Wild Boy: A Tale of Rowan Hood.WILD BOY: A TALE OF ROWAN HOOD. Nancy Springer. 2004/2005. Read by Emily Gray. 2 tapes. 2.75 hrs. Recorded Books. 1-4025-6041-9. $24.00. Vinyl; plot, reader notes. J * From the KLIATT starred review of the book, May 2004: "Springer continues her lively action-adventure series about the members of a band led by Rowan Hood, the daughter of Robin Hood Robin Hood, legendary hero of 12th-century England who robbed the rich to help the poor. Chivalrous, manly, fair, and always ready for a joke, Robin Hood reflected many of the ideals of the English yeoman. He lived in Sherwood Forest Sherwood Forest, formerly a large royal forest, mainly in Nottinghamshire, central England. Remnants of the forest exist near Mansfield and Hucknall; efforts began in the 1990s to replant and expand it. It is famous as the haunt of Robin Hood and his band. with Little John (his chief archer), Friar Tuck, Maid Marion (his beloved), and his band. Robin Hood was the hero of at least 30 Middle English ballads and of many later stories and plays., in this fourth tale.... Young Rook rook, term used for a common Eurasian bird (genus Corvus) of the family Corvidae (Crow family), smaller than the American crow. The jackdaw is a European species of the genus. Rooks nest in large colonies, whence the term rookery. They are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Corvidae. has run wild in Sherwood Forest ever since the Sheriff of Nottingham let his father die, nursing his anger and desire for revenge. He has been aligned with Rowan's group but holds himself apart ... When he comes across the Sheriff's son, Tod, caught in a trap in the forest, Rook sees his chance for vengeance, but despite his hatred of the boy's father he comes to his aid. It helps to have read the others in the series. Springer is a talented writer who nicely balances action with soul-searching and eloquent descriptions of the forest setting. A fine addition to a terrific series." Gray does a wonderful job creating character voices and helping set the tense atmosphere of Sherwood Forest. Especially good is her high, nervous voice for Tod, the Sheriff's son. As Rowan, she is feminine and gentle but also gives the strength of leadership. This is a well-done, full-voiced recording that will help first-time listeners visualize all the personalities with ease. Gray doesn't miss a beat going from a boy's voice to that of the man Robin Hood and then to Rowan. Sally Tibbetts, LRC, Maine West HS, Des Plaines, IL |
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