This was Book 3 in Laura Ellen Anderson ‘s Rainbow Grey series. It is a brilliant illustrated magical adventure intended for readers 7-10 years old, though I feel that Anderson’s books will appeal to readers of all ages. I especially loved Ray's parents. Her mum is an engineer having all sorts of tools in her hair so she can reach them faster. Ray is a Weatherling but she doesn’t have any weather magic. She does have a cloud-cat called Nim who changes shape and explodes without warning. She also has two best friends, know almost everything Snowden Everfreeze, whose think-flakes are all sorts of quirky, and homework averse orphan Droplett Dewbells, who can teleport between puddles. Ray Grey lives in the city of Celestia, a kingdom in the sky where she is surrounded by weatherlings with weather magic. Ray has no magic of her own but vows to be an Earth Explorer like her hero, La Blaze DeLight. When she takes a forbidden journey to Earth, she finds herself transformed into Rainbow Grey, possessing rainbow magic that has been missing from the world for centuries.

The main thing I love about this book is the world. There's just something so magical about it as it's a book that goes beyond my own imagination. I could not have conjured some of this up myself and fortunately we have gorgeous illustrations to help us visualise this whimsical world. There's a richness to it with stories and history that helps guide the characters in the present, and I have a feeling we are going to continue to learn so much about this world (like how Nocturnia and beyond is so richly imagined in the Amelia Fang series too). Once upon a time there were seven groups of Weatherlings. Then a Rogue created the worst storm Earth has ever seen, Storm Tornadia, and since that time rainbow Weatherlings have been extinct. ‘I thought rainbows were just made up?’ All that remain are Weatherlings of “Sun, snow, rain, cloud, wind, thunder ‘n’ lightning.” I was very very sad when Amelia Fang ended, but oh so excited when I heard that Laura Ellen Anderson was going to write a new series featuring weather, rainbows, and more!

In ‘Rainbow Grey: Battle for the Skies by Laura Ellen Anderson the Weatherlands are under threat from Tornadia Twist – the greatest villain that ever lived . . . Rainbow (Ray) Grey has to discover what her ultimate magical gift is and use it to stop Tornadia before she destroys the Weatherlands and the Earth! Ray Grey is an 11 year old (because the Eclipse only happens every 11 years), living in a magical world of Weatherlings - everyone has a weather power eg. Pals Snowden and Droplett controlling - or learning to - snow and rain, or more often puddles. The book’s villain? I guess it right from the start. That sounds pretty bad, but that character was just acting a tad too suspicious and their pigeon (who I wasn’t a fan of) was also way too sus. I was kind of hoping for a twist but no in the end it was them. They were a good villain though and I could also understand why they went down this path (well, at least partially, their other reason was just silly). I am glad with how things ended with this character, not sure if I can fully trust them yet, but um, I can try.

Ten-year-old Ray Grey lives in the magical Weatherlands, high in the sky! She is surrounded by Weatherlings with astounding weather power at their fingertips … but poor Ray doesn't have ANY magic! Rainbow Grey may be only ten years old but the future of the whole world depends on her! It's up to Ray to defeat Tornadia Twist - the greatest villain that ever lived . . . Amid all this action – and the farting-cloud-cat silliness you’d expect from the creator of the bestselling Amelia Fang books – is a book that lets in quieter moments too, and really focuses on the friendship between Ray and her pals Snowden and Droplett. Indeed, the end message is very much about how love, hope and togetherness will always triumph and give a person a strength they didn’t think they had. I just couldn’t take Snowden’s name serious. I am sorry, if I was a kid I would probably not even know, but as someone 18+ that name just was a distraction. I kept thinking of that other Snowden. XD The ending was amazing, full of rainbows, saving the forest, magic, and also a nice epilogue which made me want to grab the next book, only realising it isn’t out yet! ARGH! No!

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I believe we read a couple of the Amelia Fang books when kiddo was younger and were a little nonplussed by them, but willing to give LEA another go, with a book/ new series aimed at slightly older kids? Meet Ray Grey, yep, that is her normal name before her rainbow powers. She is a normal girl, well, very normal given that, unlike her friends, she doesn’t have any Weatherling power. She doesn’t mind though, instead spends time in the library when the others are honing their powers. I really liked Ray, she is a sweet and dedicated girl who is very motivated and doesn’t give up. I absolutely LOVED that she got rainbow powers and see her harness them, try to figure them out, try to make things work. I loved that she set her own path, and liked that we saw Earth through her eyes. When all of the cloud creatures start disappearing – including Ray’s own beloved cloud cat, Nim – Ray and her friends have a mystery to solve. Ray is sure that a dark magic is behind the disappearances. Can she work out what is going on before cloud magic is lost forever and Earth is destroyed by the ultimate storm . . .?