- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 8–11
- Fantasy
Return to Roar
Book 2 of 5 in The Land of RoarView the full series
Arthur and Rose are back in Roar when a message arrives from their scarecrow enemy Crowky, daring them to find The Box before he does. Their quest takes them beyond the imaginary world they know, into The End, a wintry landscape of everything they once wished away.
- Best for8–11
- FormatIllustrated
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Warm
- Funny
- Whimsical
- Suspenseful
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The twins are drawn back to Roar, their imaginary world reached through Grandad's folding attic bed, when their old enemy Crowky sends them a taunting message: what's in The Box? The Box holds everything that scares them, and now Crowky and a fearsome new villain are racing to reach it first. With their friends the ninja wizard Win and Mitch the mermaid, Arthur and Rose must travel further than they have ever gone before, all the way to The End, an unknown, wintry place where all the things they once banished from Roar have gathered. It is a journey through their own fears as much as through a magical land of dragons and monsters. Jenny McLachlan's second Roar adventure, illustrated throughout by Ben Mantle, is funnier and more perilous than the first, threading real emotional truth about growing up and facing your worries through a fast, imaginative quest. A warm, pacey follow-up for readers who loved the first book and want more of Roar's dragons, mermaids and villainy.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Best for 8-11s reading on their own, with strong illustration support for less confident readers and lots of read-aloud appeal from about 7. As book two of a continuing story it lands best after The Land of Roar rather than as a starting point.
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- Best fit · 8–11
- Read aloud · 7–10
- Independent · 8–11
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Moderate
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Imaginative adventure
- Portal fantasy
- Reluctant readers
- Sibling stories
Avoid if
- Wants realistic fiction
Particularly good for children who are…
- Nightmares or fears
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Crowky is more menacing than ever, and the race to The Box takes Arthur and Rose to The End, a spooky, wintry corner of Roar full of the things they most wanted to forget. It's a proper adventure with dragons, mermaids and a villain worth dreading.
- Secret world
- Going on a quest
- Adventure and freedom
- Surviving danger
- Having a nemesis
Why parents love it
The sequel deepens the series' clever idea that Roar is built from the children's imaginations, so facing Crowky means facing their fears. Warm, funny and pacey, with Ben Mantle's illustrations throughout keeping it accessible for younger readers.
- Nostalgia
- Conversation starter
In the series
The Land of Roar.
5 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
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