We listened to this in the car on a long journey, and even the older children enjoyed it. This is a wonderful magical world with a bold and brave main character. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

This is the first book in a new series by Laura Ellen Anderson that is full of promise with wonderfully written characters that live in the fictional world of Celestia, a kingdom located in the sky where she and her friends are surrounded by ‘Weatherlings’ who possess weather magic. So if it snows at Christmas it is one or a few of these weatherlings that may well be responsible and I truly believe that once your child reads this book and is captivated by the adventures Ray Grey and her friends go on? That you will find them watching the skies to see if they witness a weatherling in the same way I once checked for Care Bears on the clouds and rainbows!

The characters are vibrantly written and the artwork also brings both them and their world to life for young readers and Ray especially would be a character for them to look up to as she possesses a lot of the values parents want to instil in their children. Ray is bold, courageous and determined to do what is right even if sometimes it goes against what her Mum wants her to do - which admittedly is a catch-22 as a parent because we want them to do as we ask. I loved her friendship with Snowden and Dewdrop and how the three are a united front and work hard to ensure that each of the three is appreciated, valued and supported which again, are brilliant values for anyone to possess. They encourage one another when facing the unknown and work together when things are hard which helps teach the concept of teamwork which can be hard to comprehend when young.

Each of them possesses their own form of magic which I love - and the author writes them using them in such a manner that you’re cheering them on and I imagine a little jealous that we the reader, don’t possess that control (I for one would like to control wind right about now as it’s storming and cold!}

There is so much magic in Rainbow Grey and I loved it, the fact that we have an opportunity to experience a small bit of Laura Ellen Anderson’s imagination feels like an honour. The plot of the book is wonderful, and I love how well you will be kept engaged as the pace is perfect and the multitude of secondary characters help bring this story and the main characters' adventure going and you will not be able to put this down.

I hope that the many adventures Rainbow and her friends have, continue and a horde of young book dragons are enraptured in magic and what maybe.

I got this for my 8 year old daughter. She loved the story and really enjoyed listening to it. She said she would recommend it and gave it five stars. The narrator was easy to listen to as well.

Rainbow grey is the epitome of colourful and humorous storytelling, with an immersive and creative alternative to reality. Filled with bums, farts and explosions perfect for the younger middle-grade reader, I know I would have been grasped by the world of Rainbow Grey at that age.

Ray Grey, a dyslexic outcast is here to save the day, a magicless weathering who aspires to be as courageous and wonderous as her hero. It's a good introduction to parasocial relationships and for kids especially to be still weary of their heroes. The undercurrent of this story to me shows the ecological impact of nature and weather, which I'm sure will inspire some of the next generations into geography and Meteorology. Along with the longing for colourful hair to be just like Rainbow herself.

Fun narration with very fitting accents which enhances the story and compels you to carry on listening. I highly recommend listening to the audio while flicking through the book to see the wonderful illustrations.

This story follows such an amazing adventure where the admittedly cliche ending of "love defeats all evil" is in full force. It's also an amazing audiobook. The narrator puts on so many great voices which were never annoying, in my opinion, and you heard the full force of each emotion in their speech.

I love environmental children's books - and this counts as one of them. It's more subtle than others I've read, hidden behind the magical world, which I liked - and it's more silly. My favourite line was "I don't care if we're going to die because we'll do it in style!" I had to chuckle. There's some fun word play throughout related to weather, which was fun and engaging.

The villain has a reason for being a villain and then has a mini arc. Which I loved because it was different than many other villains in children's books.

I'd recommend it to anyone of any age. It's a bit predictable for adult readers, but what can you do? It's not intended for adults. But it's one of those where you can switch off and just relax while you listen to it.

Oh, and there's an exploding cat.

I was ready to attack some middle grade silliness as the past few months, I have been reading a lot of crime and thrillers and I wanted something light, fun and imaginative.

And this fits the bill beautifully. Plus. with the audiobook narrator, Beth Easdown, she made the story engaging and fun. And this is a fun story - a little repetitive at times - but I do think young readers will enjoy this.

