Customer Reviews

Rowan Of Rin (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Rowan of Rin (Prebound))

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I whole-heartedly agree with the parent from NY who's 8-year old son is a voracious reader.....because I have one too! It is so difficult to find quality books for young boys -- but this series is definitely one that you will want to buy. My son first read this series not long after he turned 9. He's now almost 11 and has reread them so many times that the covers are about to fall off. They are suspenseful without being scary....a great first fantasy series for kids. My only thought with regard to the child reviewers who didn't like them.... maybe they were too old for these books.

I bought this book for my 11 year old son. When he had to do a book report on it and asked me to help him, I decided I'd better read it myself to know what happens in the book. I almost couldn't put it down. I stayed up until 2:00 am to finish it. I loved the riddles and how they had to figure them out to continue their quest. I also loved how the tormented child became the HERO of the Village. When all the big tough villagers became to scared or weak to go on, Young Rowan the Keeper of the Bukshah, (because he was too scared to do and thing elso, saved Rin.

Emily Rodda pens a charming tale, apparently the first in a series (as we speak, three of these books are out and a fourth is coming, I think). Her hero Rowan will win over the earnest bullied kids, or the people who once were.

Rowan is the most timid child in the village of Rin, and so he is often teased and bullied by other children. Adults pity him or dislike him for his apparent weakness. He is also is a herder of the bukshah (buffalo-like creatures who provide milk and wool), who are fed by a certain stream coming down from a nearby mountain. And, it is said, a dragon lives at the top of the mountain. One day it's discovered that the mountain stream is drying up. Without it, the bukshah and the village will both die. They consult old Sheba, a clearsighted wise woman who utters a cryptic rhyme: Seven hearts the journey make/Seven ways the hearts will break/Bravest heart will carry on/When sleep is death and hope is gone...

The village sends six of their strongest, bravest men and woman - and Rowan, who is the only one who can use their map. Coming along is Strong Jonn, half-Traveller Allun, inseparable companions Val and Ellis, Marlie, and Bromden. More prophetic verses crop up in the map, leading the way through dens of enormous spiders, bogs where they hear their loved ones' voices, right to the cold summit of the mountain. But Rowan and his companions will learn some lessons about fear and courage...

Reading this book, one sees so many ways that it could have gone wrong. The adults could have remained one-dimensional and snobbish - but they don't, they grow and change as Rowan does. Rowan could have been a little twit - but he wasn't, instead being a thoroughly believable young boy who WANTS to be brave. I liked how he was not bitter about being pitied or teased by the others, but merely needed a chance to prove himself.

This is probably too "young" a book for most 9-12 readers, as the inside flap describes it as 7-up. But despite being a very straightforward story of about 150 pages, it's also tightly plotted and well-interspersed with fantasy elements, though not too many. Rodda's descriptive style ranges from poetic to sparse, and she includes hints of the the adventures to come.

On to read "Rowan and the Travellers." I'm sure it won't disappoint.

At this point I have read a large number of fantasy books to my young children (ages 3-7). The Rowan series stands out as above-average for out-loud reading to that age group:

- The vocabulary was well suited to my listener(s) ages (with just enough advanced words to increase their vocabulary, but not so many that they lose the ability/interest to follow the story);

- There was little violence, but plenty of suspense and monsters

- The repetition of plot elements between books (mentioned as a negative in previous reviews) can be used as a tool to prompt young listeners into critical thinking and analysis

If you are a parent looking to read to your children, take a look at this series.

This is one of the best books i've ever read(the rest being other Rowan books, of course). When the stream that runs through Rin dries up, the bukshah, the great wooly beasts that the village depends upon, are in danger of dying. Rin decides to send Jonn, Marlie, Allun, Bronden, Val, and Ellis to climb the forbidden mountain th find the blockage. Then, Sheba the Witch decides that Rowan, the most disappointing child in Rin, must go. They face many dangers on the mountain. At the end, Rowan proves himself the bravest of all. Rodda has created a wonderful fantasy without the usual unicorns and dragons. READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...

Readers of Delotora quest, and just plain fantasy readers, would love this book. It is a tale of how even the weakest man or woman can prevail when stronger heroes cannot. The water suply in Rin is running low, and it's members will run low on life unless they can retrieve the water. They know the problem is up the mountain somewhere, but the mountain is treacherous. A mad old lady named Sheba gives them little clues of how to get up the mountain safely, and six of the strongest heroes are chosen, but the weakest child[or teenager,the book never realy told his age]had to come beacause only he could revele the map. In the end all six heroes are deafeted by their greatest fear and only Rowan, the weak one, is left to save Rin. "This book was great!" says me. But my word is good enough for me. It gets a little predictable but sometimes your own thoughts may wrong....

P.S. I apalogize for my bad spelig and grammer,

I think my mom would like to read this book because my mom likes adventures books.
This book is about this boy who is going on an adventure up to a mountain to move The thing that is blocking the flow and NO one thinks he can do it because he is much smaller than the other worriers. Do ou think he can do it? Well if you think he can read this book. (That is my opinion)

The people of Rin are in danger. The stream that runs through the village is draining away, and at once they know it has to do with the source at the top of the Mountain. But as tales and rumors have it, dreadful circumstances are on the Mountain, as well as dangerous forces that threaten the village of Rin. And as legend has it, at the very top of the Mountain -- a dragon lurks in hiding. Chosen together with six brave hearted travelers, Rowan , whose people consider him weak and cowardly,

goes along with them, for only he can read the Map to guide them. Even in the face of uncertain and often deadly danger, Rowan and the other travelers face a rugged and harsh journey. Rowan wants desperately not be the weak little boy the people think of him as. And when the fateful moment comes for him to at last save all, will he survive the dangers and treachery of the journey to the top of the Mountain? Emily Rodda writes a beautiful and enchanting heroic story for younger readers,

with a fantasy plot that will move readers and make them be drawn to Rowan's somwhat courageous character, who hopes to somehow be strong.

My teacher recomended it last year in fifth grade. It was boring at first and I almost stopped reading it but then I got to the good part (the rest of the book) and I couldn't keep my eyes off it, the second two in the series were just as good.

All of the children in the village of Rin are expected to be strong and brave, for the life the villagers lead is a hard one. And all of the children meet this expectation except for one - weak, timid Rowan. His father died to save him, and ever since then Rowan has been scared of his own shadow. When the water source that the village depends on suddenly and mysteriously dries up, fate choses Rowan to be one of the seven heroes that must climb the forbidding mountain in order to save Rin. Rowan would like nothing more than to run and hide - but his shame forces him to make the journey. Along the way, Rowan and the other six travelers face countless dangers that would test the courage of even the very bravest person - and one by one, the others all desert, leaving Rowan alone to complete the quest and save his village. But can this one small boy reach into his heart and find the courage to succeed? This was an inspiring fantasy about a young boy who discovers strength within himself that he never knew existed.