Never has such a simple book touch me so! This book takes us into the sadness of a little girl, afraid that she has forgotten her father, and lifts us up with her joy as she realizes that the heart never forgets! A must have for any parent whose children face separation, for whatever reason!

I read this book while desperately scouring my library for anything by Robin McKinley, and was mildly surprised to find that it was a child's picture book. Still, it was as well-written as anything by McKinley, and I would recommend it to anyone to read to their children.

Hi, I think Beauty is a great book for parents to read or evengirls and boys because it is a book about a horse and about living. Inthis book a little boy takes care of a white horse at the begining he and his mom move out to his grandpa's house in the country side, he does not want to move and at first he does not like his grandpa at all, than his starts to when his grandpa gives him Beauty one day he stays at his grandpa's house while his grandpa and his mom go into town.

I really enjoyed this book. It was really sad what ended up happening to Beauty ( I am not going to give it away if you haven't read it). It was really great!

My third grade teacher read this book to our class and I instantly fell in love with it. I'm 20 years old now and Beauty is still one of my favorite books. It teaches children a valuable lesson in the importance of family and friendship and is a great book for parents to read to their children. I'll guarantee that the parents will enjoy it just as much (if not more!) as their children. I highly recommend this book to ALL ages.

This is truly my favorite book since I read it as a teenager 10 years ago. It retells the classic Beauty and the Beast story with an added intellectual level adults and teens alike will find stimulating, yet is still so sweet that younger readers can enjoy this beautiful tale. I also highly recommend the 'Outlaws of Sherwood', 'The Hero and the Crown' and 'The Blue Sword'.

The best-known and (perhaps) best-loved of Robin McKinley's books is also one of the best of the fairy-tale retellings. There's a depth and a richness to the story and characterizations, as well as a beauty of atmosphere and writing.

Beauty (real name is "Honour") is the ironically-named heroine of the story -- she isn't beautiful, but she is very intelligent. She has two sisters, the beautiful Hope and Grace, and a benevolent, wealthy father. Then all their lives change suddenly: the ships their father owns are lost, and the money goes with them. One of the sisters marries a poor but worthy country lad, while the other lost her beloved fiancee who captained one of the ships. After selling their possessions the family moves to a wild countryside.

The father leaves on a trip - and returns with a single rose, which carries the price of either his life or his daughter. Beauty leaves to go live at the castle of the mysterious Beast, with only her plowhorse to accompany her. She arrives at a castle of invisible servants, magical books, friendly animals, and a melancholy Beast who asks her to marry him every evening...

Beauty is a great heroine -- brainy, kind, wry-humored, brave and strong. Though the "Beauty" element is discarded, it is done so with the apparent understanding that while the traditional Beauty has no personality beyond her looks, this one has brains and guts rather than a pretty face. She seems like a very real teenage girl from the opening pages onward; her gradual caring for the Beast is handled slowly and carefully, but never in a boring manner. The Beast himself is a little more shadowy; we never get inside his head the way we do Beauty's, but then the book is hers, not his. His sadness permeates every scene he's in.

Beauty's father and sisters are well-done also. Her dad isn't an idiot or a nasty person, but instead is haunted. The sisters are, thankfully, kind characters even though they are beautiful and Beauty is not (a common book trap that McKinley avoids). There's none of the cartoonish nastiness of many other fairy-tale type books. At the same time, they keep their respective personalities: One of them is happy, and the other still remembers sadly her lost boyfriend.

The writing ranges well, since we have the more prosaic passages of cottage life and the surrounding friendly village, as well as the more dreamlike, fantastical scenes in the Beast's castle. Dialogue is flawless: We don't have any stilted formal prose, but it never screams "modern American" either. By the same token, Beauty is not the usual female hero. Too often strong female characters either lapse into stereotypical women-warriors, raving feminazis, or cocky "tough" girls. Beauty is merely a strong female character -- she is merely herself. For parents, there is no objectionable content -- no smut, profanity, frightening scenarios, or objectionable themes.

McKinley never lapses into "WOW, will you look at THAT!" when we encounter such things as future classics in the library, or invisible servants. Awe is put where it should be, such as in Beauty's glimpses of the outside world. (Wanna bet that Disney clutched a few elements from this book?) Even those of you who dislike romance will enjoy "Beauty."

