I read this book to my little sister and she would not let me put it down till the end. The book itself reminded me of what it was like being a kid. Having a secret place to play that was yours alone had always been a dream for little girls, me included. Sarah and Suzanne made it possible to fufill that dream through them. There friendship and there encounters with Ms. Lily almost made me cry. It truely shows the importance of friendship and the importance of healing old wounds.

shows in this work. In my view, I found no clumsy plotting or plodding in this installment of the Maid Marian and Robin Hood story. Everything about this book was beautiful, the writing that takes you back into the middle ages also passed my test of reality. The only problem was that the cover of this book was rather immature...there was no magic or mystery about the female with an arrow. Even though the cover isn't spellbinding-like Crown Duel or Little Sister- the story more beautiful than one can comprehend.

The book may be easier to follow and grasp if you read the previous book The Forestwife, the book begins with a jerk jump like you already know who the characters are...new readers will stumble and crawl around guessing who's who.

This was a wonderful book that was in some ways even better than its towering prodeceser, if that were possible! The story is about Magda, the fifteen year old daughter of Little John and the late Emma, who was a close friend of Marian the forestwife, who has raised her so far. Magda however, is totally bored with chores and caring for sick people, and she longs to join her father and Robin Hood and his band of outlaws. She gets her wish, and she goes with her father and the outlaws to save some girl, but faces more challenges than she was prepared for when she finds herself facing in battle the man who ruthlessly murdered her mother. Part of why I liked this book was that it showed in true depth a father's love for his daughter, and that more of the action, in fact all of it, took place with the main character right in the thick of it, instead of just having it happen to other people "offscreen". This was a truly wonderfull book with beautiful writing and style and I would reccamend it to anyone who enjoys strong female heroes.

Not as well written and loveable as the previous book The Forestwife, but with the same amount of love and action to make you want a copy of this book for yourself. Though I missed the young Marian, Robin Hood was just as cunning and hearty as he was in the previous book. Gotta get this book if you loved Catherine, Called Birdy!

I like this book because Maid Marian is the main character. In this realistic medieval retelling of the Robin Hood story, Marian isn't locked up in a tower waiting to be rescued. She's in the center of the action! Mary de Holt would rather die than marry the rude, old, and ugly nobleman her uncle has chosen. So she runs away in a state of confusion and terror, without stopping to think. Luckily, her smart and fretting nurse, Agnes, shows up. Together they journey to the Forestwife, a so-called good witch. Big suprise...she's lying dead. Agnes becomes the Forestwife, and begins helping the poor and hungry people of Langden. Along comes Robert, Agnes's outlaw son. He and Marian have a bit of a dislike toward each other. Marian's friend Emma has a bit of a romance with Little John. Marian meets the Seeres, a lady who has locked herself up in a cell, Alice and Tom, two talented peasants, the poor,mad old lady Sarah, fiesty outlaw woman Philippa, the heretic nuns, the drunk preist and his dog, and the wicked nobleman William of Langden. When Robert is seriously wounded, Marian is sent to nurse him back to health. Who knows what changes can happen...can two haters become lovers? This book is full of both heartbreaking and joyous surprises, and suspense. Find out why Robin had "hood" added to his name! The characters are very well devoloped. The language is how they really spoke, and it could be confusing for younger readers. The plot is wonderful, romantic, and sad all at the same time. This is a fantastic book for people who love the Robin Hood stories, the middle ages, and most female main characters. However, I took away one star because I went through the whole book until I saw the "Afterward" thinking that this was some unknown Robin Hood story, and a good one at that. I find it annoying that THE FORESTWIFE is a story put together by many other stories, most having nothing to do with Robin Hood. But it's not an error, just a little fact that needs to be acknowledged. That's the only thing wrong with this super book. For ages 10-13.

I REALLY liked this book. In this story, Maid Marian is not some helpless damsel in distress, waiting for her knight in shining armor to rescue her. Instead she is a down-to-earth young girl who takes her life into her own hands, becomes a self-sufficient young woman, and learns to love.

Twists and turns, hate into romance, hardness into humor, a novella with all the key characterisitics to draw a hungry reader in. Especially with Maid Marian as a lead character, you wish there'd be a sequel. But no, this book stands on it's own pretty well, pretty darn well.