Imagination, hear me roar!
The celebration of childhood imagination, and the concerns about it fading as we age, have been explored in numerous volumes of children’s literature. There is an emotional pang I feel when I think of the dread Wendy feels leaving the nursery in the classic Peter Pan. We have collective empathy for the plight of a boy like Peter, who wishes to remain a boy forever, and never be faced with the pain and responsibilities of growing up.
We are fortunate to make it to adulthood with our imaginations intact, and it is often through our children or grandchildren that we rekindle the limitless wonder of pretend games. Despite my love of storytelling and the magical worlds in books, I admit my resistance to active pretending with my kids. I have come to understand that it isn’t my favourite form of play. I would rather work on an art project with them, or play a game of Scrabble, or go for a hike. Human beings do not outgrow the need to play. Despite the pressures of adulthood, playing is good for our mental health. So when there are moments where I let myself succumb to the silliness and wander into the fairy kingdom with my daughters, I do feel a glimmer of the old magic.
The Land of Roar, by Jenny Mclachlan, illustrated by Ben Mantle, is a modern classic of childhood fantasy. This middle-grade novel provides a contemporary setting for the timeless challenge of reaching the age where something–or someone– insists upon the end of childish things.
The Land of Roar, introduces us to Arthur and Rose, 11-year-old twins at the end of their summer holiday before the 6th grade. They are visiting their grandad, and are forced to spend time together cleaning out a dusty attic filled with memories of their past visits. When Arthur and Rose were little, they created a magical world called Roar, accessible through a Narnia-like gateway. Roar was the manifestation of all their wildest ideas, both wonderous and terrifying. Neither of the children have visited Roar for a few years, and the memory of it has faded for both of them. When Arthur finds a hand drawn map of the world, his memory is flooded with all of their past adventures. The main conflict our protagonists face is their differing perspective on growing up. Rose wants deeply to be accepted by her peers, and to fit into the crowd. She has fallen down the rabbit hole of social media and peer pressure, and has rejected not only her childhood passions for magical adventure, but her own brother in the process. Arthur has held onto his childhood playfulness longer, but he is struggling with the pressure to yield to his sister and their impending new school. Late at night, something draws him back into the attic, and he is convinced that perhaps Roar isn’t as pretend as he once believed.
After being dismissed by Rose, and confiding in his grandfather, Arthur discovers that Grandad has never let go of childhood magic; he is quick to believe and also to dive right into the ancient folded cot which forms the magical gateway to the land of Roar. When their grandfather doesn’t come back, and Arthur suspects that their childhood nemesis Crowky is to blame, he too ventures into Roar, followed swiftly by Rose. When they begin their quest, they find their magical world has fractured. So, the adventure ensues: retrieve their grandfather, repair the rifts in their sibling relationship and restore cohesion to Roar and its inhabitants.
This book manages to be at once an overt honouring of other magical worlds, such as Narnia and Neverland, while displaying original and moving storytelling in its own right. The supporting characters, like Win the Wizardninja, and Stella the leader of the lost girls, are funny and complex. This book portrays sibling relationships, during the particularly challenging phase of pre-teen turbulence, honestly. Rose and Arthur struggle with getting along, but when faced with danger and crisis, they are willing to risk everything to be there for each other. The Land of Roar is the first book in a trilogy, which explains some of the loose ends left dangling at the end of the book. Our heroes remember how to believe in magic— and in themselves— but we finish the book excited to return to Roar and see what will happen next.
This book was our most recent family book club selection, which we discussed last week at the community centre with great enthusiasm. The fourth and final book choice for this school year, The Scarecrow and his Servant by Philip Pullman will be discussed on May 15. All families are welcome to join the open book chat on April 25.