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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this. I didn’t get that 4 star feeling but this is a solid 4/4.5 stars. This is a middle grade fantasy about twins, Rose and Arthur and they’re highly vivid imagination.
Arthur and Rose are now 11 and they’ve grown apart. Rose is into her phone and Arthur is still wanting to have fun adventures. When they were younger Arthur and Rose made up a game called Roar, but is it just a game?
Arthur and Rose’s grandparents both came from Mauritius and when I saw that I got so excited. My background is Mauritian and it is super rare to see any mention of it in books so that was a really special moment for me.
Regardless of this the story itself was really well done. It was easy to read. Very descriptive. I could picture myself in the story. I liked the journey these characters took not only physically but also personally.
My favourite character was probably the grandpa. He was so cool. Super chill and had a connection and love for his grandkids that I never got to experience because my grandparents passed away before I was born. And the only grandparent I had left when I was younger lived in Rodrigues (small island off Mauritius) so I didn’t get to see him much.
Win was one of my least favourite characters but he eventually grew on me. His incompetence grated on me but I learn to love him. In the end I found him hilarious.
Overall would highly recommend this.
Arthur and Rose are now 11 and they’ve grown apart. Rose is into her phone and Arthur is still wanting to have fun adventures. When they were younger Arthur and Rose made up a game called Roar, but is it just a game?
Arthur and Rose’s grandparents both came from Mauritius and when I saw that I got so excited. My background is Mauritian and it is super rare to see any mention of it in books so that was a really special moment for me.
Regardless of this the story itself was really well done. It was easy to read. Very descriptive. I could picture myself in the story. I liked the journey these characters took not only physically but also personally.
My favourite character was probably the grandpa. He was so cool. Super chill and had a connection and love for his grandkids that I never got to experience because my grandparents passed away before I was born. And the only grandparent I had left when I was younger lived in Rodrigues (small island off Mauritius) so I didn’t get to see him much.
Win was one of my least favourite characters but he eventually grew on me. His incompetence grated on me but I learn to love him. In the end I found him hilarious.
Overall would highly recommend this.
I have to admit, what attracted my attention first was the cover. It’s wonderfully imaginative and even spreads out over the flaps front and back. That the story is great too, made the book even better. Or maybe it’s the other way around?
This book gave me so many feelings. I feel like there is so much to tell about this story that I don’t really know where to start.
Arthur and Rose are twins and eleven years old and while they used to be best friends and did everything together, everything seems to have changed. Where Arthur is unsure of himself and his abilities, a little lanky and awkward, his sister Rose is self-assured, confident and cool. While Rose has new friends and new hobbies and looks forward to going to a new school, Arthur seems to have been left behind. They are just not like they used to be and that bothers Arthur, who is the main protagonist and narrator of the story. Arthur has a lot of imagination and insecurities and that made him extremely likable. It was also very obvious that Rose was more the hero of the story than Arthur was. At least that’s how I saw it. Rose was the one that came to the rescue, who came up with the plans, who had all the skills that they needed to get through that adventure. It was kinda interesting because I felt like this dissonance showed mostly how Arthur saw Rose and how he saw himself. Even though we as the readers are aware that Rose cannot be totally without flaws and fears, that’s something Arthur still has to learn during the course of the story.
Other characters include the children’s grandpa who was full of mischief and imagination and just so fun and lovable that I could easily say that he was my favourite character. (I also really wanna see that place behind the jam cupboard.) The other important character is Win, a character Arthur created years ago and who’s character annoyed me with time because of his immaturity until I realized that he was a character a much younger Arthur made up who would have loved all those character traits. Since Arthur matured emotionally over the years and Win didn’t, at least not really, the difference was very palpable and interesting. The scarecrow Crowkey was the creepy villain of a children’s story and a worthy adversary.
The whole atmosphere in the book was great. Roar gave off the feeling of a imaginative fantasy world that had been abandoned. A little bit like a closed down amusement park that still had broken booths and attractions around with broken toys and faded colors. There was just something about it that made even a sunny day feel creepy and uneasy. Still there was so much a young reader (and also a grown-up like me) will enjoy. The mermaids, the wizards, the DRAGONS, the jungle, the starry skies, the endless sea and mighty castle – everything is so full of imagination and there is so much to discover.
The story is as much about Arthur and Rose finding their way back to Roar as it is about their relationship with each other. It’s about change and growing up and about differences and common ground. It kinda made me reflect about how the relationship between me and my own siblings has changed over the years and made me wanna sit down and have meaningful conversations with them.
To praise the artwork again, it’s not only the cover that is mindboggelingly beautiful but the book also has wonderful art inside. Kudos for that, it made the book even more amazing (if that’s even possible).
All in all, “The land of Roar” as an immensely enjoyable Middlegrade story with a lot of fantastic elements, amazing world-building, great characters and great relationships. It’s full of adventure and creepiness, daring and magic. I will definitely read the second book and hope and root for Arthur to become more self-assured and brave.
This book gave me so many feelings. I feel like there is so much to tell about this story that I don’t really know where to start.
Arthur and Rose are twins and eleven years old and while they used to be best friends and did everything together, everything seems to have changed. Where Arthur is unsure of himself and his abilities, a little lanky and awkward, his sister Rose is self-assured, confident and cool. While Rose has new friends and new hobbies and looks forward to going to a new school, Arthur seems to have been left behind. They are just not like they used to be and that bothers Arthur, who is the main protagonist and narrator of the story. Arthur has a lot of imagination and insecurities and that made him extremely likable. It was also very obvious that Rose was more the hero of the story than Arthur was. At least that’s how I saw it. Rose was the one that came to the rescue, who came up with the plans, who had all the skills that they needed to get through that adventure. It was kinda interesting because I felt like this dissonance showed mostly how Arthur saw Rose and how he saw himself. Even though we as the readers are aware that Rose cannot be totally without flaws and fears, that’s something Arthur still has to learn during the course of the story.
Other characters include the children’s grandpa who was full of mischief and imagination and just so fun and lovable that I could easily say that he was my favourite character. (I also really wanna see that place behind the jam cupboard.) The other important character is Win, a character Arthur created years ago and who’s character annoyed me with time because of his immaturity until I realized that he was a character a much younger Arthur made up who would have loved all those character traits. Since Arthur matured emotionally over the years and Win didn’t, at least not really, the difference was very palpable and interesting. The scarecrow Crowkey was the creepy villain of a children’s story and a worthy adversary.
The whole atmosphere in the book was great. Roar gave off the feeling of a imaginative fantasy world that had been abandoned. A little bit like a closed down amusement park that still had broken booths and attractions around with broken toys and faded colors. There was just something about it that made even a sunny day feel creepy and uneasy. Still there was so much a young reader (and also a grown-up like me) will enjoy. The mermaids, the wizards, the DRAGONS, the jungle, the starry skies, the endless sea and mighty castle – everything is so full of imagination and there is so much to discover.
The story is as much about Arthur and Rose finding their way back to Roar as it is about their relationship with each other. It’s about change and growing up and about differences and common ground. It kinda made me reflect about how the relationship between me and my own siblings has changed over the years and made me wanna sit down and have meaningful conversations with them.
To praise the artwork again, it’s not only the cover that is mindboggelingly beautiful but the book also has wonderful art inside. Kudos for that, it made the book even more amazing (if that’s even possible).
All in all, “The land of Roar” as an immensely enjoyable Middlegrade story with a lot of fantastic elements, amazing world-building, great characters and great relationships. It’s full of adventure and creepiness, daring and magic. I will definitely read the second book and hope and root for Arthur to become more self-assured and brave.
Another grandad & you all know I am partial to a mad grandad.
Twins Arthur and Rose Trout are not getting along, they are staying at their Grandad's during the summer before they go to secondary school. Whilst Arthur is anxious & worried, his twin sister seems nonchalant and bolshy, hanging out with the older girl next door.
Clearing out the attic, Arthur finds a map, he remembers a game they used to play... There I. The corner is a rocking horse & he remembers the tail & mane stinging him, its name was Prosecco....
Whilst in the garden he sees the shadow of a wizard upstairs but when he investigates nothing is there.
Chatting to Rose is no use, she can't or won't remember the games they used to play mermaids and unicorns the Archie Playgos.
But grandad does want to remember, to play climbing into the hole the z-bed makes he shouts out the magic words & disappears... For real. Arthur freaks out, but as anxious as he is his grandad needs him and so he follows.... Into the Land of Roar.
With bad scarecrows, a nemesis called Crowkey, Dragons, Lost Girls and a Wizard-ninja called Win this is an "imaginary" tale.
If you loved going through the wardrobe to Narnia your hairs will raise on your arms with that special prickle of something magical about to be discovered. Surely a classic is about to be released this autumn. I can't wait to go back. This is awesome.
Twins Arthur and Rose Trout are not getting along, they are staying at their Grandad's during the summer before they go to secondary school. Whilst Arthur is anxious & worried, his twin sister seems nonchalant and bolshy, hanging out with the older girl next door.
