I didn’t know what to expect from the book The Hound of Rowan by Henry Neff, and I was afraid it would be like Harry Potter. While you could pull out a few similarities, I found this book not nearly as dark and, on the whole, different. The story seems much more straightforward than the Potter series, and I thought the subplots were better.

Max McDaniels is not exactly like other kids, he’s exceptionally paranoid and likes to draw. His mom is not in the picture, and his dad is fanatic about his job. They visit a museum on the anniversary of his mom’s disappearance, and Max notices someone on the train that weirds him out. He then sees this same man at the museum and, while hiding from him, notices a large tapestry against a wall. The tapestry starts changing colors while he is looking at it. Shortly after, he finds an invitation to a magical school. A school representative shows up and tries to kill him, and Max narrowly escapes. Another school representative shows up – the real one. One thing here though that bothered me was how Max trusted this one so quickly after meeting the other person who wanted to get him. How could he tell who to trust? They never really explained that.

He accepts the invitation and moves into the school’s dormitory, a very old mansion with strange features. The rooms select their occupants and room themes, not the other way around. They soon meet the creatures that they will take care of, and the last living Lymril named Nick picks Max to take care of him. (Probably my favorite thing about the book).

Max makes an enemy almost immediately only because Max stood up to the bully. As I look back at it, it seems the author didnt adequately provide motives for the characters in general. The two clash on several occasions and one of these moments ends up with the two captured by the evil one. Does Max do what the evil side want? Is he killed? Does everyone else make it out alive?

I enjoyed that the book included a non-mushy romance element, very true to the quality of a relationship at the teen level. I also appreciated that his extended family, granted thats only his father, was not forgotten as soon as we made the jump to the magic world. In fact, his father plays a critical element. I also enjoyed that I didn’t know exactly who the bad guy was before it was revealed.

There are several humorous situations, but mostly, it is a serious book, with a lot of unanswered questions at the end. I am unsure whether the later series will answer them or if they are again just left out by the author. I find myself questioning the author’s intentions but am intrigued enough to continue the series to find out.

The violence wasn’t too bad, the vocabulary was easy, and I think young adults would enjoy this book if they separate it from HP. In fact, once you see that this is not another HP book, I think most people would appreciate the story.

Kate

The Hound of Rowan: Book One of The Tapestry by Henry H. Neff
(c) 2007, Random House
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-0-375-83894-1
414 pages