Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse, is a prolific author of children's novels- and he was even the British Children's Laureate for a few years (2003-2005). That said, I was looking forward to his take on the Robin Hood legend. Sadly, I was disappointed.
Morpurgo's version is pretty standard- same locale (Sherwood/Nottingham), same friends, same villains, and same time frame (Richard the Lion-hearted) as most tellings. Here, though, Robin becomes the famed leader at a rather young age (early teens), marries Marion (who, for some reason, is an albino) right away, has a child (Martin Hood), and personally travels to Austria to free the King and return him to England.*
Being standard isn't bad, but the story is told poorly, making it uninteresting on top of being unoriginal. There's little to no character development, and some of the exploits seem just plain silly or unrealistic (even for a legend). Sadly, Morpurgo's version isn't nearly as good as McSpadden's, Pyle's, or Gilbert's. Not recommended.
Rating: C-
*Richard the Lion-hearted was captured and held for ransom by the Duke of Austria after the 3rd Crusade.
This story is about a child who is burning in fire for the revenge towards the Sheriff of Nottingham. This book is a little boring but the way you read lets you imagine the real story. I would rate this 7/10.
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