FIERCELY FICTIONAL celebrates fierce, inspiring fictional girls we know you’ll love. To us, “fierce” isn’t just about slaying dragons or solving mysteries. It’s about breaking free from your comfort zone, discovering your confidence, fighting for what you believe in, & discovering your emotional strength. Any girl can shine bright & be fierce, & that’s what this series is all about!
We’re back with another FIERCELY FICTIONAL spotlight, and this time, we’re highlighting Glory Brown from Where There Be Monsters by Alby C. Williams.
Glory Brown lives a quiet, cozy life with her family at The Light Inn nestled in the Seam, a place that hosts and protects travelers from the Outersphere in a monster-filled realm. But her dreams are bigger than this small inn, wanting to learn to use her Moxie, a form of magic powered by curiosity and head to the Outersphere to the Parliamentarium school to study to become a Spherinaut just like her mama. But between a raging surge of monsters and Glory’s mazeyheadedness (a neurodiverse brain), her parents aren’t sure she’s ready.
But Glory knows they’re wrong, and spends her time learning, exploring, reading and documenting everything in her outerbook, which is a like a journal where she keeps track of everything from chores to discoveries. And when a lost boy named Marcus appears on a secret mission from the Parliamentarium, Glory knows that helping him return home is the perfect way to prove herself. But this journey is a twisty and mysterious one that will take her through space and time to places beyond the safety of the Seam and as danger and mischief loom, it will be up to Glory and her Moxie to break the curse and protect the balance between between worlds.
Where There Be Monsters
For fans of AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS and THE MARVELLERS, Alby C. Williams’ debut middle grade fantasy is a sweeping adventure filled with monsters, mysteries, and mischief.
Eleven-year-old Glory Brown is desperate for adventure far from her family’s quaint, quiet life at The Light Inn. Generations of Browns have been stewards of this humble hotel, which acts as a sanctuary in the stretch of monster-filled land called the Seam. But Glory wants nothing more than to learn how to use her Moxie, a special magic only kids have, and to train to become a Spherinaut like her mother, exploring and documenting the perilous depths of the Outersphere.
When a mysterious boy named Marcus appears one day on a top-secret mission for the Parliamentarium – the school for aspiring Spherinauts – Glory packs up her beloved books and sets off on a once-in-a-lifetime journey that will shuttle her across time and space…and reveal new dangers lurking in the worlds beyond the Seam.
For there’s mischief afoot that’s threatening the balance between the worlds, its magic, and its monsters. And it’s up to Glory to find a solution before it’s too late.
Where There Be Monsters
AUTHOR: Alby C. Williams
PUBLISHER: Roaring Brook Press
DATE: May 6, 2025
Where There Be Monsters is the first in this new whimsical fantasy series we know will be a new favorite for readers who love stories sprinkled with magic. Filled with monsters, mysteries, mischief and found family, Glory’s story is perfect to get swept away in on a cozy afternoon.
What makes Glory fierce? She dreams of a big life filled with adventure and isn’t afraid to put in the work to chase her dreams – even when others don’t believe she can do it. She’s courageous and curious, always sticking to her family’s motto of using kindness and knowledge to make the world a better place. She doesn’t let her mazeyheadedness get in her way, instead, she finds ways to make her brain work for her and the book she uses to keep track of everything ends up being one of the biggest keys to her entire adventure.
We’re excited to share that author Alby C. Williams is here to share a peek between the pages of Where There Be Monsters and all the reasons Glory is totally fierce!
Five Reasons Glory Brown is Totally Fierce:
She’s committed to her family’s motto
The Brown family lives by the motto let kindness be your guiding light and knowledge be your shelter.
This motto is what encourages Glory to help a mysterious boy with a big secret, even though there’s danger afoot. After all, Glory wants to be kind to her new friend Marcus, and who knows what wonderful knowledge lies beyond the boundaries of her quiet life at her family’s inn? On her journey, Glory gets much more than she bargained for, which makes it harder and harder to stick to the family motto. Still, despite her mistakes, Glory is always trying to do better and to use her kindness and knowledge to help others.
She sticks up for misunderstood creatures
Because the Brown family has always been passionate about protecting magical creatures, Glory was brought up to respect the beauty and balance of nature. Though some people don’t care what happens to the natural world, Glory knows that the environment supports all the creatures that live in it. That includes not just humans, but the more monsterish residents of her homeworld of the Seam.
These people, known as Monsterfolk, may look scary, but they’re Glory’s friends, neighbors, and family. When Glory leaves the Seam, she finds that people aren’t as nice to Monsterfolk as they should be. Glory is always trying to help those she meets to understand that all creatures, from the smallest bug to humans and Monsterfolk, are worthy of love, respect, and protection.
She knows her strengths…and weaknesses
Glory has spent her whole life trying to be just like her famous Mama, which means studying all sorts of subjects from math to science to art. While she has a lot of confidence in those abilities, she knows that remembering anything is difficult for her because of her neurodivergence.
Glory carries a special journal called a commonplace book with her at all times, writing notes during her day-to-day life and her adventures. This helps her keep track of chores around the Light Inn, interesting things she sees, and even secrets she learns during her journey with Marcus. As more and more mysteries begin to appear, Glory uses her commonplace book as a tool to help solve them.
She’s always willing to learn and ask questions
Mysteries and adventures aren’t all fun and games. Sometimes learning new things causes change, and change can be scary! Especially for Glory, whose life at the Light Inn has been cozy and easy to understand, going on an adventure brings up a lot of questions…including a big one about her Mama’s past.
Glory doesn’t turn away from learning the truth, no matter how upsetting it is, instead digging deeper until she understands. But along the way, she has to remember the Brown family motto, otherwise her dedication might end up causing more problems than it solves.
She never, ever gives up on her dreams…even if they change a little
When a secret plot threatens Glory’s dream of following in her Mama’s footsteps, Glory doesn’t let that stop her. She and Marcus take action, though the odds (and the big bad villain) are against them. Glory uses the lessons her Mama taught her—resourcefulness, quick thinking, and the Brown family motto—to outsmart the people who want to crush the dreams of countless kids just like Glory.
Though the journey leads her to realize that she might not be able to follow the exact path she hoped to, Glory comes to learn that her Mama’s adventures don’t always go as planned either. What’s more important is forging her own trail, which Glory is determined to do by the end of her adventure.
📚Need another fierce read to add to your shelf after Where There Be Monsters? Catch up on our FIERCELY FICTIONAL series!
