El río que atraviesa el pueblo de Rin se ha secado y ha dejado sin agua a todos sus habitantes. Ahora, con la misión de averiguar qué sucede, siete hombres emprenden una peligrosa expedición hasta La Montaña, un lugar al que nunca nadie ha osado acercarse y donde habita un dragón terrible y poderoso. Contarán, únicamente, con la ayuda de un extraño mapa que les ha ofrecido la bruja Sheba y que solo el tímido Rowan será capaz de descifrar.

Rowan is a young shepherd living in a village that depends upon the water that flows from the nearby mountain. When that water suddenly dries up, the villagers decide that they need to send a group to the top of the mountain to see what's wrong. Six volunteer, and cowardly Rowan (the only one with the ability to read the witch's map) makes seven.
A brief but fun quest-centered fantasy, with riddles to solve, forests with giant spiders, dark mountain caves, and, of course, a dragon. This would be a good intro to fantasy for young readers; think The Hobbit for Beginners. ( )

Narrated by Steven Crossley. When the mountain stream dries up and stops flowing to Rin, six of the village's bravest and strongest adults decide to embark on a quest to the dragon's mountain to find out what is going on. But the witch Sheba puts a spell on a map that is only visible when held by Rowan, a young boy considered weak and cowardly by many in the village. The six have no choice but to take Rowan with them. The witch predicts that "seven hearts will break" and as the quest proceeds, one by one members of the group drop out until only Rowan is left to deal with the dragon.

good book to read out load to class ( )

As the story opens, the town of Rin is facing catastrophe - the river that runs through their village has gone dry, which means no water for the bukshah, the herd animals the villagers depend on. The river comes from the mountain, so the problem must be up there, but although many have ventured up the mountain, none have ever returned and all fear the dragon rumored to live at the top. Small Rowan, keeper of the bukshah and least of the villagers, through a strange series of events becomes one of the seven who will attempt to unblock the river. Their only help in their task: poetic riddles and a map from the strange wise woman Sheba. Rowan fears they will be unable to figure out the riddles in time and more, he fears the future Sheba's words may reveal:
Seven hearts the journey make.
Seven ways the heart will break.
Short, but packed surprisingly full of discussion-worthy topics, Rowan of Rin is the first of five books about Rowan, the smallest and most timid resident of the town of Rin.

Previously read for Children's Lit course in March or April of 2007.

February 2009 Cover 2 Cover selection. ( )