Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Knopf Books for Young Readers on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Will in Scarlet
Author: Matthew Cody
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: Will Scarlet is on the run. 

Once the sheltered son of nobility, Will has become an exile. While his father, Lord Shackley, has been on the Crusades with King Richard, a treacherous plot to unseat Richard has swept across England, and Shackley House has fallen.

Will flees the only home he’s ever known into neighboring Sherwood Forest, where he joins the elusive gang of bandits known as the Merry Men. Among them are Gilbert, their cruel leader; a giant named John Little; a drunkard named Rob; and Much, an orphan girl disguised as a bandit boy.

This is the story of how a band of misfit outlaws become heroes of legend - thanks to one brave 13-year-old boy."

Why?: I love me a good re-telling, and Robin Hood is one my favorites. Especially when it focuses on one of his Merry Men instead of on him. I'm really excited to see where this story will take Will, and how Cody envisions his story. Will Scarlet is so iconic and so important to the Robin Hood myth, and I hope he's done justice. 

Expectations: I'm not really sure what to expect from this story. I don't know if this is the Robin Hood story from Will's perspective, or if it will be full of new twists and turns and exciting adventures. I'm on the fence on whether to expect a lot or to expect little, but I think that's a pretty good place to be going into such a well known story.

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is very simple, and looks very much like a book for younger children. I hope the whole book isn't written at a low reading level, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is. I don't really think I would see this on a shelf and be compelled to pick it up, since it's not really anything special. 


--Ashley