Yes! Finally, a return to classic adventure! Matthew Cody brings it in Will in Scarlet, a retelling and slight re-imaging of the Robin Hood story from the angle of the character Will Shackley, aka Will Scarlet. While being true to the spirit of Robin Hood, Cody brings new dimensions to the classic tale. Throw in sword-fighting, forest bandits, disguises, and a black-hearted villain and you get a page-turning escapade. However, it is the appealing and genuine characters of Will, Much, John, and Rob that give the book its heart. The reader is privileged to make the journey with Will from boy to man as both his life and character are transformed. For undiluted adventure with a character worth cheering for, try Will in Scarlet!
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Random House Children’s Books
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 7 religious exclamations; 4 mild obscenities; 2 derogatory names; 3 anatomical terms.
Violence/Gore: Story about a wolf’s paw being cut off; report that a character attempted to cut off hand; extended fight scene with animals (biting, knives, swords) resulting in death of animals and human injury; brief scene in which character is hit with whip and a character is struck in thigh with sword; battle scene with sword fighting, death by knife; report of attack resulting in a death and an injury; character is knocked unconscious and tied up; extended fight with swords resulting in deaths; characters scuffle; animal breaks leg and is put down, no details; scene in which characters use arrows, knives, and a cart runs over/breaks a character’s leg; encounter of slaughtered livestock; discovery of dead men in a shallow grave, non-detailed; extended battle scene with swords, arrows, fire, mention of blood, implied deaths; character falls to death.
Sex/Nudity: A character’s shirt is torn revealing upper body (no description; just stated)
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of family members, robbery
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Characters drink wine; one character is described as a drunk.
