- Fantasy
- The Land of Roar collection
- Ages 8–12
The Land of Roar
Part of the collectionThe Land of Roar→A warm, funny illustrated fantasy series — twins, an attic-bed portal, dragons and a scarecrow villain — about imagination, family and daring to grow up.
- Books5 / 5
- Arcs2
- Span2019–2026
- StatusOngoing
The series
At a glance.
Jenny McLachlan's illustrated fantasy series follows twins Arthur and Rose into Roar, the make-believe world they invented as small children and reach through the folding bed in Grandad's attic. The original trilogy is a complete story about twins on the edge of growing up who must believe in Roar again to rescue their grandad from the scarecrow-crow Crowky, journeying ever deeper — to The End and beyond — and facing their own fears along the way. A later dragon-school arc reopens the world for a new adventure, sending the twins to the Dragonlands and the Dragon Rider Academy. Funny, fast and big-hearted, illustrated throughout, it balances real feeling about imagination and family with dragons, mermaids and villainy. Ideal for newly-confident readers who love magical adventure.
A warm, funny illustrated fantasy series — twins, an attic-bed portal, dragons and a scarecrow villain — about imagination, family and daring to grow up.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Warm
- Funny
Read in publication order. Books 1–3 form a complete trilogy; books 4–5 open a new dragon-school arc set later in the same world, best read after the trilogy.
Two arcs
A series that changes as it goes.
- INarrative arcBooks 1–3 · 2019–2021Low sensitivity
The original trilogy
Twins rediscover their imaginary world to save Grandad from the villain Crowky.
The first three books tell one complete story. When eleven-year-old twins Arthur and Rose have almost outgrown Roar, Grandad is pulled into the folding attic bed and captured by the scarecrow-crow Crowky, forcing the twins to believe in their imaginary world again. Across the trilogy they journey ever deeper — to The End and beyond — reuniting with forgotten friends, confronting the Box of everything that scares them, and facing Crowky in a final showdown that brings real, surprising character growth. Illustrated throughout by Ben Mantle, it is warm, funny and fast-moving, with genuine emotional truth about fear, family and the magic we risk losing as we grow up. It closes on a hopeful, satisfying note.
- IINarrative arcBooks 4–5 · 2025–2026Low sensitivity
Dragon riders
A new dragon-school arc: the twins enrol at the Dragon Rider Academy.
Books four and five open a fresh chapter set in the same world. When Rose invents the Dragonlands and a school for young dragon riders in a story she writes, her tale bursts into life inside the folding bed, and the twins and their ninja-wizard friend Win must enrol at the Dragon Rider Academy and undo the disaster they've unleashed — then, as fully-fledged riders, take on their first mission to the cursed island of Scaravay. Longer, more action-packed and richer in magical creatures than the originals, with a fun dragon-school setting, these books are illustrated inside by Alla Khatkevich with cover art by Ben Mantle. Perfect for readers who love dragon-school fantasy in the vein of How to Train Your Dragon and Skandar.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 7–11
- Independent · 8–12
Reluctant-reader friendliness
High
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Adult crossover
High
Grows with the reader
Not especially
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
Per-arc breakdown
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
Similar in feel
Different shelves, same wavelength.
- How to Train Your Dragon →
About the author