ROWAN AND THE KEEPER OF THE CRYSTAL by Rodda, Emily - 2002

New York: Greenwillow Books - Harper Collins, 2002. 197 pp. Quarter-bound in green on green boards; lettered in gilt on the spine; green endpapers; headband; illustrated with a map. Dj art by Mark Elliott. Light rubbing at the corner of the dustjacket; no interior markings. Rowan and his mother have journeyed to the Maris folk on the coast to do their duty. Rowan's mother is to choose the new Keeper of the Crystal, who will lead the Maris when the old Keeper dies. Rowan is to be ready to take her place if she should be killed. Her death is a distinct possibility. Then Rowan's mother is poisoned, and he boldly breaks a thousand-year-old tradition. He refuses to choose a candidate using the customary tests until all three candidates help him find the antidote for his mother. Armed with just a cryptic rhyme, the four set forth to face perils they can't even imagine. Will they figure out the meaning of the rhyme in time to save Rowan's mother? Can they survive the deadly creatures that await them? And even if they do, what will happen when the hidden danger which threatens everyone in the land, reveals itself?. First American Edition. Hardcover. Very Good+/Very Good+. Illus. by Mark Elliott;. 8vo.