The Land of Roar (The Land of Roar series, Book 1)
Jenny McLachlan, Ben Mantle
Subjects
- Fantasy Worlds - awesome adventures of magic and mystery
- Action Adventures - chills, thrills and plenty of spills
- Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
The first in a new children’s fantasy adventure series, full of imagination, humour and heart, and with echoes of Peter Pan, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Neverending Story and Jumanji. The Land of Roar is perfect for children aged 8 to 12, and can sit on their bookshelf next to Nevermoor, Wizards of Once and How to Train Your Dragon. Readers can bring their fantasy world to life and meet dragons, unicorns, mermaids and more in this beautifully illustrated children’s book. Believing is just the beginning … When Arthur and Rose were little, they were heroes in the Land of Roar, an imaginary world that they found by climbing through the folding bed in their grandad’s attic. Roar was filled with things they loved – dragons, mermaids, ninja wizards and adventure – as well as things that scared them (including a very creepy scarecrow…) Now the twins are eleven, Roar is just a memory. But when they help Grandad clean out the attic, Arthur is horrified as Grandad is pulled into the folding bed and vanishes. Is he playing a joke? Or is Roar … real? 'This funny, captivating story is filled with the painful pangs of growing up and the transporting qualities of imagination' Guardian 'A vividly imagined adventure, […] full of heart, humour and a terrifying villain' Fiona Noble, The Bookseller ‘This is proof, not that it’s needed, that Jenny McLachlan is a writer of enormous heart and versatility. I’m a really big fan’ Phil Earle, award-winning author of Being Billy and co-author of Get Me Out of Here! with Andy McNab ‘Roar is an exhilarating, hilarious, vividly drawn tribute to the power of the childhood imagination, the love of family and the magic we risk losing as we grow up. If you plan to visit one new place in 2019, make it Roar’ Sarah Driver, author of The Huntress trilogy Jenny McLachlan is the author of several acclaimed teen novels including Flirty Dancing, Stargazing for Beginners and Truly, Wildly, Deeply. Before Jenny became a writer, she was Head of English in a secondary school; she now loves visiting schools as an author and delivering funny and inspiring talks and workshops. When Jenny isn’t thinking about stories or writing stories, she enjoys living by the seaside, cycling and running over the South Downs. The Land of Roar is Jenny’s middle-grade debut. Ben Mantle began his illustration career early, picking up his first award in a local library colouring-in competition aged seven. He went on to study Animation at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design before working as an animator. Ben has illustrated a number of children’s books including Rudey’s Windy Christmas (HarperCollins) and Callum’s Incredible Construction Kit (Egmont) which won the 2013 Bishop’s Stortford Picture Book Award. He is also the creator of the award-winning The Best Birthday Present Ever! and The Best Christmas Present Ever! published by Macmillan Children’s Books. Ben lives and works in Brighton.
Reviews
Enjoyable read- a fantasy story that takes great imagination in to an unknown world. Twins Arthur and Rose need to rediscover the imaginary world of Roar which is filled with dragons, mermaids and ninja wizards to save their grandad from Crowky, the villain who is half crow/ half scarecrow. It is worth preserving and enjoying 📚
sean23_e
A fun book about childhood and imagination.
RobFirth
11 year old twins Rose and Arthur have grown up spending holidays with their fun loving granddad, but as they have grown older they have started to grow apart. Arthur still wants to play imaginative games whilst Rose would rather be on her phone, now in the final summer holidays before starting secondary school their relationship and imaginations are about to be tested. The Land of Roar is the imaginary place Rose and Arthur invented through their games when they were younger. Filled with amazing varied landscape, mermaids, dragons, fairies, a ninja wizard, the lost girls and a rather scary scarecrow, Crowky Roar was the ultimate imaginary escape. However over time Rose and Arthur have begun to forget about Roar, until that is when clearing out their Granddad's loft they find a map of the imaginary land and many of the props that they used in their play. It is whilst clearing the loft that suddenly their beloved Granddad disappears, Arthur follows quickly but the more sceptical Rose takes her time to join Arthur in the Land of Roar to help rescue their missing Granddad. This was another excellent read with lots of fantasy adventure, plenty of tension and amazing imagination. I loved the telling of Rose and Arthur’s relationship, how as they have grown older they have grown apart but how through a shared love they are brought back together. Their love for one another and their grandfather is heart-warming and believable. The descriptions of Roar and its inhabitants makes imagining them easy but this is then enhanced with beautiful illustrations throughout which also help to keep the reader engaged. A definite read for upper KS2.
