Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J Fic Rodda, E. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Amity Public Library | JUV FIC RODDA Rowan of Rin #1 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Dallas Public Library | + FICTION - RODDA | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Independence Public Library | J FICTION - RODDA | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Rodda, E. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Rodda, E. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | J FICTION RODDA | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Silver Falls Library | JF RODDA | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Willamina Public Library | J ROD | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
"Seven hearts the journey make. Seven ways the hearts will break." The wise woman's warning rings in Rowan's head as he and six companions set out to climb the forbidden Mountain that towers over their village, Rin. The stream Rin depends on has stopped flowing, and these seven are seeking the source of the problem. But no one who has tried to climb the Mountain has ever returned. Legend has it that there is a dragon at the top; every morning and evening the people hear its roar. Rowan is terrified. In a village where people pride themselves on being hardy and brave, Rowan has always been timid and shy. He is teased by the other children and belittled by the adults, who whisper that he will never be the man his father was. This dangerous journey is Rowan's chance to step out of his father's shadow and earn the respect of the village. But, frightened by the perils that lie ahead, Rowan isn't even thinking about this possibility. He's just wondering if he can survive.
Author Notes
Australian author, Emily Rodda grew up in Sydney, Australia. She attended the University of Sydney and graduated in 1973. Her degree in English literature brought her a career in publishing until she wrote her first book, Something Special, in 1984. She has since gone on to write numerous fantasy series including the Deltora Quest series and the Raven Hill Mysteries. She has won several awards in her native Australia and an anime series has been created based on Deltora Quest.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-The people of Rin are strong and brave, except for young Rowan. He spends his time caring for the bukshah, the gentle beasts that the villagers depend on for their survival. When their stream suddenly stops flowing and the bukshah are in danger of dying, six of the strongest, bravest villagers decide to climb the Mountain, hoping to avoid the Dragon that lives there, to find out what has happened. However, Sheba the Wise Woman is the only one who knows the way, and she has decided that Rowan must accompany the party, so she gives them a magic map that can only be read if he is holding it. Rowan starts off as fragile and a little whiny, but improves steadily, especially as he begins to realize that he plays an important role in the expedition. He is able to succeed through his own efforts, not through magic. The adults are one-dimensional at first, but as Rowan learns more about them, so do readers, and two of them prove to have unexpected depth. Traditional fantasy elements and setting are presented in a fast-moving and enjoyable tale that should be an easy sell to fantasy lovers.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) Life in Rowan's village is peaceful and safe, spent farming and tending to the bukshah, placid wooly beasts of burden, until one day the stream from the mountain stops flowing, leaving the bukshah without water and threatening the village with extinction. Six villagers led by Strong Jonn, the orchard keeper, volunteer to investigate, but when they ask the village witch for advice, she gives them a menacing verse (""Seven hearts the journey make. / Seven ways the hearts will break..."") and a map that reveals itself only when Rowan is holding it, forcing him, small and afraid as he is, to accompany the adventurers up the mountain. The enigmatic, cleverly constructed verses that appear on the map as the journey progresses warn the travelers of coming trials+giant spiders, deceptive bogs, and treacherous caves+and serve to unify the narrative as a classically shaped, if somewhat contrived, ordeal of courage. One after another, Rowan's fellow travelers confront a secret fear and drop out, leaving only Strong Jonn and Rowan to continue, and at last at the top, Rowan alone+an earned success that emerges naturally from the rising action. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3^-6. Rodda's new fantasy-adventure series (three other titles are to follow within a year) introduces the people of Rin, who live in the shadow of the Mountain ruled by a fierce but unseen dragon. When the community's water source suddenly dries up, and the dragon ceases his daily roars, some of the bravest villagers prepare to travel up the Mountain to investigate the problem. Young Rowan, a herder who fears he will never be as brave as his late father, must accompany the group because only he can make the magical map reveal its necessary clues. One by one, each strong adventurer confronts his own greatest fears and turns back, leaving only Rowan to deal with the fire-breathing dragon on the summit. Readers would have been satisfied had they simply been given an exciting adventure story. But this talented Australian writer has also given them a fully conceived fantasy world complete with its own flora and fauna, a well-developed back story, and fascinating characters. This tightly plotted mystery sprinkled with clever rhyming clues is somewhat reminiscent of Tom McGowen's the Magician's Apprentice series (1987), and it should be popular with young readers everywhere. --Kay Weisman