Rowan and the Travelers (Rowan of Rin)

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Summary: The second fantasy about our unlikely hero, Rowan
Review: After his unlikey heroism in Rowan of Rin, Rowan is still very much the weak boy he once was. However he has more tests in front of him. When the nomadic tribe, the Travelers, come to their village many of the townspeople are not amused. Just after their arrival a second mysterious threat to his isolated village prompts the humble herd boy introduced in Rowan to gather up all his courage. When the sleeping sickness takes over his village an all that is left standing is Rown and half-traverler-Allun they must work together to find the hidden enemy. At first they suspect the Travelers, but the travelers seem just as puzzled as they are. While attempting to find the travelers he finds himself in the company of Zeel, a hated Zebak invader raised as a Traveler, attempting to enter the fabled Valley of Gold by passing through its only entrance, the ill-reputed Pit of Unrin. He must pass many challenges before he can save his people. Will his courage stand up to the evil forces again?

Emily Rodda does it again by making Rowan one of the most unlikely heros of our times!

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Summary: Charming sequel
Review: Following up on the sweet "Rowan of Rin," a fantasy for younger readers, Emily Rodda produces a sequel that is actually better than the first book. With an intricate plot, unlikely hero and intriguing mystery, this will captivate kids not ready for "Hobbit" or "Harry Potter."

In the aftermath of "Rowan of Rin," the boy Rowan is a hero to his village. Now growing a crop of succulent Mountain berries, the villagers have settled back into their normal routine -- until the Travellers come. The nomadic tribe has a history of friction-filled cooperation with the people of Rin, and their mockery of Rowan's triumph shows that nothing has changed. Several of the villagers also suspect that the Travellers are plotting to steal the Mountain berries.

Then the Travellers vanish, and villagers begin lapsing, one by one, into comas. The old wise woman Sheba utters another prophecy, and rails insanely out of fear of something that is coming -- an old "enemy." Only Rowan and the half-Traveller Allun are able to escape, and they rejoin the Travellers, who claim to have no knowledge of what is happening to Rin. They are planning to go back to the Pit of Unrin, to find a legendary golden city that was mysteriously destroyed. But when Rowan agrees to come, he will find something lurking that is too terrifying to imagine.

This book can probably stand on its own; references are made to the previous book, but no plot elements lean too heavily. The dialogue is never pretentious, a little stilted in places, but overall good. The descriptions -- especially chilling ones -- are even better, in such scenes as the one with the carnivorous trees with flexible roots, and Sheba's ranting. The only problem is that the cause of the villagers' affliction is pretty obvious from the beginning. Rodda makes up for this, however, with several twists to that plot device.

Rowan has grown since the previous tale, as we see him standing up to Sheba when she rails at and insults him. He even stands up against Ogden, something that no one would have expected at the beginning of the previous book. Allun is also expanded as a character, further from the person we saw in "Rowan of Rin"; in this one, he refuses to believe that the Travellers could have cursed the inhabitants of Rin. Traveller leader Ogden is convincing, though it might have improved the latter half of the book if he had been on the adventure and not his adopted daughter Zeel.

A good sequel to a good book, and one that young fantasy fans will undoubtedly enjoy a great deal.

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Summary: Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal
Review: I am Rowan Quinain, Jr. I am 8+ years old in third grade.

I read the latest Rowan book for my fiction report at school. Every month, we have to read a book, then do a written report or make a project of the book we read.

My mom suggested, that I read Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal because she reads the review and she told me that it was a very interesting book.

We had difficulty getting the book through bookstores. My mom was told that it will be available this summer yet.So, my dad went to amazon.com and he was able to order it from amazon.

I like the story because the main character has the same name as me and my dad. Also, the story is about a boy's courage, his love for his mom, and his adventures. Rowan is an intelligent boy, because being a chooser of the Keeper of the Crystal is a difficult task. I also learned team-work among the candidates.