From the Publisher
Lee’s excellent rendition of the famed selfless hero goes hand-in-hand with Hart’s expressive illustrations, featuring lots of close-ups and dramatic lighting and a beautiful jewel-toned palette. Teens will get caught up in this exciting page-turner, which is one of the most dynamic retellings of a classic tale in recent years.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up–The classic story of Robin Hood is told from the formative years of his childhood to the thrilling challenges and successes of his adulthood. The book begins when Robin is both traumatized and motivated by the Sheriff of Nottingham’s brutal punishment of outlaw Will O’ the Green, then covers his experiences years later in the Holy Land during the Crusades, and follows his return to England. The rich detail in this story, especially during Robin’s time in Jerusalem, might send readers scrambling for earlier versions of Robin Hood to figure out which parts of this book are from the “original” story and which parts sprang from Lee’s imagination. Luckily, the “Who Is Robin Hood?” addendum by Allen W. Wright clears up some of this confusion, explaining how the legendary story has evolved over the course of almost 800 years. Lee’s excellent rendition of the famed selfless hero goes hand-in-hand with Hart’s expressive illustrations, featuring lots of close-ups and dramatic lighting and a beautiful jewel-toned palette. Teens will get caught up in this exciting page-turner, which is one of the most dynamic retellings of a classic tale in recent years. In the pantheon of memorable renditions of Robin Hood there was Errol Flynn, there was Daffy Duck–and now there is Tony Lee’s Outlaw.–Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library
Kirkus Reviews
The legend of Robin Hood is ever evolving, reinvented by each generation in its own likeness. Thus, it follows that this is not your mother's Robin Hood, i.e. Kevin Costner in tights. Instead, Lee infuses the age-old tale with snarky dialogue and a whiplash-inducing pace tailored to today's overstimulated youth. The plot is familiar: Robin and his band of merry men rob from the rich and give to the poor as they work to depose the Sheriff of Nottingham and ransom King Richard, held hostage in the Holy Land as the Crusades drag on. It's Hart's drawings and Fujita's coloring that elevate this 21st-century version head and shoulders above the rest. The artist's shadowy figures and chiseled faces give depth to both the characters and the medieval castles and forest landscapes they inhabit. The monochromatic panels set the tone of the story, glowing brilliantly as they propel the action straight off the page into the reader's imagination. This modern reincarnation of one of history's most beloved outlaws is sure to become the stuff of legend. (Graphic fiction. 10 & up)
