5 Worlds Book 1: The Sand Warrior

Since you are all well aware of my obsession with Middle Grade fiction at this point, let's go ahead and skip that. Can we instead please focus on the growing existence of Middle Grade graphic novels? I am so pleased that there are more and more of these out there, and I'm determined to champion all of them! Kazu Kibuishi's blurb had me from the moment I saw this book. So I was thrilled when I was asked to join the blog tour. Warning: there's some gushing ahead. Let's go ahead and get the small qualms that I had out of the way first, though.

I think this graphic novel could definitely have benefited from a bit more action. It was heartening to see that the authors weren't afraid to bring the real idea of war alive on these pages. I love show more when MG readers aren't treated with kid gloves. However I think this book needed to move at a bit quicker of a pace. The illustrations are gorgeous, (I can't wait to actually see them all in color.) but some of the filler panels felt like a bit much. I wanted more of Oona's quest, more of their desperate rush to save the day, and just more tension in general. This first volume was missing that epic feeling that stories like this usually have for me.

That being said, the characters were absolutely lovely. Oona, An Tzu and Jax were all vivid, and easy to fall in love with. I loved how each of them came from a different background. The concept of race is alive and well in this book, and the idea of racism is gently touched upon as well. It makes me happy to see authors putting these things out into the world for readers of this age group to start to digest. Oona overhears people of different worlds talking badly about people of other worlds, and making mean jokes. She sees some people get upset about what others are saying. Young readers can start to get a grasp here on unity, diversity, and especially empathy. It's an amazing thing.

Add in the fact that the ending of this book has a twist I wasn't expecting, complete with a cliffhanger, and you have my complete attention. Mark Siegel and Alexis Siegel have started something beautiful and magical with the 5 Worlds series. They've opened up a dialog that I think is important, in a way that is easy to digest and a lot of fun to read! Readers, young and old alike, will love this series. My only regret is that there isn't more of Oona's story to devour yet. I NEED to know what happens next. show less

I don’t know what I expected from the start of this graphic novel series but I can easily say it blew my mind. It was a high fantasy world that was dealing in many of the same things in our current earth world. Lack of water, hot weather, climate change: check. Class or racial divides: checks. Overreaching of law enforcement, etc: check. What kids are currently seeing and reading in the news is happening in this book and so well explained that it’s not confusing or daunting. What these books are is adventure and a quest to right the wrongs. In this case it’s igniting special beacons, but if you can look beyond the fantasy, you will see it’s a call to be the change, to try and never give up. To expect and explore strang new show more things, and to never think things are evil or bad, without inspecting first. These are a great story and I can not wait to continue the series. However, I don’t want to be amiss and forget to mention the illustration. It’s amazing. It has a soft digital fell that wraps you like a warm blanket, at the same time being fierce and strong to handle the adventure. show less

My kiddo, age 6 and half, and I read this together. They're getting better at picking out words and asked me to put my finger on each panel as we were reading.

The Sand Warrior was a great opportunity to talk to R about racial and class oppression, about anger, bitterness, revenge, and war. I don't think I would have taken that on at any younger an age. Some of the ideas are a bit beyond them. The characters motivations are complicated enough to require some pauses for explanations and discussion. Nevertheless, I think they understood most of what was going on.

The story's heroes are orphans and misfits who overcome self-doubt and other challenges to accomplish great things. Their struggle is against both their own guardians and an evil show more force that has seized control of a neighboring nation and launched a war against our heroes' home.

There's a lot of juicy backstory. For example, the nation that's the aggressor in this war is the former colony, currently oppressed client state of the nation they attack. Their citizens are treated as second-class. They're servants and garbage collectors. Interestingly, their fight against their oppressors is orchestrated by an evil entity leveraging their anger over their mistreatment. Great stuff!

There were a lot of opportunities for interesting discussions with the kiddo about bigotry, racism, colonialism, anger, manipulation, and more. show less

I really enjoyed this story so much! The artwork is gorgeous and the story is a lot of fun. I love the world-building that is explained in the story. The story certainly falls under the science fiction and fantasy genres very well with the use of magic, space travel, and robotics. This graphic novel also has a widely diverse cast of characters within it that hale from the five different worlds. This story touches on racial issues as well that can be discussed further by readers. There are more books in the series as well.

