Book review: Gerwyn Gwrthod a’r Llyfr Does Neb yn Cael ei Ddarllen by Siôn Tomos Owen

We continue our reviews of books shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year award for 2026. This time we consider one of the titles in the Welsh language Children and Young People’s category.

You can vote for the People’s Choice book award here.

Onwy Gower

‘Gerwyn Gwrthod a’r Llyfr Does Neb yn Cael ei Ddarllen’ by Siôn Tomos Owen is an imaginative story about a young boy who refuses to read a single word after reading previously left him hurt, despite his refusal consistently leading to further danger.

As he steps into a mysterious store he finds a book which nobody is allowed to read (as described in the title of the book) but one glance at the pages leads him to an unforgettable adventure.

Siôn Tomos Owen successfully combines this ‘Alice in Wonderland’ type of fairytale with dazzling, gorgeous illustrations (drawn by Siôn Tomos Owen himself) to create an introspective journey which any reader can easily feel immersed within.

Owen uses witty puns for the character names which add a layer of humour beyond the antics to show the range he, as an author, is capable of.

Epic adventures

The titular character has a sprawling adventure of epic proportion throughout the 237 page novel. We see Gerwyn Gwrthod (a name which is closer to an observation than a traditional name) slowly accept the adventure the longer he is trapped in the story.

Full of trials and tribulations, Gerwyn Gwrthod faces mythical creatures and wacky characters, such as the Bronfwystfil. The novel starts with a bit of Gerwyn’s backstory but quickly we see a supernatural turn as he enters a mysterious store, run by Barwn E. Bychnod – another Welsh pun about punctuation. As he looks at the book which nobody is allowed to read, he descends into a dream world where every normal object or creature is warped into a mythical version of itself. This again displays Owen’s immense creativity in creating this magical realm.

Once he enters, Gerwyn immediately is forced to confront danger in the form of Pŵlwoden, a snail made of poo which chases people trying to make them constantly step on the poo. From there, it only gets madder.

Outlandish imagination

Siôn Tomos Owen successfully mixes his imaginative words seamlessly with his images to show exactly what he has conjured up and ensures the readers get the best possible experience whilst reading. This guides and helps the reader since the descriptions are quite outlandish, the target audience will still be able to entirely enjoy the book since it is easy to understand despite the unfamiliar elements.

In addition to this, Owen uses colourful language to accentuate these creatures and truly bring them to life in a meaningful way where the readers can genuinely connect with the creations.

Overall, this book is a glimmering tale of stubborness, friendship and growth which can be easily read by a reader of any age without feeling at all like a chore.

Gerwyn Gwrthod a’r Llyfr Does Neb yn Cael ei Ddarllen by Siôn Tomos Owen is published by Atebol and is available to buy at all good bookshops.