Where Lions Roar at Night

The Barn Chronicles #1 Hard cover

Winner of the Australasian CALEB Book Award for Best Children's Book 2010 Where Lions Roar at Night is an engaging book for the whole family to enjoy. It tells of the fun and adventures and dramas of a modern day 'pioneering' New Zealand family - the Booms.

Ten year old Milly had always dreamed of living in the country and owning all sorts of animals. So when her parents buy a piece of land and move their six children into a ninety-year-old barn, Milly can't believe her luck. But she never imagined that living the simple life would include mucking out a filthy water tank, gathering endless supplies of firewood, clearing the land and rescuing animals in a 'hundred year' storm. Nor did she expect to hear deep groanings in the night...

Milly, the main character in the story, is the author's strong willed, feisty 12 year old. She is full of life and action, and is passionately fond of any sort of animal. In the first year of living on the land, Milly gathered a menagerie of pets - chickens, Indian Runner ducks, a pony and a milking cow to name a few.

In the gentle land of New Zealand there are no snakes, no wild animals and definately no wild lions. But on their first night in the barn as they all lay on mattresses on the loft floor, complete with mosquito nets, they were awoken by the eerie, wild sound of lions roaring. At first they doubted their ears, but soon realised they were hearing the roars from the nearby Zion Wildlife Gardens - home to a large number of big cats. A spine tingling sound in the middle of the night. The sound somehow encapsulated the exciting start to the family's new adventure and seemed to be a fitting title for Rosie Boom's book.