Comprehension Questions- Rowan of Rin #2 Rowan and the Travelers

Rowan and the Travelers

by Emily Rodda

Grades 6-8; Genre - Fantasy; GRL T; AR pts: 4.0

Rowan and the other villagers are suspicious as the Travelers appear so soon since their last visit.  A strange sleep comes over the entire village except for Rowan and Allun, the Travelers disappear, and the two friends know evil is in the air.  Rowan saves the village as he figures out Sheba's riddle and stops the evil that is lurking. 

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. How did Rin know the Travelers were coming?  forerunners and their kites, pipes playing  p. 1
  2. Why were the villagers surprised the Travelers were coming?  they don't usually come two years in a row  p. 3
  3. How did the villagers feel about them coming?  happy and mad  p. 8

Chapter 2

  1. Why were Hanna and Bree upset the Travelers were coming?  they steal out of their garden  p.  9
  2. What do some of the villagers call the Travelers?  Slips  p. 10
  3. What types of things was Sheba seeing in her vision/ dreams?  darkness, enemy, Travelers, bukshah gone, Rin quiet, Rowan, owl with emerald eyes  p. 14

Chapter 3

  1. Why couldn't ordinary people hear the Traveler's pipes?  pitch was too high  p. 16
  2. What colors were the forerunner's kites?  red, yellow, white  p. 18
  3. Why did Rowan go with the Rin Welcomers to meet the Travelers?  deliver the message of why the Travelers were there  p. 18
  4. Who stopped Rowan when he was going back to town?  Sheba  p. 24

Chapter 4

  1. Why does Sheba collect the slip-daisy root?  to help Rowan with his allergies  p. 25
  2. Why does it take courage for Rowan to talk to Sheba?  she's scary, he's shy  p. 27
  3. How did Sheba's words effect Rowan?  scared  p. 30

Chapter 5

  1. Who's the oldest person in Rin?  Lann  p. 32
  2. Why did Rowan decide not to tell the villagers about Sheba's message?  it would scare them  p. 32
  3. What were the villagers hiding from the Travelers?  berry bushes Allun brought back from the mountain  p. 34
  4. What are the villagers going to bar the Travelers from?  coming into the village  p. 34

Chapter 6

  1. Tell me about Ogden.  He's a Traveler, storyteller  p. 38
  2. What story was Odgen telling them?  Giants of Inspray, Valley of Gold  p. 38
  3. What bird was in Sheba's vision and in Ogden's story? owl with emerald eyes p. 44

Chapter 7

  1. How did Ogden respond when Allun wanted to tell the Travelers a tale?  he mocked him  p. 45
  2. What was Allun's tale about?  the seven villagers who went up the mountain to make the sweet water flow again  p. 49
  3. How did the Travelers react to Lann telling them they can't come into the village?  no happy  p. 54

Chapter 8

  1. How did Rowan feel when Ogden was speaking to him?  nervous, felt he knew his soul  p. 56
  2. Why didn't Rowan tell his mother and John about Sheba's warning?  Annad was there and he didn't want to scare her.  p. 58
  3. Do you think Allun will tell the Travelers about the berries?
  4. Where is John going for the evening? to help Hanna and Bree watch the gardens p. 60

Chapter 9

  1. What happened to Bree and Hanna?  they were under a spell/ asleep  p. 66
  2. Why didn't John and Jiller tell the villagers what happened to Bree and Hanna?  they wanted to find out what happened to the gardeners from their own mouths and not have the villagers assume it was the Travelers who did this.  p. 67
  3. Who kept watch while John and Jiller helped the gardeners to their home?  Rowan and Annad  p. 68
  4. What did Rowan finally tell John and Jiller?  about Sheba's warning  p. 69

Chapter 10

  1. How did Sheba react when she Rowan?  fearful  p. 75
  2. Did Sheba understand the rhyme or darkness?  no  p. 76
  3. What was the work she felt like she should do?  make the brew   p. 76
  4. What do the villagers think could be happening with the Zebak and theTravelers?  the Zebak will use the Travelers to help conquer Rin, and Zebak will help Travelers get to the Valley of Gold  p. 81

Chapter 11

  1. How did Allun feel when the villagers talked about the Travelers betraying them?  angry  p. 83
  2. What happened to Marlie as she stood watch outside the cabin?  she was a statue  p. 89
  3. What did Rowan and Allun find when they went to the hills to find the Travelers? they had gone  p. 92

Chapter 12

  1. Who did the villagers think was causing the deep sleep?  Travelers  p. 93
  2. What did Rowan and Allun see in the town's center?  people walking around slowly in their pajamas, talking quietly  p. 95
  3. How was Allun starting to feel?  tired, heavy  p. 99
  4. Who were the only ones left awake in the town?  Rowan and Allun  p. 101

Chapter 13

  1. Why hadn't the sleep affected Star and the other bukshah?  they left their fields and went upstream  p. 103
  2. Who did Rowan and Allun think was going to attack the village?  the Zebak  p. 104
  3. Had Rowan ever felt the tiredness?  no  p. 105
  4. How were Rowan and Allun going to get to Ogden?  fly with the forerunners  p. 109

Chapter 14

  1. Where were the Travelers?  the Pit of Unrin  p. 110
  2. What does it mean when someone of Rin gives the Travelers a slip-daisy?  they want to talk and the Travelers accept  p. 114
  3. Why did Rowan think Zeel was the enemy?  she was from Zebak  p. 117

Chapter 15

  1. Why couldn't Zeel be the traitor?  she was raised a Traveler  p. 119
  2. Why did the Travelers come to Rin and leave so quickly? they felt danger, but Rin was cold and unwelcome  p. 120
  3. Are Travelers allowed into the Pit of Unrin?   no  p. 123
  4. Who was going to go into the Pit of Unrin for the Travelers?   Zeel and Rowan p. 123

Chapter 16

  1. Why did Ogden choose Roway to go with Reel?  he conquered the mountain, and he felt right about it  p. 129
  2. Was Zeel afraid like Rowan?  yes  p. 130
  3. What were the monsters and attacked Rowan?  the trees  p. 135
  4. How did Rowan escape the tree?  he bit the root  p. 135

Chapter 17

  1. How did Rowan save Zeel from a tree?  hit it with a rock  p. 139
  2. What was the bird feasting on?  berries from the Mountain berry bush  p. 141
  3. What did Rowan realize as he rubbed the rocks and pebbles and saw the gold dusted wall?  Valley of Gold is the Pit of Unrin, they're in the Valley of Gold  p. 145
  4. What did Rowan find as he cleaned the rock?  it was an owl with emerald eyes  p. 145

Chapter 18

  1. What happened to the bird that ate the fruit?  it was asleep  p. 147
  2. What did Rowan realize? the mountain berries bushes were putting everyone to sleep  p. 148
  3. What was the hidden enemy?  the mountain berry bush turning into the monster tree  p. 151

Chapter 19

  1. What happened when Zeel tried to burn the bushes? they turned into the monsters  p.157
  2. Why are the trees bigger here than in the Pit of Unrin?  better soil  p.  158
  3. What do you think is Rowan's armor?  tonic he'd been taking from Sheba  p. 160
  4. What do you think is the armor that will stop the plants?  the slip-daisies  p. 163

Chapter 20

  1. Where did Rowan go to find the armor to stop the trees?  Sheba's hut  p. 162
  2. What was the armor?  brew Sheba had made  p.l 62
  3. What did the roots do when Rowan dripped the brew on them?  died  p. 163
  4. Why didn't the bushes affect Rowan and put him to sleep?  he's been drinking the potion  p. 165