Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen ADVISABLE

Gaughen, A.C. Scarlet, 292 pgs. Walker Childrens, February 2012. Language-PG; Sexual Content-PG; Violence-PG-13.

A telling of Robin Hood through the eyes of one of his Merry Men, Scarlet. Who happens to be a girl pretending to be a boy, but only the Merry Men know the truth. It is a very gritty and violent telling of Robin Hood's exploits in robbing from the rich to give to the poor, and Gisbourne's efforts to catch him.

There was a lot of adventure and fighting and gore, which made for an exciting story. However, Scarlet spoke in commoner-slang (for lack of a better word) and it got rather tedious to read after 100 pages or so. She also seemed much younger to me than seventeen, her actual age. But overall, an exciting book. Though there is Robin Hood and fighting, Scarlet is definitely a very feminine narrator, so it might be a hard sell to boys. Sad.

HS, ADVISABLE. Rebekah, youth services librarian