It just wasn't for me, sadly. Oh well...

“Every cloud really DOES have a silver lining. And if you lived on Cloud Nine like Ray Grey, the silver lining was always getting tangled or ending up in a twist. Mostly because Ray and her cloud-cat Nim kept getting caught in it.”

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. Audio Farshore for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘Rainbow Grey’ by Laura Ellen Anderson, narrated by Beth Easdown.

I am a huge fan of Laura Ellen Anderson’s storytelling. As Anderson’s quirky illustrations bring another dimension to the tale, I combined my listening with reading its ebook edition.

This title was originally published in September 2021 and a further two books have since been published in the Rainbow Grey series. It is intended for readers aged 7-10 years though I feel that Anderson’s books appeal to readers of all ages.

It is the origin story of Rainbow Grey. In the opening of the story 10-year-old Ray Grey lives in the magical Weatherlands, high in the sky. Ray is surrounded by Weatherlings, who have amazing weather powers at their fingertips. Yet Ray doesn’t have any magic!

Ray is interested in finding information about the mysterious Rainbow Weatherlings, who had disappeared a thousand years ago. She finds a tattered book on the subject with a map in it. She thinks it may indicate the location of a treasure on Earth at the site of the oldest tree. She decides to find it.

The result of her quest transforms her from Ray Grey into Rainbow Grey as she is infused with the lost magical powers of the rainbow. Yet the Rogues, dark weather beings linked to catastrophic storms, are determined that rainbows will remain extinct.

This was a lovely story with a number of delightful supporting characters. I especially liked Nim, Ray’s pet cat cloud.

The audiobook’s narrator, Beth Easdown, has only done a few audiobooks to date, though these include all three of the Rainbow Grey audiobooks. For the purpose of this children’s story, her voice is pitched quite high though it suits the playful nature of the story. I certainly felt that she was a good choice.

I definitely will make the time to read/listen to more of the Rainbow Grey series.

Rainbow Grey was one of my favourite reads of 2021, The characters are awesome, a brilliant central trio with vivid and imaginative side characters. Rainbow Grey is such an engaging little heroine, and I just love the weather magic, the world, and the plotline. And the names are brilliant! Hope this isn't too much of a spoiler, but there's a haughty pigeon called Coo La La, which has to be one of my favourite things ever!

The audiobook is read by Beth Easdown, who sounds like she really loves what she's reading, the perfect narrator for this, she really translates the humour and spirit of the book into audio, really glad I got to listen.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ray is such a sweet character, she's so optimistic and cheerful and doesn't let her lack of magic ruin her fun. The magic system is exciting with all the different types of weather magic and I love Nim the cloud cat. There were WAY too many mentions of bottoms but despite that a really fun book to read! I'll be checking out the rest of the series as soon as possible.

This book was already on my TBR, but I just wanted to wait until I finished Laura's other series (Amelia Fang), but this book was available on NetGalley, so I requested it.
Firstly, I liked this book better than the Amelia Fang series. I felt that this was for a little bit older kids. The world-building was more mature, and I really loved it. The wether-lings were fun and also a unique idea. I loved the atmosphere, too.
I really loved the story until the end. I felt that the ending was too predictable and a little bit boring. I was slightly disappointed because I loved the beginning and the world.
The narrator was also great, but I missed Laura's illustrations, so I think the best way to read it is by combining the two methods.
I recommend this book.

I listened to the audiobook of this through NetGalley and the narrator did a great job. The performance is full of energy and the narration and story are exciting and fun. And to top it off there are lots of farts and explosions! Kids will have a great time listening to this!

