Theresa Tomlinson

The Forestwife Trilogy —  (1993-2000) Young adult. Publisher: Mary, 15 years old and an orphan, must flee into Sherwood Forest to avoid an arranged marriage. There her life truly begins, for she finds a community of heroic outlaws that includes a woman with seemingly magical healing powers and a young man who is bravely leading the fight against tyranny. This man is Robin Hood, and Mary will soon be known as Maid Marian, the green lady of the woods.

The Forestwife Trilogy

Theresa Tomlinson's Forestwife is a good kids' book. For the most part, it kept me interested, but there were many "cheesy" sections that ended way too "neatly" for me. There was also no recognizable "bad guy" which makes a plotline sort of boring and unrecognizable.

The nice thing about The Forestwife was that it was not your typical Robbin Hood/Maid Marian novel. Marian was more of a hero herself in this version, making it an empowering book for young girls, and for any reader that is sick of Marian having to be "rescued" all the time. While Theresa Tomlinson's take on the characters were refreshing, unfortunately it did not save the book from the all-too-simple plotline and underdeveloped supporting characters.

The writing was easy and didn't flow very well. Even third graders might not enjoy this book. This type of book would have fared much better as an adult book. I kept waiting for some steamy love scenes with Marian and Robbin Hood, but then had to remind myself that it was a kids' book and I was out of luck. Disapointing overall. —Julie Waineo