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A Robin McKinley Collection: Spindle's End, The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword
Newbery Award-winning author and fantasy icon Robin McKinley writes stories that enchant readers. Bringing together three of her most popular novels--"Spindle's End, The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword"--this boxed set is the perfect gift for her fans.
1 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2002
About the author
Robin McKinley
41 books7,030 followersBorn in her mother's hometown of Warren, Ohio, Robin McKinley grew up an only child with a father in the United States Navy. She moved around frequently as a child and read copiously; she credits this background with the inspiration for her stories.
Her passion for reading was one of the most constant things in her childhood, so she began to remember events, places, and time periods by what books she read where. For example, she read Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book for the first time in California; The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time in New York; The Lord of the Rings for the first time in Japan; The Once and Future King for the first time in Maine. She still uses books to keep track of her life.
McKinley attended Gould Academy, a preparatory school in Bethel, Maine, and Dickinson College in 1970-1972. In 1975, she was graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College. In 1978, her first novel, Beauty, was accepted by the first publisher she sent it to, and she began her writing career, at age 26. At the time she was living in Brunswick, Maine. Since then she has lived in Boston, on a horse farm in Eastern Massachusetts, in New York City, in Blue Hill, Maine, and now in Hampshire, England, with her husband Peter Dickinson (also a writer, and with whom she co-wrote Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits in 2001) and two lurchers (crossbred sighthounds).
Over the years she has worked as an editor and transcriber (1972-73), research assistant (1976-77), bookstore clerk (1978), teacher and counselor (1978-79), editorial assistant (1979-81), barn manager (1981-82), free-lance editor (1982-85), and full-time writer. Other than writing and reading books, she divides her time mainly between walking her "hellhounds," gardening, cooking, playing the piano, homeopathy, change ringing, and keeping her blog.
Her passion for reading was one of the most constant things in her childhood, so she began to remember events, places, and time periods by what books she read where. For example, she read Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book for the first time in California; The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time in New York; The Lord of the Rings for the first time in Japan; The Once and Future King for the first time in Maine. She still uses books to keep track of her life.
McKinley attended Gould Academy, a preparatory school in Bethel, Maine, and Dickinson College in 1970-1972. In 1975, she was graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College. In 1978, her first novel, Beauty, was accepted by the first publisher she sent it to, and she began her writing career, at age 26. At the time she was living in Brunswick, Maine. Since then she has lived in Boston, on a horse farm in Eastern Massachusetts, in New York City, in Blue Hill, Maine, and now in Hampshire, England, with her husband Peter Dickinson (also a writer, and with whom she co-wrote Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits in 2001) and two lurchers (crossbred sighthounds).
Over the years she has worked as an editor and transcriber (1972-73), research assistant (1976-77), bookstore clerk (1978), teacher and counselor (1978-79), editorial assistant (1979-81), barn manager (1981-82), free-lance editor (1982-85), and full-time writer. Other than writing and reading books, she divides her time mainly between walking her "hellhounds," gardening, cooking, playing the piano, homeopathy, change ringing, and keeping her blog.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 29, 2012
There are not enough words to describe how much The Hero and the Crown and the Blue Sword changed me as a child. I went from reading almost entirely non-fiction field guides about animals and dinosaurs to devouring every fantasy book I could get my hands on after reading these.
Want to read
February 10, 2011I read The Hero and the Crown and the blue sword in about 6th grade for school and it started my reading obsession. I am excited to revisit it many many years later.
October 4, 2012
i love robin mckinley. i have read all her books. she just invites me into her stories. one author i read her stories again. I also love older children's lit
December 5, 2018
I didn't actually read this book. I read Dragon Heaven by Robin McKinley and I didn't find it on this site so I'm adding this one to make sure that I finish my reading challenge this year. Thats taking into consideration the fact that I actually got a life, and a demmanding job and got sucked into Netfix and Youtube.
June 7, 2019
I've reviewed these books individually.
April 22, 2020
Spindle's End was more of a 3, but The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown are excellent.
March 11, 2023
I love the worlds Mckinley creates.
February 28, 2024
One of my FAVORITE books EVER
October 26, 2011
SPOILER ALERT
My book review is on The Hero and the Crown it is a fantasy. This book was actually better then I thought it was going to be. This book is about a girl who isn’t liked and she decides she wants to fight the big dragon. Her mom was a witchwoman and now she is heir to the king.
Aerin does not have a mom because she was the witchwoman and the reason the witchwoman is not alive is because once she figured out she was going to have a girl she killed her self. She did that because she wanted a boy to be the next king which then would have been her son.Now no one liked aerin because she was the witchwomans daughter. So aerin had wanted to go and kill the dragon but she didn’t know how she could not get burn by its hot flames. So she went out and figured out a mixture so she would pour it over her and then she wouldn’t get burnt.
This book is very interesting I think the author did a good job showing that even no one liked her she went out and showed them that she is a good fighter and can do anything a guy can. The authors point I think was to show that girls are just as good as guys went it comes to fighting and all those things. I think that the author was a little to hard on aerin with the other characters. The problem that relates to us is that even thought everyone hates you overcome that and show them that you are just like them.
I would recommend this to people who are good with big words. Because this book has big words and names but I really liked this book in genral. I think you should read this book because it shows a lot of good points in it.
My book review is on The Hero and the Crown it is a fantasy. This book was actually better then I thought it was going to be. This book is about a girl who isn’t liked and she decides she wants to fight the big dragon. Her mom was a witchwoman and now she is heir to the king.
Aerin does not have a mom because she was the witchwoman and the reason the witchwoman is not alive is because once she figured out she was going to have a girl she killed her self. She did that because she wanted a boy to be the next king which then would have been her son.Now no one liked aerin because she was the witchwomans daughter. So aerin had wanted to go and kill the dragon but she didn’t know how she could not get burn by its hot flames. So she went out and figured out a mixture so she would pour it over her and then she wouldn’t get burnt.
This book is very interesting I think the author did a good job showing that even no one liked her she went out and showed them that she is a good fighter and can do anything a guy can. The authors point I think was to show that girls are just as good as guys went it comes to fighting and all those things. I think that the author was a little to hard on aerin with the other characters. The problem that relates to us is that even thought everyone hates you overcome that and show them that you are just like them.
I would recommend this to people who are good with big words. Because this book has big words and names but I really liked this book in genral. I think you should read this book because it shows a lot of good points in it.
Read
February 12, 2016I read these books ages ago, when female protagonists were not so hip. It's a great fantasy series, but it's been so long since I've read them, I can't fill in many details. Unfortunately that seems to be the case with books I've just finished as well.
July 29, 2010
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (1986)
January 28, 2014
Aw...stories of down-to-earth women warriors....can't get enough of them...
June 17, 2013
The Hero and the Crown is the best book I have read. I read it the first time when I was 12 and have read it 4 more times since then. Each time I love it more.
February 4, 2011
It's amazing. Captured me from the start and I couldn't put it down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2015
Robin McKinley is one of my favorite authors.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews