The Land of Roar
By Jenny McLachlan
Illustrated by Ben Mantle
Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2020. 284 p.
Arthur and Rose are twins who used to be close—but now they
tend to fight and Rose doesn’t have much time for her brother. When one day
Grandad gets lost in the imaginary world that Arthur and Rose created when they
were younger but aren’t sure they believe in anymore—Arthur decides he must believe
enough to go on to save him even if Rose thinks he is just making things up.
This is a fantastical story about the power of imagination,
friendship, siblings, and what is most important in life. Arthur Trout is one
of those fumbling but lovable characters that readers will cheer on until he
starts to believe in himself. (Rose on the other hand is one that I struggled
liking until she started opening up to Arthur about why she made the choices
she did; however, I did eventually like her though Arthur will always be the
main character I love in this story.) Oh, and Grandad! Although he wasn’t in
the book all that much, he is a character that readers will wish was part of
their own lives. This is one of those stories about how growing up doesn’t always
mean giving up favorite parts of childhood—or your love for ninja-magicians, mermaids,
or dragons!
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