Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
0 0
Download high-resolution image Look inside

The Blue Sword

Author Robin McKinley
Look inside
Paperback
$9.99 US
Penguin Young Readers | Viking Books for Young Readers
5.06"W x 7.75"H x 0.78"D  
On sale Oct 01, 2000 | 304 Pages | 9780141309750
Grades 9-12
Reading Level: Lexile 1030L | Fountas & Pinnell Y
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

See Additional Formats
Read this modern classic of young adult fantasy from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Robin McKinley

Harry Crewe is an orphan girl who comes to live in Damar, the desert country shared by the Homelanders and the secretive, magical Free Hillfolk. When Corlath, the Hillfolk King, sees her for the first time, he is shaken—for he can tell that she is something more than she appears to be. He will soon realize what Harry has never guessed: She is to become Harimad-sol, King’s Rider, and carry the Blue Sword, Gonturan, which no woman has wielded since the legendary Lady Aerin, generations past.
 
* “This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealingly stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale’s verve as a fantasy.”—Booklist (starred review)
 
“McKinley knows her geography of fantasy, the nuances of the language, the atmosphere of magic . . . .”—The Washington Post

A Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword. Her other books include Sunshine; the New York Times bestseller Spindle's End; two novel-length retellings of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and Rose Daughter; and a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood. She lives with her husband, the English writer Peter Dickinson.

View titles by Robin McKinley
  • AWARD
    ALA Notable Children's Book
  • AWARD
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • HONOR | 1983
    Newbery Honor Book
Praise for The Blue Sword 

* "This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealingly stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale's verve as a fantasy." —Booklist, starred review

* “McKinley has reworked many familiar mythological motifs into a tale that is completely fresh; her spare and eloquent prose is sheer delight.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“A new language, a new landscape, and a new people—all unforgettable!”—The Horn Book

“McKinley knows her geography of fantasy, the nuances of the language, the atmosphere of magic . . . .” —The Washington Post

"Any book that, at one point or another, reminded me of The Sheikh, Gunga Din, Islandia, and The Lord of the Rings can't be anything but a true original." —Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction

About

Read this modern classic of young adult fantasy from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Robin McKinley

Harry Crewe is an orphan girl who comes to live in Damar, the desert country shared by the Homelanders and the secretive, magical Free Hillfolk. When Corlath, the Hillfolk King, sees her for the first time, he is shaken—for he can tell that she is something more than she appears to be. He will soon realize what Harry has never guessed: She is to become Harimad-sol, King’s Rider, and carry the Blue Sword, Gonturan, which no woman has wielded since the legendary Lady Aerin, generations past.
 
* “This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealingly stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale’s verve as a fantasy.”—Booklist (starred review)
 
“McKinley knows her geography of fantasy, the nuances of the language, the atmosphere of magic . . . .”—The Washington Post

A Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Author

Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword. Her other books include Sunshine; the New York Times bestseller Spindle's End; two novel-length retellings of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and Rose Daughter; and a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood. She lives with her husband, the English writer Peter Dickinson.

View titles by Robin McKinley

Awards

  • AWARD
    ALA Notable Children's Book
  • AWARD
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • HONOR | 1983
    Newbery Honor Book

Praise

Praise for The Blue Sword 

* "This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealingly stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale's verve as a fantasy." —Booklist, starred review

* “McKinley has reworked many familiar mythological motifs into a tale that is completely fresh; her spare and eloquent prose is sheer delight.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“A new language, a new landscape, and a new people—all unforgettable!”—The Horn Book

“McKinley knows her geography of fantasy, the nuances of the language, the atmosphere of magic . . . .” —The Washington Post

"Any book that, at one point or another, reminded me of The Sheikh, Gunga Din, Islandia, and The Lord of the Rings can't be anything but a true original." —Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction

Additional formats

Other Books by this Author

Related Articles

General English Language Arts Science Collections Health, Sports, Games, and Crafts Math The Arts High School Middle School Music

Get Inspired! Books for After-School Clubs & Activities

Coordinating after-school clubs and activities in your school community? Explore our collection of books that will help students discover their passion for new (and screen-free!) hobbies. Focusing on topics such as art, board games, crafting, cooking, nature, sports, and more—these books are bound to spark imagination and movement. Browse the middle school and high school

Read more

Get Inspired! Books for After-School Clubs & Activities

General English Language Arts Science Collections Health, Sports, Games, and Crafts Math The Arts High School Middle School Music

Penguin Random House Secondary Education

© 2025 Penguin Random House

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Wish List (0)