Book Reviews by Kids - March 2007

Rowan Hood

by Nancy Springer

When Rosemary's mother dies, she knows she must find a new life. Taking  the name of Rowan, she dresses as a boy and goes to join the band of her father, Robin Hood, whom she has never met. To find her father, Rowan faces the dangers of the forest and an outlaw-hunter named Guy of Gisborn. However, the hardest challenge will be for Rowan to face up to her true identity and accept herself.

I really liked the premise of this book. Who wouldn't want to be Robin Hood's daughter? Robin Hood rocks! I enjoy the way Springer brings her characters to life; her Robin is the most likeable and the most human version of Robin Hood I have ever seen or read about (though I'm still rather fond of the Disney fox Robin Hood.) Other great, believable characters include the resourceful Rowan and the rebellious ex-princess, Etty. Even Lionel the minstrel, the one of the most obnoxious characters 
I've met recently, can be tolerated because he is so skillfully developed. The action in this book moves along nicely, and the message of self-acceptance is clear and touching. 

Reviewed by Pirate Princess - age 16

Much Ado About Nothing

by William Shakespeare

In this comedic play by Shakespeare, the whole plot is centered on an argument that is almost complete waste of time, hence the name, Much Ado About Nothing. But thanks to the genius of Shakespeare, this is an excellent play.Shakespeare is an excellent writer, and makes this book an excellent comedy. 

However, although the plot and characters are absolutely superb, this play, as with most works of Shakespeare, can be hard to understand at some parts. This is mostly due to the fact that it was written in a completely different time period, and they spoke differently than we do now. However, once the reader gets the hang of the style of writing, it’s fairly easy to interpret what he’s saying into modern English

Although it can be a little bit hard to understand at some points, Much Ado About Nothing, is an awesome comedy, and a fantastic play.

Reviewed by Dude Man - Age 15

The Devil's Arithmetic

by Jane Yolen

Hannah is sick of attending the family Passover. She's tired of hearing all of the ramble about the Holocaust. During the Passover they always open the door to "welcome" the prophet Elijah into their home. It's Hannah's turn to open the door, but instead of seeing the hallway of the apartment she is swept back to 1942 in a polish village. She is told her name is Chaya, she was very sick, her parents died and she comes from a rich village about 3 miles away, but Hannah knows better. She can remember her mother, father, aunt, brother, grandpa, and pretty much everybody from her family in their apartment. Then something even more terrible happens. Nazi's come to take the villagers away...and she happens to know just what lies ahead.

Reviewed by Peach - Age 12

Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost

by Cornelia Funke

This book was very exciting because it starts out with a boy having his mom tell him to get the trash out from the cellar and it ends with him having to catch a ghost who's about nine times as big as him. This book is the exact type of book I like to read.

Reviewed by Sports Guy - Age 9