This is one of the most perfect books I've ever read. The only other two completely perfect books I can think of are The Last Unicorn and Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale. I read Rose Daughter first and thought that it was a lovely book, magical and delicatly written. When I found out that she had written another book about Beauty and the Beast I couldn't wait to read it. Beauty is much superior to Rose Daughter, the character of Beauty in Rose Daughter is very quiet, pallid, and the tiniest bit dull. The character of Beauty in Beauty however is wonderful, an awkward, boyish teenager who values her intellegence more than her looks and who also loves horses. The relationship between Beauty and the Beast is better written in Beauty than Rose Daughter, The Beast in Rose Daughter wasn't too interesting and was a bit too mild and limpid but I could feel real sympathy for the beast in Beauty and he also had a stronger personality. I also liked the ending of Beauty much better, I was so glad that he turned into a handsome prince! In Rose Daughter he stayed a beast and that was kind of a let down. This was a wonderful book, I couldn't put it down and felt sad when it ended. Like all of Robin McKinleys books it is beautifully written and imaginative. My goal has now become to buy and read all of her books.

I am not a fan of science fiction, but this story is completely amazing! Having first read The Hero and the Crown in 7th grade, I had already liked Robin McKinley's writing style. But I was completely unprepared for this book when I read it a year later. It's now been 12 years since then and I have never forgotten it. It tells the story of this young girl, Harry, who feels like if she is missing something in her life. Now the first 3 chapters are a little slow but then, enters Corlath, golden-eyed king of Damar. Here is where the action begins. He possesses unusual powers of the mind and one look at Harry makes him realize she is the one who can wield the Blue Sword whose power is needed to save his country. So he kidnaps her and there begins an adventurous tale across a desert and mountains containing fight scenes, comedy, a magic sword, and a dash of romance. I completely got sucked into this imaginary world. It's a page turner, you won't put down. Never have I come across a book like this one and have been hoping all these years for a third part to continue the heroine tales of Damar. Tattered and with loose pages, I still read my poor book whenever I get a chance.

If your in the mood for a suspenseful fantasy novel, the Blue Sword is for you. After hearing so much good about this book I knew I had to read it and I was not disappointed. The Blue Sword tells the story of recently orphaned Harry Crewe who lives a very slow life with the outlanders in a country called Damar. She can't explain it but she feels a strange connection to the desert. Everything she knows changes when she is kidnapped by Corlath, the king of the mysterious and magical Hillfolk with whom the Outlanders share Damar with. Harry is confused by the Hillfolk and their strange customs and language but she soon realizes that she wasn't merely kidnapped on a whim. She has magic in her blood, a very powerful magic that connects her to the mysterious blue sword which hasn't been wielded by a woman since the great lady Aerin. Harry (or Hari or Harimad-Sol as she is later known as) is a wonderful strong character that you'll love to watch grow and develop from the very beginning. I recommend this book for all ages to fans of Tamora Pierce, Dawn Cook, or any other work of Robin McKinley.

This is my very favorite book. In seventh grade, we had had to read The Hero and the Crown for a core novel. I loved that book too, so I started reading all of Robin McKinley's books. They all rock. This is my favorite of her books, and of every book I've ever read, which increases by two at least every week. Anyways, in the Blue Sword, Harry Crewe is an orphan who travels to thhe edge of her country to be with her brother. This country borders Daria, the land from the Hero and the Crown where Aerin and Tor met and fell in love. For some reason Harry feels connected to the desert land, and loves it more than anything she ever has before. When the Darian king, Corlath comes to try and get the help of her land, she meets him. While he's walking by her in his haste to leave, their eyes meet. Because Corlath has "powers", he knows that Harry in involved in his future. So he comes back and kidnaps her, bringing her to his land, where her destiny lays. I can't really tell much more about the plot, because that would give away the book. Even though I've already told a lot, this is probably the first 15 or 20 pages. There's a lot of action and romance in this book, which I think ends the book perfectly. I recommend this book to any fantasy lover. Even though The Hero and the Crown was published after this book, you have to read The Hero and the Crown first.

I have long been a fan of Robin Hood and his friends, admired their noble purpose, and reveled in their narrow escapes from the Sheriff of Nottingham. But it seems that every time I pick up a book about their "real" story, the author is intent upon putting a new spin on the classic tale. Perhaps Robin is really the sheriff's brother, or maybe Robin and Marion are one and the same, or, heaven forbid, Robin is gay, leading to a completely different version. But at last, I have found a fine re-telling of the tale I have known and loved since childhood.

Robin McKinley is known for her re-telling of classic stories and fairy tales. But with this novel, she has not only told the tale, she has breathed life into it. All of our favorite characters are here: Robin, Marion, Little John, Will Scarlet, Much, Friar Tuck, Alan-a Dale, the Sheriff, King Richard, etc. But there are others as well, lesser known members of Robin's outlaw band, but still having important roles to play in the outcome of the story. All of the characters come alive, familiar to us in a comforting way, yet new as well. The result is the author's success at keeping us on the edge of our seat, even though we know the basic plot already. That, my friends, is quite an achievement.