Clearing out the attic, Arthur finds a map, he remembers a game they used to play... There I. The corner is a rocking horse & he remembers the tail & mane stinging him, its name was Prosecco....
Whilst in the garden he sees the shadow of a wizard upstairs but when he investigates nothing is there.
Chatting to Rose is no use, she can't or won't remember the games they used to play mermaids and unicorns the Archie Playgos.
But grandad does want to remember, to play climbing into the hole the z-bed makes he shouts out the magic words & disappears... For real. Arthur freaks out, but as anxious as he is his grandad needs him and so he follows.... Into the Land of Roar.
With bad scarecrows, a nemesis called Crowkey, Dragons, Lost Girls and a Wizard-ninja called Win this is an "imaginary" tale.
If you loved going through the wardrobe to Narnia your hairs will raise on your arms with that special prickle of something magical about to be discovered. Surely a classic is about to be released this autumn. I can't wait to go back. This is awesome.
If you`ve been around for a while, you`ll know by now that I really like Jenny McLachlan`s teen fiction, so I was delighted when I heard she was turning her hand to some middle grade, and I was so happy when I thoroughly enjoyed her writing for this age group as well! It tells the story of somewhat estranged twins Arthur and Rose, as they discover the seemingly imaginary land they visited as children is real and that its villain has abducted their grandfather, meaning they must return and save him. Something I feel this did really well was its characters, particularly the two leads. Arthur is such a lovely narrator and I loved watching him develop a lot, and Rose was fascinating, both in general and in the way that my feelings towards her completely changed as the book went on as I began to understand why she behaved in certain ways or did certain things. I also loved Win on account of him being utterly precious, and Crowky was a fabulously creepy villain; I can see why Arthur had nightmares for sure! The Land of Roar itself is another huge highlight of this- it`s so full of wonder and magic, and I genuinely can`t wait to explore more of it and meet more of its people in the sequels. 4.5/5
I loved this book! From almost the very first page, it took me right back to my childhood and the endless summer days my brother and I spent playing in the fields behind our house, pretending we were in a fantasy land filled with quests, treasure and dragons. Reading this book filled me with that childlike sense of wonder and reminded me how natural it used to feel to look beyond the real world and 'see' a magical world in a tree trunk, an old chair or box of junk. I'm sure this feeling will resonate with many readers. This book made me feel the way I do when looking through old photos or at a family birthday party when someone retells a story of our childhood.
The story itself follows 11-year-old twins Arthur and Rose who are spending the last few days of their summer holiday at their Grandad's house. While clearing out the attic, they come across toys and memories from when they were little and many of these remind Arthur of the game he and Rose used to play in their imaginary Land of Roar. Arthur is keen to reminisce, but Rose seems to want to forget all about these games, focussing more on her phone, making friends with their 13-year-old neighbour and getting in with the 'right' crowd when she starts secondary school. However, when their Grandad disappears, Arthur begins to wonder if The Land of Roar might not be as imaginary as he thought it was.
I liked both the main characters and thought their sibling relationship was very realistic. The villain was brilliantly creepy and gave this book just the right amount of scariness. There were lots of classical fantasy elements to this book but also many modern references which kept it feeling fresh. There is a map at the beginning of the book an artwork throughout which adds to the story beautifully. I think this book would be great for readers 8+ who enjoy fantasy and adventure stories.
The story itself follows 11-year-old twins Arthur and Rose who are spending the last few days of their summer holiday at their Grandad's house. While clearing out the attic, they come across toys and memories from when they were little and many of these remind Arthur of the game he and Rose used to play in their imaginary Land of Roar. Arthur is keen to reminisce, but Rose seems to want to forget all about these games, focussing more on her phone, making friends with their 13-year-old neighbour and getting in with the 'right' crowd when she starts secondary school. However, when their Grandad disappears, Arthur begins to wonder if The Land of Roar might not be as imaginary as he thought it was.
I liked both the main characters and thought their sibling relationship was very realistic. The villain was brilliantly creepy and gave this book just the right amount of scariness. There were lots of classical fantasy elements to this book but also many modern references which kept it feeling fresh. There is a map at the beginning of the book an artwork throughout which adds to the story beautifully. I think this book would be great for readers 8+ who enjoy fantasy and adventure stories.
Arthur and his twin sister Rose are persuaded to clear out their grandfather's attic so he can make it into a den just for them. Arthur finds lots of memories coming back to him as he works, most important is the map of Roar he finds in an old tin. Almost forgotten, The Land of Roar is a place they invented when they were small, a place where they were the heroes. But Rose is far too grown up to play Roar any more and Arthur is following her example until suddenly their grandfather disappears and he has no choice but to believe that maybe Roar is more real than they thought.
