- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 8–11
- Fantasy
The Land of Roar
Book 1 in The Land of RoarView the full series
When twins Arthur and Rose were little they were heroes of Roar, an imaginary world they reached through the folding bed in Grandad's attic. Now eleven and almost grown out of it, they must return when Grandad vanishes into Roar and the sinister scarecrow-crow Crowky takes him prisoner.
- Best for8–11
- FormatIllustrated
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Warm
- Funny
- Whimsical
- Bittersweet
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
When Arthur and Rose were small, they spent hours as heroes of Roar, a wild imaginary land of dragons, mermaids, ninja wizards and a magpie-hearted villain called Crowky, all reached by climbing through the folding bed in their grandad's attic. Now the twins are eleven and Roar is meant to be behind them, a childhood game they have almost forgotten. But when they help Grandad clear out the attic, he is pulled into the folding bed and disappears, and Arthur has to follow him into a Roar that has grown darker and stranger in their absence. Crowky has captured Grandad and means to stitch him into a scarecrow and seize control of the whole land. To save him, Arthur and Rose must rediscover their old courage, reunite with forgotten friends, and decide whether they are brave enough to believe in Roar again. Jenny McLachlan's series opener, brought to life throughout by Ben Mantle's black-and-white illustrations, is a big-hearted, fast-moving adventure about imagination, family and the magic we risk losing as we grow up.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Pitched at 8-11s reading independently, with plenty of illustration support for younger or less confident readers. It reads aloud well from about 7, and the theme of growing out of childhood games gives it a gentle wistfulness that older readers and parents feel too.
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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
- Gift-buying
- 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
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Roar is everything a made-up world should be: dragons, mermaids, ninja wizards and a genuinely creepy villain in Crowky. Arthur and Rose get pulled back into their own imagination, and readers race with them to rescue Grandad before the scarecrow-crow wins.
- Secret world
- Going on a quest
- Adventure and freedom
- Surviving danger
- The underdog winning
Why parents love it
A warm, pacey adventure that celebrates childhood imagination and quietly mourns what we let go of as we grow up. Ben Mantle's illustrations throughout make it inviting for younger or reluctant readers, and it reads aloud beautifully.
- 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.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
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