The novel covers the entire spectrum of events in this legend of Robin Hood. We follow Robin and his friends (and enemies) from the pivotal event in young Robin's life that forces him into his outlaw life, through the early struggles of survival as an outlaw, the growing reputation that the group achieves, all the way through the return of King Richard. All the familiar elements of the overall story are here. The bridge scene where Robin first meets John Little and they battle, the archery tournament that the Sheriff organizes as a trap for Robin, etc. But not all is as we remember, for the author does throw in a few twists as well. I won't detail them here lest I spoil the adventure for you, but rest assured, they only add to the realism of the day. The author's note at the end adds a bit of explanation in how she dealt with the anachronistic flaws of the legend; i.e. the fact that longbows weren't used until 150 years after the time of King Richard Lionheart, etc. But those things are minor to the telling of the tale itself.

My only negative comment concerns the ending. It just takes too long. When King Richard returns, and is forced to deal with this band of outlaws, he must find suitable "punishments" for them. This part seemed anticlimactic to me and should have been wrapped up in 2-3 pages. As it was it took more than 20 pages, and still seemed incomplete.

But in spite of this detail, the book was tremendous. It is without a doubt the best novel of Robin Hood that I have yet read and will be tough to beat. Robin McKinley is an elegant writer, witty, humorous, and marvelously descriptive with character interaction. If you are looking for a break from over-the-top fantasy epics or gritty urban drama, you will be pleased to pick up this one. Sometimes, it is simply pure joy to lose yourself in the re-telling of an old classic.

First of all, I must say that I don't agree with the reading level above (definitely for ages 8-14, not 4-8). And then I have to agree with most other reviewers by saying "THIS BOOK IS AWESOME - YOU HAVE GOT TO READ IT!!!!!!!" The storyline is basically a retelling of Robin Hood. (that's sort of obvious after reading the title - Outlaws of Sherwood) Robin McKinley has all the characters I've heard of in all the Robin Hood stories I've read. I think. Anyway, there's Robin and Marian (duh) and the Sheriff of Nottingham, Little John, Will Scarlet, and King Richard and Prince John. And lots of others. I loved this book - so READ IT!

For people who read it already, and are reading this review in hopes of finding more Robin Hood books, you're in luck! More books-
The Forestwife, by Theresa Thomlinson (and sequel Child of the May)
and for adults, Lady of the Forest is an awesome Robin Hood story(but not for children)
There's not many good books (interesting ones) about Robin Hood.
But if you like Robin Hood, definately read The Outlaws of Sherwood. 8-)

I have read a few Robin Hood books, and seen a few movies. Robin is always portrayed as larger than life; the best archer, the cunning planner, the hero saving the Saxons from the Norman's tyranny. Marion is more often than not a bit of fluff, and the other characters one dimensional.

Enter Robin McKinley.

Robin takes on new life in McKinley's book. He isn't the best archer. In fact, he may be one of the poorest. He isn't concerned with uplifting the Saxons; he worried about just trying to keep himself, and those that have come to join him, alive. He is a man thrown into a situation, and does his best to keep those around him safe.

Marion carries more weight in this telling of Robin Hood than in most. She is an active participant in some of their schemes, though often behind the scenes. And she believes in the power of what Robin has unwittingly created, and will take steps to forward that movement.

Personally, I don't know how I would react if I was thrust into Robin's situation. But, I know I would like to make the best of it, like Robin does.

There are certain books that I re-read each year, because their telling of their tale is strong enough to keep my enjoyment, even 10 years down the road. This book is one of those. Truly, the best Robin Hood I have ever read.

The Hero and the Crown was an interesting novel with many ups and downs. It was dull at some parts, yet exciting at others. The beginning was probably the dullest part. It droned on and on about the main character, Aerin, and her past life. The "Story" dosen't actually start to about chapter 4 or 5. Yet, some parts were interesting. For example, when Aerin goes into battle with Maur the Black Dragon, my blood froze with fear, and boiled with excitement with the battles many flucuations. Yet again, the dull parts of the book come around. Aerin's many nights with her lover, Luthe, were even more borin than the beginning. But overall te book was okay.

The best part in the novel was probably the battle with the Northerners. The detail in which the battle was given was so Realistic and exciting! Yet the worse part in the novel is probably to dull to even read. What should be a great, 30 page battle when aerin fights the Enemy leader turns out to be a half-page of Aerin's childhood memories. That saddended me deeply.

