Book Review: The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray by B.A. Williamson

Thank you to Jolly Fish Press for the review copy of

The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray, which I received in

exchange for an honest review. 

OK, to be clear, Jolly Fish Press actually sent me two Gwendolyn Gray books;

the more recent one having come out in April. But ever since I graduated from

The Babysitters’ Club, reading a series out of order has never been good to me.  

So book one it is. 

Redhead, imaginative Gwendolyn Gray is a black sheep in her dystopian City

because she has pizazz and personality. But when characters from her

imagination and a mysterious book she finds start manifesting, Gwendolyn

finds herself pursued across universes by pirates, a giant octopus, and

nefarious government agents, the Mister Men.

The omniscient narrator (AKA the death of so many kidlit manuscripts) adds

comic relief and wisdom to the story simultaneously. 

Easter eggs from myriad iconic fantasy stories - Alice in Wonderland,

Neverending Story, Wizard of Oz, and The Matrix most prominently - are

sprinkled throughout, with a dash of kid-friendly multiverse physics, a twist of

first love, mind-bending gotchas, and a bittersweet tearjerker ending. 

But this isn’t a spoof book, or even intended to be funny: This sci-fi adventure

story has a strong message of confidence and self-love that really sucks the

reader in. I’d gone through 100 pages before I realized I’d done so. 

In other words, the premise is awesome and B.A. Williamson totally delivers. 

While it sounds like Williamson is an educator, his descriptions of corporate

life had this Corporate America cog ROFL. 

Caveats: 

There are a couple scenes of bullying toward the front of the book, including

one where Gwendolyn is threatened and has a chunk of her hair cut out. 

At 325 pages, this book is the poster child for the “we need to distinguish

Upper MG from MG” chatter floating around on writing Twitter. In other words,

read this book TO a reluctant reader, but don’t give it to them. 

Give to: 

• Fans of Peter Bunzl’s Cogheart series and Tin by Padraig Kenney.

The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray is available now.