When Rosalind is banished to the Forest of Arden by her cruel uncle, she is not alone for long. Her devoted cousin Celia insists on joining her, proving that loyalty is stronger than fear. Disguised as boys for protection, the two young women begin a new life in the forest — full of freedom, humour and unexpected romance.

But matters grow complicated when, still in disguise, they meet young men they could easily fall in love with. How can they reveal their true identities without risking the happiness they long for? In this lively retelling of William Shakespeare’s classic comedy As You Like It, themes of love, identity and friendship are brought vividly to life.

Sapphire/Band 16 books provide longer, more challenging reads that help develop children’s sustained engagement with texts. With greater syntactic complexity and rich literary language, this story supports the study of fiction from the English literary heritage.

Text type: Fiction from our literary heritage
Curriculum links: English – Fiction from the English literary heritage