When Aerin is described in the novel with flaming red hair, and outgoing personality, along with her other descriptions, you can imagine her character so vividly you have no doubt the entire novel to what she looks like. And the ending is great as well, with a perfect tie-in to the sequel, "The Blue Sword".

You'll have to forgive me for my less than poetic review title, but there's only one way to say it -- for my money, this may be the best novel ever written.

I discovered this book when I was in the sixth grade, and I have read it at least two or three times a year, ever since. I'm now 23, and the book has lost none of its power or magic in all of those readings. If anything, it's only gotten more powerful, as the subtleties of Aerin's story become more clear with time and experience.

A richly written novel with excellently rendered characters, this book is perfect for a reader of any age or gender. But I would like to point out that it may be especially good for young women -- Aerin is no passive heroine, and although she struggles to understand her place as a woman and a daughter in her father's court, she does not "buckle" to the pressures of society. Instead, she becomes simply -herself-, and her people love and respect her all the more for her voice and accomplishments. That's a message that a lot of young women these days need to hear -- I know it's one that I needed, and this is one book that has helped me become who I am, without apologies.

This is, I believe, Robin McKinley's magnum opus. This book is often hard to locate, buried in the young adult section where it only half-belongs. Yes, this tale is about a teenage heroine, but the subject matter, her trials and emotions, are not limited to that audience. (Note to booksellers-By the way, most avid young adult sci-fi and fantasy fans have been reading from the adult section for years-you might do better to rethink the placement of these types of books.) Anyway, this novel tels the story of Aerin, arguably one of the most well-written and believable heroines out there. Her feelings of ineptitude and clumsiness are universal, yet her unknown powers don't develop miraculously, deus ex machina style, but are fought for and gained as a result of this fight. The narrative twists and turns in surprising ways, and the tale doesn't always turn out the way we originally think it will, and yet the turns never feel out of place. This is a novel from a whole other world, and yet it feels real. The characters are true-to-life and honestly drawn by this masterful author. This book would definitely draw someone into the fantasy genre.

Princess Lissar leads a very lonely life until her mother dies and she is sent a puppy as a gift. Lissar grows up with her dog, Ash, as her closest friend but as she gets older she looks more and more like her mother. After she is abused by her father Lissar and Ash run away from home. She lives in the woods for months not remembering her past but knowing something awful happened to her. One day she goes to a city and falls for the prince who sent her Ash but she cannot get over her past.

This is a much more adult fairytale than McKinley's other works but it is also a more realistic one. It deals with deep psychological pain and love isn't a cure for everything. It's also not a book for everyone. If themes of incest and rape bother you then you should avoid this book. I'm not saying that this book is a completely sad one though. The sad beginning makes the happy moments and the journey to get there very satisfying. This is the best book I've read in a while and any fairytale fan is sure to enjoy it.

I am a big fan of Robin McKinley, first hooked on her writings with Beauty, and so I decided to pick this up. Let me tell you, this is very different from beauty. This book was not written for younger readers looking for happy, fluffy fairy-tales, but it is an engrossing tale, rewritten in a way that captured my heart. Enough of how much I enjoyed it, explaining the plot may be useful.

Loosly based on the fairy-tale Donkeyskin, McKinley tells of a kingdom where the rulers are perfect, but yet negelect their daughter, forgetting she exists. When the most beloved and beautiful queen dies, Lissar's (main character) father grows mad with grief, and as Lissar grows up with her only companions being servants and her best friend Ash, a hunting dog, soon her father takes more intrest in her. As horrible events take place, so does Lissar's transformation into Deerskin, and her journey to find herself and overcome her horrible past. Dark and depressing in the beginning, but don't give up, by the end it's heartwarming and Lissar is a character I shall not soon forget.

Deerskin is Robin McKinley's most disturbing and powerful book, and possibly her most beautiful. The heroine, Princess Lissar, is beautiful, royal, and a survivor. "Deerskin" rips apart our most treasured little-girl fantasies - that being beautiful, rich, royal and the belle of the ball must be wonderful; that families are perfect, and that princes are always handsome. The story is riveting, sometimes even painful to read. McKinley's incomparable skill with language draws us into the kingdom ruled by Lissar's handsome and heroic father, and her mother, "the most beautiful woman in seven kingdoms" - the quintessential fantasy land. When Lissar's mother dies, her father's grief knows no bounds, and eventually takes a sinister turn. The illusion of perfection is forever shattered, along with Lissar's trust - and her life as she knows it. The tale of this traumatized young girl's survival and her growth into a remarkable woman (with just a little magic thrown in) is the rest of the story. Add a faithful dog and the love of a most unlikely prince to complete the fairy tale. "Deerskin's" enchantment springs from the lovely but dangerous realms of the original tales of the Brothers Grimm. It's not for children. McKinley's other books are stunningly beautiful. "Deerskin" is beautiful - and stunning.

