The Outlaws of Sherwood

Name: The Outlaws of Sherwood
Author: Robin McKinley
ISBN: 9780698119598

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Robin McKinley

Reading Level 6-7 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Here's a secret: Robin Longbow never meant to cause trouble, but one wrong shot changes everything. Now, deep in Sherwood Forest, he and his friends are hiding from danger, but they're not just running—they're standing up for what's right. And that's only the beginning of their daring adventure.

Themes

Adventure Friendship Family Fantasy World-Building HistoricalFairy Tales & Folklore

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel retells the classic Robin Hood legend with a focus on justice and friendship. It contains themes of rebellion against unfair authority and the forming of a close-knit community in Sherwood Forest. Suitable for ages 9-12, it includes mild peril and explores themes of courage and standing up for others.

Why we rated The Outlaws of Sherwood LE (Mild)

The Outlaws of Sherwood is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 352 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 8 and up can manage The Outlaws of Sherwood on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The Outlaws of Sherwood as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, The Outlaws of Sherwood explores adventure, friendship, family, fantasy world-building, and historical — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, friendship, family.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Mild

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?