Robin Hood) (which I haven't watched) mixes this new trope up with having the Saracen be a woman.

Like many others, my love of Robin Hood is founded on the Errol Flynn version (The Adventures of Robin Hood), which remains my favorite. In terms of humor, you may think of Robin Hood - Men in Tights but I'd love to rewatch When Things Were Rotten, which sadly isn't yet on DVD.

As for best Robin Hood theme song, I cannot believe this is the only You Tube clip available:



And I cannot resist adding this:



© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy