Member Reviews
Entrancing illustrations invite into a gray world, where a girl embodies determination and perseverance to provide hope and inspire.
Until the move, Robin lived in a world with vivid colors, but the city holds nothing but gray. It's odd that anything can be so gray, and she's determined to find color...which she does but only hidden dabs here and there. After gaining detention during her first day of school for presenting something colorful, she discovers the gray is being force-fed into society and part of an indoctrination...but from whom? Determined to stand against the world around her, she soon discovers a secret which could change everything.
Reminding of the novel Momo by Michael Ende, this story places a girl against an organization—in this case corporation—, who wants to keep the world colorless and in control. The world of grays draws in, especially thanks to the detailed and lovely illustrations, and creates a mundane atmosphere where creativity and individuality are swallowed alive. It makes it very easy to root for Robin as she stands against everything with her bright yellow raincoat, but then, she's a heroine with a good heart. As she faces wrong ideas and is threatened and scolded, her never-dying determination inspires.
There are several possible messages woven into this read, some deeper than others, which makes it a lovely book to open up to further discussions...and not only for kids. The entire thing carries an unique atmosphere, when compared to many modern day tales, but it's this light sense of oddness which gets those brain gears turning.
While taking a picture book format, this is a read for slightly older audiences. It works well as a read-aloud for ages 6 to 10, and stronger readers ages 8 and up can dive in on their own. The slightly different feel will hit some better than others. More mature readers will find quite a bit food for thought, and this read does lend itself for group settings when hitting themes such as conformity and society-induced 'norms'.
Thank you so much to NorthSouth Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Robin moves to a new city, but she notices right away everything is gray and dull, the buildings, the clothing, everything around her is gray. She and her friend Alani wear color and stand out and she soon discovers something colorful thanks to a rainbow that there is color in the gray city after all.
This was a very fascinating story in a world that is so full of dull grayness Robin wants to find the color, wants to bring it back for all to see and enjoy. I loved how she never stopped wearing her yellow coat, no matter what people around her said or did.
I really liked how different this book was to other books I’ve read, I loved the stunning illustrations throughout, and how she always stood out in each page. The colourful library room was stunning to look at. This was a really great read and I love that Robin did what she dreamt of doing, she set her mind to bringing color back and found a way.
A short story about a city that is gray until a girl comes along to change it! Loved the science elements to the story and how it all came together!
The premise of this is great. I wanted the main character to have more of a roll in the color change than just “pressing buttons and flipping switches” but I lined all the sneak peeks of color throughout the grey. Hard to read with a very young kiddo because the wording is in longer paragraphs. She had a hard time getting into the story with the long plot. I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you NetGalley & NorthSouth Books for an ARC of "The Gray City" by Torben Kuhlmann, coming out September 2024.
Wow the illustrations in this are amazing! I love the contrast with the girl's yellow raincoat with the gray and then some pages having a little more color. This would defintely be a better read for older grades. only because the text is lengthy. If read to younger kids you would definitely need to read a little bit at a time for their attention span. Definitely recommend checking out this book!
The Gray City is an illustrated book aimed at middle grade kids. It contains very detailed and enjoyable illustrations, but unlike children's book, the text here is far more developed and the story is engaging. Going from shades of gray to a world of beautiful colours, this book is a compelling piece.
I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book looks like a picture book, but it has a lot more text than most picture books so I would say that it is better for older kids. That being said, it is a beautiful story about a gray world, set up by a gray company and a little girl who sets out to bring color back.
This short story is a hybrid between picture book and chapter book, so a target audience is children aged 7-12. When a girl moves to a new city, she immediately notices that everything is gray and soon discovers a monopolistic company intends to keep it that way for peaceful uniformity and conformity. Readers will enjoy the scientific references to color theory and refraction as well as the social implications of unique artistic expression.
I received an electronic ARC from NorthSouth Books Inc. through NetGalley.
Kuhlmann offers an allegory of uniform life without variation. Robin and her father move to a city that is entirely gray. She continues to wear her yellow raincoat to keep contact with her former life. When she creates a colorful picture on the first day of school, she is sent to detention to watch a documentary on conforming and fitting in. The saving part of this is meeting a new friend, Alani, who is also being punished for celebrating colors. The plot continues in an obvious way but remains true to the premise. I found the ending a bit abrupt but it does offer hope for the future. The artwork is highly detailed and supports the story. Don't miss the informative text at the end.
A narrative that digs into topics of conformity, individualism, diversity and truth-seeking. This short story is loaded with discussion topics, told in chapters, that provoke the author to think beyond the overt narrative of Robin’s journey in Gray City.
This book is for readers who enjoy art, adventure, thinking outside of the box, mysterious topics and exploring new cities.
Each illustration is an art piece - from stunning cityscapes to pipe work and a beautiful rainbow. This book has been added to my to-buy list for my classroom/school library.
A StoryGraph review will be posted on my Instagram on the date of publication.
Robin moves to a new city where there is no color. She has never see a place that has so much gray. So she continues to wear her bright yellow rain jacket just to bring some color to those around her.
The main industry of Gray City, is the gray company, which she learns makes everything the same color. So she, and another rebel get inside the company and mix the colors wrong, so that all the gray turns to bright colors again.
It is an odd book, teaching children to go against the grain, I suppose. Or perhaps it is teaching them to always have color in their lives. Whatever, it is a nice transformation when the city gets its color back.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 17th of September 20204.
Robin has just moved to a new city. A new bleak, grey city; but this little girl longs for colors. Each day she wears her bright yellow raincoat to school, which leads to disciplinary "overtime," in a push to conform. Little does she know, her defiance to mold to colorless world will lead to new friends and knowledge that could change the cityscape, forever.
I love Torben Kuhlmann! His illustrations are phenomenal and this book is no different. I love how his stories revolve around teaching something technical in a child friendly way. He is a gifted illustrator and storyteller. Although my library is for middle and high school students, I do encourage the primary librarian to purchase his books (and he has) because I think they are so much fun. This one will be promoted as well!
Thank you NorthSouth Books and Netgalley for this ARC. Torben Kuhlmann never disappoints! Not only will I encourage the elementary library to purchase it, but I will also be buying copies as gifts for my friends kids and for my nieces and nephews because they have LOVED his other works, especially Edison, they love reading Edison (over and over again)! Great work!