The Land of Roar is a delightful flight of fantasy into the realm of a child’s imagination.
As a young girl I would spend hours playing make believe, sometimes a warrior princess on a quest through dangerous forests, other times flying through space in my cardboard Millennium Falcon. Author Jenny McLachlan beautifully captures the wonder and excitement of these adventures through the eyes of eleven year old Arthur Trout and his twin sister Rose, who discover that their childhood games as masters of the land of Roar might not have been make believe after all.
Icy fear rushes through me. This is what I wanted to happen, wasn’t it? I wanted to wasn’t it? I wanted to crawl into the camp bed and for something magical to happen, but now rock is digging into my hands and knees, I’m so scared my whole body is shaking.
I force myself to open my eyes. Thick blackness surrounds me, but far ahead I can just make out a tiny pinprick of green light. And the air isn’t dusty anymore. It’s cool and damp, and I can hear rushing water.
I start to crawl towards the green light. My head scrapes against the roof of the tunnel and rocks graze my hands, but I don’t stop until I reach the very and the green light has become a curtain of leaves with light shining through it. Before I can change my mind I push my head through the leaves and crawl out into the dazzling sunshine.
I blink and rub my eyes. I’m on a narrow ledge. I lean forward and see that the ledge is set into a cliff and far below me is a deep round pool. Trying to ignore the terrifying drop, I look straight ahead. I’m staring across a valley with a river winding through it. The river passes forest and mountains and glittering lakes. One side of the valley is bright and alive and bursting with leaves and colour, while the other half is shadowy and barren. The river has a shifting, swirling rainbow shine on its surface and it leads to a wild sea. Far, faraway, beyond the sea, are the snow-topped mountains.
Gazing at this unbelievable sight, I should feel lost and scared. But I don’t … because this is Roar.
Beautifully illustrated throughout by Ben Mantle, there are dragons, creepy scarecrows, a tribe of fierce lost girls and a grandfather in need of saving. The perfect quest for daring young heroes and heroines. Believing is just the beginning …
I’m off to build a den under the dining room table. If you want to join me the password is HEAR ME ROAR!
For more information about Jenny McLachlan visit her website.