Shadows of Sherwood: A Robyn Hoodlum Adventure
by Kekla Magoon
Intermediate, Middle School   Bloomsbury   359 pp.
8/15   978-1-61963-634-7   $16.99   g
e-book ed. 978-1-61963-635-4   $13.99

When twelve-year-old Robyn Loxley sneaks out in search of a voltage adapter for her latest project, she has no idea that the junkyard’s guard dog will be the least of her problems. She returns home to find her parents gone. Governor Crown has had all members of Parliament and their families kidnapped and has declared himself the sole leader of Nott City. Robyn, the only person missing from the roundup, finds herself on the run with just the three items her father left her — a pair of fingerless gloves, a silver sphere with the words Breath Blood Bone etched on its surface, and an envelope containing a map. Convinced that her parents are alive, Robyn is determined to find them, but she realizes it won’t be easy with the city in the midst of a rebellion and her description (“5'7", black hair, last seen braided. Thin. Athletic. Light-brown skin”) plastered all over it on wanted posters. With the help of her growing band of parentless outlaws, Robyn embarks on a mission greater than she imagined, one that will force her to explore her past and forge a new identity as a leader of the rebellion. Magoon cleverly weaves elements of the Robin Hood tale into this futuristic story about social justice, friendship, and identity. The wily kid heroes and thrilling adventures will appeal to young readers, and a cliffhanger ending indicates that this is the first in a series.

From the July/August 2015 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.