The Band of Merry Kids

Living in the 12th century, Pip, aged 12, is a lad whose idealism is not matched by his physical prowess or by his frustrating reputation as ‘Little Pip’ or ‘Baby Robin’. He idolizes Robin Hood, a criminal in the eyes of the law, and he tries to emulate Robin Hood’s behaviour in helping the underdog. Pip is also increasingly frustrated by his meek and mild father whose character he compares unfavourably with that of Robin Hood. Pip and his cousins Lucy and Harold long for the return of Richard the Lionheart to eject Prince John who, they feel, is trying to steal Richard’s throne.

When Pip’s father, a blanket maker, allows Pip and his cousins to travel with him to Bradford Fair, they are thrilled. While there, Pip sees the abject poverty in which the local Baron keeps his workers and vows to help a family he meets. Pip’s action seriously backfires, requiring the children to take heroic steps to save the family from certain execution.

The reader is quickly caught up in the fast paced plot of Band of Merry Kids. The novel’s medieval setting, with all the harshness and societal disparities of the era, succeeds in providing a glimpse into a world very different from ours. The book also provides a set of principles to aim towards as per Robin Hood’s code of honor. The children’s idealism makes them resilient and ingenious although their speech is inappropriately modern and they are foolishly outspoken, thus antagonizing the authority figures from whom they have most to fear. Character portrayal is a little simplistic in that there are no shades of grey, just the noble and the ignoble.

Nevertheless, the plot of Band of Merry Kids is gripping and will have readers sitting on the edge of their seats as drama follows drama. The children resolve each situation with resilience, if a little unrealistically, to the best of their ability, with the result for readers being a satisfying ending and sighs of relief. Added to this resolution is the surprise realization on Pip’s part that his father is far from the weakling he has believed him to be.

Band of Merry Kids, a page-turner, provides insights to another time and place and would be an enticing read for children.