Rowan of Rin #2: Rowan and the Travelers

by Emily Rodda

Book Overview

The secret enemy is here.
It hides in darkness,
fools beware!

A mysterious danger threatens Rowan's village, Rin. But who is the enemy? And what is the strange spell that is putting all the townspeople to sleep?

The Travelers, a roaming people who are friends of Rin, might be able to help, but Rowan isn't sure he can trust them. Especially since they tell him that to find the answers to Rin's problems, Rowan must go to the legendary,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006056072X
• ISBN13: 9780060560720
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Rowan must face the defying test!!!!!!

Rowan has become a respected among his small town group, Rin.Rowan will learn in his next mission how to unfold his true strenght and power.Even though he is braver than before he conquered the evil dragon of the mountain, he is still very shy and timid.The baker, one of the seven chosen ones to leave on the wonderful journey, had brought back home, a beautiful and colourful plant, full of beauty.But when the travellers arrive, a group of strong and talented merchant-travellers arrive at Rin, the plants root's grow hard, hard as stone and rock.Then all of a sudden, everyone in the whole of Rin, falls into a magical slumber, or more like - deadly slumber.This slumber is an extremely fatal one and can penetrate the human body. I loved the enchanting and beautiful world that Emily Rodda has created through her imagination for this beautiful character.She has certainly spent a large amount of time on the Rowan of Rin series, and I have so far found both books in the series enchanting and lovely.Books of adventure and trust and new friends.I am definitely a fan of Emily Rodda's wonderful Rowan of Rin and Deltora Quest books, which are enormously wonderful and not at all challenging a read!!! All children will be able to find Emily Rodda's writing and wonderful and classical.I definitely loved Rowan and the travelers, and you will too!!!!I can't wait to read the nest book in the series, a magical book about the keeper of crystals!!!Intriguing~and will definitely be an experiencingly wonderful read!!!

Charming sequel

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.

The second fantasy about our unlikely hero, Rowan

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!

A good continuation of Rowan's story.

Rowan may have survived the dangerous journey up the Mountain and become a hero to the people of Rin, but he's still timid and afraid. Yet his courage is about to be tested again. Soon after the Travelers, a wandering tribe, arrive in Rin, the villagers all fall prey to a mysterious sleeping sickness. Only Rowan and one other villager escape. At first they suspect the Travelers, but the tribe is just as puzzled as they are. They do agree to help, and along with a Traveler girl, Rowan sets out to find the cause of the sickness by solving a difficult riddle. Their journey takes them to a valley full of deadly perils. Rowan may be scared, but to save his family and his village, he will have to face his fears. Readers who enjoyed Rowan of Rin, the first book about Rowan, will love this sequel and look forward to the next two books in the series.