This was a fun story, with a magical world of mermaids, pirates and all the other things the twins ever imagined. I wouldn't mind visiting too!
This was a fun story, with a magical world of mermaids, pirates and all the other things the twins ever imagined. I wouldn't mind visiting too!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
you know a children's book is written in 2019 when it references the whip & nae nae, the floss, and loom bracelets ;)
imma be real with you guys... i picked this up solely because of the cover. if you think it's gorgeous through the screen, let me assure you that it's at least 10x better in its physical form. i. couldn't. stop. staring. and running my hands over the cover. and opening the cover flaps and staring even more. it would take me 5 minutes every time to start actually reading because i'm just so enthralled by the illustrated cover. not exaggerating. (ok maybe a little.)
it's undeniable that jenny mclachlan has a knack for storytelling, and an insanely vivid imagination. reading it transported me back to my enid blyton days, and that one (1) creative writing class i took where we had to come up with silly characters with bizarre powers; basically anything our minds could conjure up. ah, those were the days.
one of my favourite things about reading MG books as an "adult" (or so she claims), is connecting with the themes that i normally would not care much for as a kid. if i read this as a kid, i would only be interested in the adventure and the magic. but now, as an adult, i find myself particularly drawn to the family values portrayed in the story. that sense of loss arthur felt after so many years of having his sister, rose, as his best friend, only to realize that, while he still needs her in his life, she has friends and peers to impress now and no longer feels the same way... i felt that, deep in my gut. i also cried at a certain scene because yes, i'm a crybaby and yes, i'm a sucker for displays of affection between family members.
this book was everything i was expecting from a MG novel, and more. there's adventure, magic, friendship, family values, and of course, the spirit of make-believe. it's engaging and funny, with amazingly detailed worldbuilding. i had an absolute blast in the land of roar and am already looking forward to the next book.
christmas presents for my kid cousins: check!
special thanks to pansing and egmont uk for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
imma be real with you guys... i picked this up solely because of the cover. if you think it's gorgeous through the screen, let me assure you that it's at least 10x better in its physical form. i. couldn't. stop. staring. and running my hands over the cover. and opening the cover flaps and staring even more. it would take me 5 minutes every time to start actually reading because i'm just so enthralled by the illustrated cover. not exaggerating. (ok maybe a little.)
it's undeniable that jenny mclachlan has a knack for storytelling, and an insanely vivid imagination. reading it transported me back to my enid blyton days, and that one (1) creative writing class i took where we had to come up with silly characters with bizarre powers; basically anything our minds could conjure up. ah, those were the days.
one of my favourite things about reading MG books as an "adult" (or so she claims), is connecting with the themes that i normally would not care much for as a kid. if i read this as a kid, i would only be interested in the adventure and the magic. but now, as an adult, i find myself particularly drawn to the family values portrayed in the story. that sense of loss arthur felt after so many years of having his sister, rose, as his best friend, only to realize that, while he still needs her in his life, she has friends and peers to impress now and no longer feels the same way... i felt that, deep in my gut. i also cried at a certain scene because yes, i'm a crybaby and yes, i'm a sucker for displays of affection between family members.
this book was everything i was expecting from a MG novel, and more. there's adventure, magic, friendship, family values, and of course, the spirit of make-believe. it's engaging and funny, with amazingly detailed worldbuilding. i had an absolute blast in the land of roar and am already looking forward to the next book.
christmas presents for my kid cousins: check!
special thanks to pansing and egmont uk for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I almost forgot to review this and it's one of the best things I've read!
We bought The Land of Roar for my two children, chosen by my son who was 5 at the time. My 5 and 7 year old children were ABSOLUTELY hooked - so were we. The Land of Roar is incredibly imaginative and so much fun. It made me feel like a child!
The book felt a little slow in the first couple of chapters, a feeling exacerbated by bedtime interruptions for important things like sleep, but the relationship between brother and sister that are being portrayed are key to the plot.
It's been a few months and I still hear my children discussing the characters!
We bought The Land of Roar for my two children, chosen by my son who was 5 at the time. My 5 and 7 year old children were ABSOLUTELY hooked - so were we. The Land of Roar is incredibly imaginative and so much fun. It made me feel like a child!
The book felt a little slow in the first couple of chapters, a feeling exacerbated by bedtime interruptions for important things like sleep, but the relationship between brother and sister that are being portrayed are key to the plot.
It's been a few months and I still hear my children discussing the characters!