Friday, March 20, 2009

The Tapestry: The Hound of Rowan


By Henry H. Neff

Max McDaniels is your average kid. Living in the suburbs of Chicago, he goes to school, draws, and is embarrassed by, but also loves, his adoring salesman-father. On the anniversary of the disappearance of his mother, Max and his father visit her favorite museum. While there, Max discovers a Celtic tapestry depicting the famous Cattle Raid of Cooley. Weird thing is: he’s the only one that could see it. Suddenly strange people are interested in Max and he is whisked away to Rowan Academy, a place where there are fantastic creatures and rigorous training for the special abilities that are growing inside of him. When other children from around the world begin disappearing, Max is thrown into the fray and along with his genius roommate; they begin the fight in the ancient battle of good vs. evil.

I love this book. Now I’ll be the first to say that it reminded me a ton of Harry Potter, but it was also magically different in so many ways. I loved the creatures, the history, and the people in this book. Bob the Ogre is one of my favorite characters, a reformed ogre who is a great chef! Not to mention Mum, the reformed hag, who sniffs the kids so she’ll know they aren’t an afternoon snack. These are only two of the many memorable characters in this entertaining story filled with the struggles of good vs. evil and dark vs. light. Anyone who loved the world of Harry Potter needs to pick up this remarkable book, and enter the world of Rowan academy. I guarantee you’ll love it as much as I do.

Fun facts: The Tapestry series is actually a trilogy, and the second book is out with the third on the way. Henry Neff also illustrates his books, which you will see when you read at every chapter heading (and a few in-between) in a beautiful black-and-white ink

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