Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood Street

December 5, 2011
Edgar Award–winner Abrahams (Reality Check) shifts gears slightly, adding conspiracies and superpowers to the mystery mix in a loose contemporary update of the Robin Hood legend, set in Brooklyn, N.Y. Seventh-grader Robyn, aka Robbie, witnesses a dying homeless woman drop a charm bracelet as she’s taken onto an ambulance, and the bracelet causes Robbie to manifest strange powers in times of stress. She has plenty of stress coming her way when she learns that the homeless shelter where she and her mother volunteer is being closed, thanks to rent gouging by mysterious millionaire Sheldon Gunn, who is employing Robbie’s mother’s law firm to help him. Gunn is also behind attempts to close other local institutions, and when Robbie shares the secret of the bracelet with her frenemy, Ashanti, and her former classmate, Tut-Tut, they are all drawn into a fight for justice. Abrahams strikes a successful balance between whimsy and serious issues caused by economic injustice, while keeping the action and mystery moving forward at a brisk pace. Ages 10–up. Agent: The Friedrich Agency.

December 1, 2011
A girl obtains a magical charm that she and her newfound friends use to fight injustice in the form of a corrupt real-estate tycoon and his unscrupulous and violent cohorts. Set in Brooklyn, this first-person thriller with fairy-tale and superhero elements begins when Robbie Forester, a seventh-grade girl, aids an old homeless woman and winds up with her small, heart-shaped charm. Though it takes Robbie a while to understand the charm's power, she soon begins to notice that the charm magically heats up in response to injustice and gives her, and later her friends, special powers. The friends, a multicultural crew who are given traits but for the most part lack souls (except for the stuttering Tut-Tut), form a kind of merry band of thieves, vowing to fight injustice by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. They zero in on Sheldon Gunn, an avaricious real-estate developer who is raising rents and ejecting tenants from their homes and businesses all over the neighborhood. The suspense kicks hard during the adrenaline-laced final third, though the shifting nature of the power of the charm makes any outcome seem possible. Still, what with Occupy Wall Street and the public's fury at an economic system gone awry, it's an apt idea for its moment. (Thriller. 10-14)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2012

Gr 6-8-Seventh-grader Robbie (Robyn) lives in a Brooklyn brownstone with her novelist father, lawyer mom, and endearing mutt, Pendleton. When she accidentally acquires a homeless woman's charm bracelet, she discovers it's a catalyst for magical powers that engage only when justice is being denied. She and three friends-Ashanti, aloof rival on Robbie's private-school basketball team; Tut-Tut, a stutter-afflicted Haitian immigrant from her old public school; and Silas, a homeschooled programmer/hacker-use their unique capabilities to uncover and thwart an evil real estate developer pushing small businesses and social services out of the borough. While Robbie, her parents, and Ashanti are fully realized characters, others are stereotypes. Abrahams's strength lies in creating honest human interactions-Robbie's with her parents; her parents with each other; Tut-Tut, Aisha, and Robbie together-and the story weakens when attention shifts to the bracelet's magic and James-Bond-style plots and escapes. Robbie's well-drawn, nuanced relationship with her father fades as the narrative fills with (albeit exciting and sharply detailed) computer hacking, arson, and yacht trespassing at midnight. The powers are fun-Robbie's eyes shoot lasers and she can perform super-feats; Ashanti can float in midair-though Tut-Tut's power, to speak eloquently, is the most interesting, and the least utilized. The story takes on weighty social issues: private vs. public schooling, harsh immigrant experiences, and the dark side of gentrification. There's enough variety here to appeal to a wide range of readers, many of whom will want to follow the intrepid heroine into an inevitable sequel.-Riva Pollard, Prospect Sierra Middle School, El Cerrito, CA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2012
Grades 5-8 Robyn Forester is a typical girl with typical seventh-grade problems. Her mother works too much, her father not enough, and her new school is only marginally welcoming. All of that changes when she comes to the aid of a homeless woman in distress and receives a charm bracelet in return. The bracelet endows the wearer with surprising and unpredictable stress-induced abilities. Robbie discovers she has remarkable hand-eye coordination verging on telekinesis; her friend Ashanti can levitate; and Tut-tut can talk without a stutter. Even her dog is affected. These powers arrive just in time to foil the evil, monopolistic plans of real-estate tycoon Sheldon Gunn. Rather than a play-by-play reimagining of the Robin Hood story, Abrahams takes the idea of adolescent outcasts and runs with it, and pits these hesitant heroes against a contemporary financial foe. The result is a fast-paced adventure with honest relationships, emotional weight, and a touch of magic, sure to appeal to action-seekers and friendship fans alike.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)