5 Worlds Book 1: The Sand Warrior by Alexis & Mark Siegel with illustrations by Boya Sun & Matt Rockefeller is the first book in a fantasy series set in a place where magic plays a distinct and politically polarizing role. In this universe, all 5 worlds in the system (different types of beings live on the different worlds) are kept in careful balance with one another until they suddenly start to die for unknown reasons. There are some that believe their only hope of survival is to light all 5 beacons (one in each world) but the Toki peoples are adamantly set against this course. Our heroine, Oona Lee, is a less than stellar student of the Sand Dancer Academy (inexpertly wielding magic sand) and suddenly she finds herself swept up in a show more seemingly foolhardy attempt to save the universe before time runs out. There's intrigue, danger, and a health dose of racial tension just to stir the pot. I've recommended this to quite a few kids and all of them have enjoyed it because all of those heavy topics are real and kids can spot a fake from a mile away. Additionally, I thought the art style of this book was really unique and beautiful which made it even more astounding when I discovered that the book was a collaborative effort between people living in different parts of the world. Talk about life not imitating art! 10/10 and you can look forward to my review of the second book in the series in a few days. XD show less

Star Wars meets Avatar in this new graphic novel series introducing a sprawling world of magic, intrigue, and danger. The first title pours in a dizzying array of history, legends, political intrigues, and a whole fleet of characters, but the bright personalities and fast-paced action will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Oona Lee, a disgraced student at the Sand Dancer Academy, is the last person anyone expects to save the world. She has limited abilities and her older, more talented sister ran away when she was chosen for the yearly honor of attempting to light a beacon. But the five worlds are under threat and when the academy and its most sacred treasures are destroyed and stolen, Oona goes on the run. With the help of An show more Tzu, a boy from the slums with plenty of tricks, friends, and unfortunately a deadly disease up his sleeve, and the mysterious celebrity athlete Jax Amboy, Oona must decide whether she can trust her faulty power or if only her vanished sister can save the 5 worlds.

The art is colorful, with lots of pastels, pinks, greens, and blues. Unlike most action heroes in the comics, Oona Lee and An Tzu are both plump, stockily-built characters. All of the people show a wide variety of skin colors, from warm brown to turquoise, and there are plenty of humanoid creatures as well. There are plenty of hints of other fantasy worlds, from the arguing delegates of the 5 worlds to the mystical power of sand that flows through the summoning dances. But this is a wholly original story, packed full of thought-provoking instances of prejudice and environmental catastrophe as well as heart-pounding action.

Verdict: This is blurbed by Kibuishi and Amulet fans are just a few of the kids likely to grab this off the shelf. Recommend to fans of Amulet, Zita the Spacegirl, Avatar, and Cleopatra in Space as well as any readers who like epic graphic fantasies. Sure to find an audience in any library, I strongly recommend adding this series to your graphic novels.

ISBN: 9781101935880; Published 2017 by Random House; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library show less

This review and others posted over at my blog.

I purchased this on a whim and I’m so pleased I did! I absolutely loved the mix of sci-fi and fantasy elements, the protagonists and the art style!

The blurb on the back of the comic had me at “sand dancer” and when I took a peek at the art style and found it to my liking (yes, I’m that picky), that sealed the deal; 5 Worlds volume one was coming home with me!

This comic has it all – style, action, loveable characters, an interesting magic system, high tech (including advanced AI!), a history involving powerful gods, an evil force that must be defeated, planets on the verge of environmental collapse if they can’t work together, an amazing color palette, family drama, heart and, show more and, and!

I’ll admit I’m not well-read when it comes to comics – it’s mostly to do with the format, availability and price, but also somewhat due to my being so picky about art styles. But I’ve never read anything quite like this comic. It was also giving me a middle-grade vibe, which we all know I’m crazy about. I don’t think the comic talks down to its readers though – it’s a mix of being friendly for younger readers while still having an appeal for older ones.

I’m glad that volume two is already published, because I need to get it soon. I can’t stand waiting a year or more for the next volume, especially when I read comics in one sitting!

You should definitely pick up a copy if:

+ You like worlds that blend sci-fi with fantasy magic systems, especially element-based ones
+ You enjoy middle-grade
+ You want to support diverse authors
+ You want likable teen characters
+ You’re looking for a quick, colorful read to brighten your fall season show less