SarahC39
Star Reviewer
Arthur and his twin sister Rose have been arguing a lot recently. Rose has got a new phone for her birthday and seems to be more interested in that than anything else. Arthur and Rose used to play together and enjoy their imaginary land of roar but Rose is so over that now. She can't see why Arthur still wants to play silly games when they are going to secondary school. However, while clearing out the attic at their grandad's house they stubble upon the old camp bed that was the entrance to the land or roar, Arthur and Rose find out their imaginary world may not have just been in their minds... The wins go on an epic adventure to take on their old foes and reunite with their old friends in a daring rescue attempt. It is a great book to read. Full of fun and imagination. The Land of Roar is truly a special place! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure books and stepping imaginary worlds where anything could happen.
Xulizuzu1
A fantastic book full of adventure and magic! My favourite character was Win as he was very funny when his magic spells went wrong. I can see why my class enjoyed this book!
rebeccaatlas
This book is a really enjoyable read. It is an uplifting story that made me smile- the character of Win is delightful, I think we all know someone with the knack of saying and doing the wrong thing at the worst possible moment! The story is set in the imaginary world of Roar, but the detailed and vivid descriptions easily bring this magical world to life. Behind the story of a fight to defeat the baddies-scarecrows- and save the land of roar, is a story about growing up. Arthur and Rose, once inseparable twins, are both struggling to make sense of starting secondary school and are trying to leave childish things behind them. The story explores the hate/love sibling relationship. There is also a subtle message about how great grandads are. I would recommend this book to any KS2 children who like magical worlds and fantasy tales.
Polwarth
It took me a bit to get into this, I don't know if I was a bit distracted but I felt like I was waiting for the story to get going. Once it did, I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read the sequels.
Diddlyd85
This is a great adventure book with an emotional backstop of the main characters. I loved reading it.
Millerf
An excellent book for KS2 - it combines a fantasy story together with some powerful themes about growing up and life changing as you move towards secondary school.
markygoodrich
The well written descriptions allow you to lose yourself and picture the story in your mind. I loved this book following twins Rose and Arthur in their adventure to the land of Roar. A land they created filled with dragons, magic, mermaids and unicorns, but it all changes when they forget and disbelieve. However Arthur begins to wonder if perhaps......perhaps ......Roar is real? I would definitely recommend this book
Sandra H 1
A lovely reminder of childhood games that most adults will relate to! For children, it is an exciting, magical adventure which includes mythical creatures such as mermaids, dragons and wizards, yet there are hints of real life that they will identify with. Win is a very funny character and the plot is fun and easy to follow.
Etaylor1
Love the idea of having such a huge imagination as a child inventing games and imaginary worlds that the place becomes real. Somewhere to disappear to and have adventures in. That is the land of Roar. Twins Arthur and Rose were the heroes in Roar but then they grew up a bit. Do they remember it? Do they remember how to get there. A wonderfully creative story as you follow them on their adventures.
Miss Mann
An exciting, beautiful story about the wonders of childhood, and how it's OK to dream and believe in magical places even as we get older. The older sister in the book thinks that she's too old to believe in imaginary worlds that she experienced with her brother when younger, but soon changes her mind when Grandad's life is put at risk. I would recommend this to children of all ages, who love to use their imagination.
kenchski
It was a good story but I felt there were lots of areas that felt rushed - I wanted more time to learn more about the characters. It was a nice idea about the children’s loss of imagination affecting the land itself. I found myself not really liking any of the characters massively. I can see why some children would enjoy it with the short chapters for quick reading.
Mr N
A good start to a promising series. An easy read that would be simple to use in class, creating their own lands and characters.
Bex72
As an avid Harry potters fan this book was right up my street. Loved the adventure, setting abs characters.
Sciencemissd
An imiginary world becomes very real taking Arthur, Rose and Grandad on an adventure like no other. With evil scarecrows, mermaids, unicorns, dragons and the Lost Girls all taking part, it’s a fast paced and gripping story. Very much enjoyed reading this one, will be getting stuck into Return to Roar next!
MXM001
An amazing book that I read aloud to my Year 3 class. Exciting, funny and engaging. The characters were vibrant and enjoyed the humour and emotion that came with them. Win stood out for me. I would definitely recommend this book. Perfect as a book for Year 6 transition to Year 7, or as a book read by an adult to a younger child.
sophie.womack
I enjoyed reading this book - it was full of magic and had an imaginative nemesis to be defeated! Disappearing through a camp bed into the Land of Roar reminded me of The Chronicles of Narnia and it was enjoyable to read a book with a modern twist on this theme of 'other worlds'. Rose and Arthur were great lead characters, with a well-written story arc revolving around growing up and changing dynamics in their relationship. I would certainly recommend this book to others, particularly those who I feel could relate to Arthur and Rose's predicaments throughout the story. Overall, this was a pleasant read and I will be sure to check out the sequel at some point soon.
Rachel N
A really fun book! What would happen if your imaginary world came to life? Here's your answer. Would appeal to many children as it's imaginative, has many funny moments and characters, as well as a small amount of spooky moments.
Miss_T2