Rook Land Mantra

Rook Land books and content are middle-grade age appropriate (ages 8-12+).

Books do not come with ratings the way movies and video games do. Typically, publishers do not list objectionable content on the back of the book (or in the copyright statement, or oftentimes, even on their website). And so, Rook Studios is committed to producing middle-grade works that do not include graphic violence and sexual content.

However, this is where the “question everything” value mantra comes into place—while Rook Land books are a trove of wholesome reading, they still set out to challenge the reader on life’s greatest struggles and themes.

“Everything has been done before,” is a line you hear often, but we do not believe this to be true. There is a whole new frontier of storytelling yet unexplored. There is still a long way to go.

‘Question everything’ means asking what is fair. It means asking difficult questions without being difficult. It means pushing without pushing down. It means challenging the status quo, and exploring conventional understandings with (sometimes) radical, new perspectives.

The mission of Rook Studios is to create new readers, and to bring stray readers back to the medium. All readers are unique. Trends are all over the map. There has also been an extraordinary shift within the publishing industry regarding diversity. The edges are fuzzy—they always will be. Times change. Gimmicks come and go. Rules are made and broken. But one thing remains steadfast: story.

Story is core to the soul. It exists within all, and extends past any. It is energy that divides and unites. It is a resource beyond value. And story is what Rook Studios values most.

Today’s generation is constantly being bombarded by social media—it’s difficult for kids to pick up reading. Text-only books can be too overwhelming for younger readers, while graphic novels cater to a specific, creative-type. Rook Land books are considered “highly-illustrated novels”, and are designed to honor a balance between art and copy for immersive, easy storytelling. We hope that the Rook Land Saga (starting with Story ➊: Pearl) will bridge the gap between this generation’s visual world and the fantasy chapter books of yesteryear. Please enjoy.

Keep believing.
Question everything.