As I started reading this book I was afraid I wouldn't like it at all. Fortunately, the four stories are arranged in ascending order-from worst to best, so by the time I finished I had a rather favorable impression.

The book starts off with an original tale by McKinley. Starting with the preface, this tale was difficult to break into. I was glad when a plot finally appeared, but by the end I was almost heart-broken by McKinley's description of Faerieland. It is interesting as an alternative viewpoint, but I certainly don't want it to be that way!

The other original McKinley tale, "The Hunting of the Hind," I enjoyed much, much more. I could feel sympathetic for the characters and some of the magical elements were particularly lovely.

McKinley also retells "The Princess and the Frog" and "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." She brings out the darker side of each of these tales, which left me shivering at the end, rather than glowing with the usual happy fairy tale feeling. To many (although not to me) this dark side may be preferable, and one certainly can't deny McKinley's talent for creating atmosphere in her writing. Thus, the book earns three stars and my recommendation to those who love the darker side of fantasy.

The Door in the Hedge is a wonderful (and wonder full) collection of fairy tales, most old, two new. Ms. McKinley brings her incredible gift of "purple poesy" to play here, creating rich characters and landscapes. Although readers who prefer linear, action-packed, base language stories may not care for this latest offering of High Traditional Fantasy, those who came to love the genre because of Grimms, Anderson, Perrault, and McDonald will definitely want to add The Door in the Hedge to their collections!

This book reminds me of what fairy tales used to be: magical. No more gender roles, psychological undertones and hidden messages, these stories are all wonderful and pure. McKinley's writing is luminous, her retellings a fresh drawing of the old tales with unexpected depth and candor. Her original stories are compelling and speak directly to the reader, making them a part of her story. She makes her heroes and heroines far more human than any two-dementional Disney-generation character. Each story is almost a novel in itself, giving complete insight into the minds and hearts of the characters, sweeping away the reader into a world of color and light. Warning--this book is not for anyone lacking in imagination, it draws as much out of the reader as it gives to them, and is not for the cowardly.

McKinley's book, "Beauty", ranks as one of my top ten favorite books, so when I heard that she had written another book on the same topic, I thought, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" I decided to read it anyway and was I glad I did! Although it didn't grab my attention at first (those Pilgrim's Progress-type names threw me off and I kept comparing it to "Beauty"), it gradually sucked me in, and by the end, I was rooting for Beauty to stay with the Beast. I didn't care for certain characters (Master Jack, as one example) and was confused by the differing accounts of the curse/legend/story attached to the Rose Cottage, but overall, I enjoyed it. It did not have the dark, almost evil, overtones of McKinley's "Deerskin", which I was half-expecting, since other reviews have compared it to Donna Jo Napoli's "Zel", but it did have a few. I still like "Beauty" better, but it was well worth the read and I will now be buying my own copy for periodic rereading. However, I recommend to all readers that they find a copy of "Beauty" and read it, too, if they never have. Read them both!

This book in my opinion was great, but not what I expected. This was the 4th Mckinley book I read (Spindle's End, The Hero and the Crown, and the Blue Sword) and I was surprised at how frail this heroine was. There was no real adventure in this book and only a few places to go. The author however, has done a wonderful job of retelling what I always thought was a boring fairy tale. Compared to her earlier book, Beauty, this book was unusually dull. Beauty and Rose Daughter both have a lot of the same details. I think Robin should have cut the length of this book for reading some of it was a real drag. But the interesting parts were capturing. I especially loved the ending because it isn't the one you expected and not one you are happy with but makes the book less of a fairy tale. Read it.

I, like other McKinley fans of long standing, felt many trepidations about reading this new telling of the story of Beauty and the Beast. McKinley's first version (Beauty) has been a favorite of mine for years and I wasn't sure if I was ready to risk not liking one of her books or, worse yet, damaging my long-held wonder for this gorgeous fairy tale. I agonized for a bit and decided to risk it. Then I read it in one day. True, it lacks some of the fantasy-come-true elements of Beauty and some of McKinley's earlier books, but what it has instead is a realism that is utterly captivating. It is truly the work of a refined intellect, and one can clearly see the beautiful maturity of the author revealed in this book.

Everyone will of course compare this book with Beauty (I do, myself), but they are unlike in the way that wildflowers and roses are unlike. Each has spectacular lovliness, but where the wildflower is untamed beauty, the rose is cultivated, perhaps more deeply wondrous.

Which do I prefer? Both, of course.