"The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray" by B.A. Williamson is a delightful and imaginative tale that sweeps readers into a whimsical world of adventure and wonder. Set in the vibrant city of the Imaginary World, the story follows Gwendolyn Gray, a spirited young girl who embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of her city and rescue her missing friend. Williamson's writing is rich with creativity and charm, transporting readers to a place where imagination knows no bounds. With its engaging plot, lovable characters, and themes of courage and friendship, "The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray" is a captivating read for readers of all ages, sure to leave them eagerly awaiting Gwendolyn's next adventure.

Oh the adventurers of Gwendolyn Gray! This was a very enjoyable read. I loved Gwen and her friends. Middle grade is one of my favorite genres to read. I loved the trials and tests these kids endured. The plot was very, very fun.

Thank you for the opportunities to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

Great book, love this author and how they can keep my attention to the end! The plot is well developed, characters are believable and they obviously paid attention to detail to make the story worth your time to read.

I received a digital ARC via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

This is the story of a twelve year old girl named Gwendolyn who lives in a world where everyone is expected to do things the same way, not think outside the box and when at school, spend hours looking into a special device that makes Gwendolyn's head hurt.

She has tried her best to follow rules but can't help having a vivid imagination any more than she can help having bright red hair and has always stood out.

One day Gwendolyn does something very much out of the ordinary, will soon find herself on the adventure of a life time and learn that there's a sinister reason why her world is so boring.

She will find herself making friends from a different world, traveling to a world full of color and excitement and realizing that having an imagination is not only a good thing but can also be very important.

This story was full of adventures, the power of imagination, the power of friendship, surprises, the importance of believing in following your heart and how being different isn't a bad thing.

I highly recommend checking out this book particularly if you enjoy middle grade mixed with a dash of steampunk and so glad to have finally read this book!

The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray is one of the books that my son enjoyed reading. Plenty of adventure, mischief, and fantasy that will behold the child's mind and ensnare their imagination. I recommend.

Perfect story for the age group. The message is clear and positive. It’s sure to engage readers of all ages and let them know that it’s okay to let their imaginations run wild.

This books was so good. I really enjoyed Gwendolyn. I thought it was fun and entertaining. Not usually my style but I found myself having a good time and devouring the story pretty fast.

The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray by B. A. Williamson is a middle grade novel. Gwendolyn Gray faces an overwhelming battle every day: keeping her imagination under control. It’s a struggle for a dreamer like Gwendolyn, in a city of identical gray skyscrapers, clouds that never clear, and grown-ups who never understand. But when her daydreams come alive and run amok in The City, the struggle to control them becomes as real as the furry creatures infesting her bedroom. Worse yet, she’s drawn the attention of the Faceless Gentlemen, who want to preserve order in The City by erasing Gwendolyn and her troublesome creations. With the help of two explorers from another world, Gwendolyn escapes and finds herself in a land of clockwork inventions and colorful creations. Now Gwendolyn must harness her powers and, with a gang of airship pirates, stop the Faceless Gentlemen from destroying the new world she loves and the home that never wanted her—before every world becomes gray and dull.

The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray is a wonderful story about the power of imagination and being yourself. Gwendolyn is often lost in her daydreams, and just wants to be accepted for who she is. Her world is one of strict conformity, but the issues of bullies and being mistreated for being different is not exactly a strange concept for readers of all ages. I love that her imagination, her spark, is her true strength. I think that our differences are often our strengths, but also the weak points that bullies and people in power use against us. I think that Gwen is a well developed character, and her relationship with her parents is very well done, I think that it was realistic on many levels, and that many readers will be able to relate. I think the world and character building is very well paced, and Sparrow and Starling were my favorites through the entirety of the book. I think the adventure and danger elements were well spread out through the book as well, giving Gwen and the readers time to take everything in and think about everything for a moment before the next wave of trouble hit. Some of the surprises and twists along the way I expected, but many still had me surprised in the reveal or the consequences of that information or feelings. I loved the sheer creativity and bravery of Gwen, particularly when she did not feel like she would met the challenge. I think this is an enjoyable read and could really speak to or inspire readers to embrace their own creativity or differences.

The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray is a wonderful start to a series, with a nearly perfect balance of closure and wonder about what will happen next. I fully expect to continue reading this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and cute and everything I thought it would be.

I loved Gwendolyn. She's an enjoyable and intelligent character that I could root for. Her development throughout the book was great and something I enjoyed watching while I read. The settings were magical and exciting. For a woman in her thirties, I don't care who judges me for reading MG fiction. It's books like this that keep me going back for more.

I cannot stop staring at the cover and I cannot wait to add it to my bookshelf.

While this is a good story and had a lot of potential, sadly it was slow in places and often seems to lag. While younger readers who don't mind a slower pace would probably really enjoy this, I struggled though the slower parts.

I wanted to so badly to LOVE this book. It was ok and I am sure that some of the kids I regularly give readers advisory to will enjoy this story about a girl with an imagination that just will not be beaten. The plot gets bogged down in some sections though and it will take a persistent reader to fight through those sections and see the beauty in this title.

Gwendolyn Gray is a 12yo girl living in a distopian gray world: gray sky, gray buildings, gray landscape, gray clothes, gray everything. She’s unique in her city, as she’s the only one red-haired and also the only one with an imagination. And what an imagination, that can conjure things out of her mind! I liked the pace of the novel, the action and the twists, and I very much liked all of the characters, with distinct and seemingly-real personalities.

The novel reminded me of several other works, like:
- Brave - the same red-haired, curageous and curious girl
- Michael Ende’s Momo - a girl against bad grey men in bowler hats
- The Adventures of Baron Münchhausen mixed with Peter Pan - flying ships and pirates
- The Lambents made me think of a combination between the memory-erasing neuralyzers from M.I.B. and the mind-controlling TVs from Fahrenheit 451

I totally see this as an adventure movie for kids (and not only kids) ㋡

I totally loved B.A. Williamson’s writing style, and I very much enjoyed the interactions with the reader.

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A very unique and warming story. Gwen is the only person that has a sense of imagination in this dreary dystopian future. She's a twelve year-old girl that doesn't understand the real danger of her creative mind. Then she's thrust into danger and is forced to save the world. If you ask me, it has a little Harry Potter feel to it. Youngling saving the world and all.
It's a marvellous adventure story with a fun and quirky character that makes you smile. It's enjoyable and whether you want to or not, you find yourself instantly cheering little Gwen on.

Have you ever thought that a middle-grade novel could have the perfect plot of a dystopian world? Neither did I! And I was pleasantly surprised by the world created by B.A. Williamson in this book. If someone decides to make a movie based on this story, I will be the first buying cinema tickets!

Gwendolyn Gray is the only speck of color in The City. She is a dreamer, an inventor, and an explorer, and she is not welcome in the gray world of tall skyscrapers, gray clothes, and dull people. Gwendolyn’s first distinction from everyone else is her wild red hair. In my head, she looked exactly like young Merida!

In tribute of Gwendolyn’s colorful imagination, I’ve decided to give my review of her character in accordance to the rainbow colors.

red

Reckless. It is a very rare occasion when main characters are rational and think through all of their decisions. Let’s admit it, it’s not fun to read about someone who never makes mistakes or who doesn’t rush into battles to save the world with a spoon in their hands! Gwendolyn is no exception. She is Righteous, she believes in right and wrong, and most importantly she believes in saving the world, and that always comes with being Rash and reckless.

orange

I would love to describe Gwendolyn as Optimistic or Outstanding, but there were a lot of times when the other characters had to pick Gwendolyn up, encourage her to believe in herself, therefore I’m going with Overcritical, which Gwendolyn definitely was, judging herself too harsh, blaming herself for the misfortunes at school and in Thok.

yellow

* Uh…How many adjectives start with Y?! (Maybe this was a bad idea after all).

Gwendolyn Gray is Young! (if you think of any other Y – adjectives, comment them down below!) She is 12, turning 13. This is a perfect book for anyone from 9-10 years old and beyond. Even though the book is written for the middle-grade readers, teenagers and especially adults will appreciate the hidden meanings.

green

Besides her Ginger hair and being a very Gifted inventor of stories, Gwendolyn is also Genuine and Gentle with her friends, Starling and Sparrow, and her schoolmates, even when they don’t treat her the way she deserves.

blue

Brave. It takes a special type of courage to stand up against the widely accepted rules of The City, against the man in the black bowler hats, against the injustice and to come to the aid of the fellow schoolmates and her dear friends.

indigo

Gwendolyn, without a doubt, is Imaginative. After all the whole idea of the book is based on the power of her imagination. From rabbit ears to red dresses and mysterious worlds, who knows what else she is capable of summoning with mare power of her thought.

violet

Lastly, Gwendolyn is Vibrant and Vivacious, especially compared to the grayness of her world and of people who surround her.

*Post on www.whimsypages.wordpress.com on 15th of June 2018

It's refreshing to find a children's book with the main character happy with being different as well as being clever. Gwendolyn's imagination takes her on an adventure that might or might not result in changes in everyone's future.

In a world that is all black, white, and gray, things can become extremely boring! No one knows how that feels better than Gwendolyn Gray! She faces a very serious problem… she doesn’t think in black and white. She is the only person her age that doesn’t think the way everyone else does, and that leaves her as an outcast. As her parents and classmates continue to fall under the influence of the gray, dull society, Gwendolyn’s vivid imagination runs wild and naturally gets her in trouble. There are two faceless men who will stop at nothing to stop Gwendolyn from changing the world as they know it, including completely wiping cities off the map. Can Gwendolyn, with the help of two friends, stop the two faceless men and save everyone from a dull, gray existence?

This was the kind of book I read as a child! It is so awesome to read about a child having such a vivid imagination! There is something about a child using their imagination to save the world that is absolutely amazing. There are so many great things about this book: a narrator who acknowledges the readers and makes you feel as though you are a part of the story, Gwendolyn realizing she isn’t just some silly girl. There is a real power in your imagination. Stirling and Sparrow are great characters! The addition of siblings Stirling and Sparrow helped create the steampunk feel this book had. The story was great and I loved the small moments when the narrator would say, “I’ll spare you the boring details…”, “Sparrow said a few words that wouldn’t be polite to repeat…”. This might be a turn off for most, but I enjoyed it. The pacing was quite quick with world-building along the way, which was spectacularly done.

What was amazing about this story was the way it challenged the way stories/fairy tales are usually told. Normally it would start with “Once upon a time…”, but instead, it challenged you with “What if…?” Here’s to Gwendolyn Gray, for showing us it’s okay to stand out in a world where you were meant to blend it, for showing us it’s okay to use your imagination, and going against the norms… because being normal is overrated.

A wonderful, bright middle grade fantasy story with a clear message at its heart.

Gwendolyn Gray lives in a literally grey world devoid of colour and emotional nuance. The population are subdued into bland and complacent thoughts through use of Lambents – orbs of light that, when stared into, seem to wipe thoughts, memories and ideas from the user. Gwendolyn is the walking antithesis to her world – flaming red hair, a wild imagination that has taken to making things real, and an aversion to Lambents. These traits get her into trouble, bringing her to the attention of Mister Men in bowler hats who would very much like Gwendolyn to fall back in line with the rest of the City, thank you. Through a series of misadventures Gwendolyn falls out of her own world into a variety of others where she encounters airship pirates, underwater ships, and a mysterious destructive force threatening to destroy it all that seems somehow linked to Gwendolyn’s grey original world.

The story itself almost feels broken into sections or separate adventures that flow together, each with a different setting with a different challenges for Gwendolyn and her friends. I quite liked this as a structure, particularly for middle grade audiences, as it helps the narrative feel manageable. The narrative itself was original and held real threats, twists and had a great pace once it got going.

Williamson’s prose was witty and had a strong narrative voice, though at times I found some of the turns of phrase were working a bit too hard and I wondered whether their intended audience would follow some of them. But, I think this would really suit being read aloud and middle grade readers would probably appreciate the bombastic action and vivid imagery.

I found the opening scenes difficult to get through, however. They read a bit disjointed and, in the context of the rest of the book, perhaps took up too much time and space, hiding the real story behind set-up. But once we got into the colourful, alternate worlds hijinks I was hooked. Hang in at least until you meet Sparrow and Starling!

Gwendolyn herself is a pretty solid character – willing to get her hands dirty and follow her own instincts. Her overall arc was unexpected but nicely done, leaving enough room for follow-up instalments.

An advance copy of this book was kindly provided by North Star Editions, Jolly Fish Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gwendolyn Gray is an absolute delight, a complete surprise!

B. A. Williamson has created a story filled with charming characters and adventure. Further, the story reads as a classic, due in no small part to Williamson's use of authorial intrusion. The narrator at times speaks directly to the reader which makes the story feel more akin to The Princess Bride and A Wrinkle in Time than to Harry Potter. Reading his style made me feel like a kid again being lost in the wonder of a story that was all mine.

Full review on the Genre Junkies podcast! https://www.genrejunkies.com/22-fantasy-the-marvelous-adventures-of-gwendolyn-gray-by-b-a-williamson/