I have always wanted to read this book but have never got round to it and I have really enjoyed listening to the audio book version. The narrator is brilliant, using accents and voices so you can easily distinguish between the characters. Rainbow Grey is not born with any weather magic and she discovers she has rainbow magic which people believed had been destroyed. She has to use this powernto confront and overcome the villain (no spoilers as to who it is).
A really enjoyable fantasy story that will appeal to readers age 8 up or listeners from a younger age (my 2 children are 6 and 10 and have loved listening together)

A superb burst of fun in audiobook form. My daughter (9) and I adored the adventures of Ray Grey, a courageous Weatherling, surrounded by magical beings, but without any powers herself, until she embarks on a trip to Earth and returns as Rainbow Grey, bursting with colour and newfound powers that she must learn to harness. Alongside her friends ( who all have fun weather related names to make you smile), Rainbow Grey finds herself in an epic action-packed adventure to save the world and add some rainbow sparkled joy. A happy, colourful, and fun listen. #rainbowgrey #lauraellenanderson #netgalley #childrensfiction

Rainbow Grey
by Laura Ellen Anderson
Narrated by Beth Easdown


Pub Date 02 Sep 2021
Publisher :HarperCollins UK Audio, Farshore
Genre :Children's Fiction

I listen to this with my 5 year old boy. He likes the name of the characters and has enjoyed the narration as Beth has done a great job bringing the characters to life. The audiobook was beautifully narrated, and the characters—including Nim the Cloud Cat—literally explode to life! Rainbow Grey is a vibrant, hilarious adventure full of magic and wonder. I really anticipate reading about Ray and her buddies' upcoming exploits. What a fun listen. Ray now has gained the magical mythical magic

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Huge thanks to the publisher for this incredible audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. Rainbow Grey is a vibrant, hilarious adventure full of magic and wonder, The audiobook was beautifully narrated and the characters, (including Nim the Cloud Cat) literally explodes to life!) Ray and friends are a fabulous force and I look forward to reading their next adventures. The world of Cloud Nine, Weatherlings and Weather Magic is an incredible feat and is perfectly crafted by Laura Ellen Anderson,

Laura Ellen Anderson write such fun and happy books. Rainbow Grey is no exception. They characters are great, the humour I love and the illustrations are wonderful. The audio for this was done really well too. The narrator did a great job. I like to read Laura’s books as a happy pallet cleanser between heavy fantasy books, but I’ve also been saving my collection for when my sons old enough I can read them to him. I’m sure he will love them just as much as me!

What a book!

The illustrations in this book are brilliant, so detailed and really grab you. The narrator is brilliant as well, really gives all the characters personality which really makes the story something special. It’s all brilliant and I’d highly recommend.

The overall story is great, full of action and adventure. The world building was so imaginative and detailed, you really feel like you are there with Ray and her friends.

Ray's character has alot of depth and the author builds her character up so nicely through the book that your really routing for her and connected with her.

While the story ends nicely, in the epilogue is sets it up for the next book .... which yes I will be reading.

This is, quite rightly, a popular middle-grade series. It's a nice mix of fun characters, a light-hearted world and silly humour (there are many fart jokes). It is thoroughly suitable for young readers content-wise, but children would most likely need to be eight and over to be able to read this independently.

Ray Grey is a non-magical child surrounded by magical beings. However, the city of Celestia is nice to all and she's accepted by the townsfolk and those at her school, apart from the snooty thunder and lightning twins but they're mean to everyone.

When the city gathers to witness the eclipse that happens only every eleven years, Ray meets her heroine, the explorer La Blaze DeLight, and starts to learn about the long-lost rainbow magic as she pushes the boundaries of where Celestia ends and Earth begins. Underaged weatherlings are not allowed to leave the city without an adult, but Ray is determined to embark on her own adventure.

Every plot point in this book follows the standard format of a young, magical fantasy, almost beat-for-beat as to be expected. As such, it's decently good for its target audience. Although, from a teacher's perspective, I'd question whether the writing style and complexity of the story match. While much of the writing is understandable for young children, the story is full of new vocabulary, numerous characters and layers to the plot. All lovely elements, but a lot to take in.

As is common for children, stories are easier to digest when they are read aloud to them, especially when they utilise voice and tone. Easdown employs these brilliantly. She delivers a range of accents to differentiate between the characters, as well as maintaining ebullience throughout. It is her narration that elevates this story.

This was already a brilliant book, but now Beth Easdown has captured all the magic, charm, fun and adventure of this awesome story beautifully. This is one of those awesome occasions when the perfect voice has been found for the book!