Rowan of Rin: Rowan of Rin #1

'Seven hearts the journey make. Seven ways the hearts will break ...' The witch Sheba's prophecy is like a riddle. A riddle Rowan must solve if he is to find out the secret of the Mountain and save his home.To the sturdy villagers of Rin, the boy Rowan is a timid weakling. The most disappointing child ever. Yet, incredibly, it is his help they need when the stream that flows from the top of the Mountain dries up.Without its water, their precious bukshah herds will die, and Rin will be doomed. The six strongest villagers must brave the unknown terrors of the Mountain to discover the answer to the riddle.And Rowan, the unwanted seventh member of the group, must go with them.Winner of the 1994 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award - Younger Readers &  the 1994 YABBA (Young Australians' Best Book Award ) - Older Readers. "Traditional fantasy elements and setting are presented in a fast-moving and enjoyable tale that should be an easy sell to fantasy lovers."  School Library Journal "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, Booklist