The Sand Warrior

5 Worlds #1

by Mark Siegel, Alexis Siegel, Xanthe Bouma (Illustrator)

Think Star Wars meets Avatar: The Last Airbender!

The Five Worlds are on the brink of extinction unless five ancient and mysterious beacons are lit. When war erupts, three unlikely heroes will discover there’s more to themselves—and more to their worlds—than meets the eye. . . .

Oona Lee, the clumsiest student at the Sand Dancer Academy, is a fighter with a destiny bigger than she could ever imagine.

An Tzu, a boy from the poorest slums, has a surprising gift and a knack for getting out of sticky situations.

Jax Amboy is the star athlete who is beloved by an entire galaxy, but what good is that when he has no real friends?

When these three kids are forced to team up on an epic quest, it will take not one, not two, but 5 WORLDS to contain all the magic and adventure!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Comics, Science Fiction, Adventure, Childrens

248 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2017

About the author

Mark Siegel was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, grew up in Paris, France, and now lives in New York. A graduate of Brown University, he is the author and illustrator of several award-winning picture books, including the graphic novel, SAILOR TWAIN, and the 5 WORLDS series. Mark is also founded First Second Books—Macmillan's prestigious graphic novel publisher.

Reviews

[disco · Rating 3 out of 5]

+Diverse
+Strong Female Leads
+Beautiful Art

-Wordy
-Slightly Boring
-Confusing

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good start to a new middle grade fantasy series. We know there are 5 worlds and we only see one of them. I assume there will be a world a book or something like that.

Our main character is a sand dancer, someone who can manipulate sand. Their purpose is to light the beacon. Each world has a beacon and they are responsible for bringing rain and helping the world to grow. Oona, the MC, meets two other friends along the way. There is an invasion and the invaders are trying to make sure the beacons are not ignited. They want control.

During the coarse of the story Oona learns to control her sand and she is able to light the beacon. There are interesting characters and some decent world building in this story. I didn't think it was the best, it's certainly not Amulet, but I thought it was good and it has a place to grow from. I am interested in reading the next book in the series. It's a solid story for fantasy lovers.

[Mir]

I'm reading this online, so I will begin by taking a photo of this world-building page, because I know I will not retain this information for five minutes...

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 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.

[Jay G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

*I was sent a copy of this in exchange for my honest review*

2.5/5 Stars

5 Worlds are in danger and the only way to save them is to light the beacons associated with each world. Three unlikely heroes, Oona, An Tzu and Jax must work together to light the beacons before its too late.

I found the plot to be a bit slow overall although confusing at some points. I did enjoy the art style and the vibrant colours of each panel though! I liked how each character was drawn in a unique way to differentiate between the species and type of people involved in the story. I look forward to learning more about the5 worlds and their backgrounds! I wish there were more background on each of the characters as I feel we didn't get to know much about them. I am interested in seeing where the story progresses so I will be picking up the next installment in the series!

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars I'm not going to lie. This read started off a little rough for me and I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy it, but it ended up pulling together in the end. The Sand Warrior is pretty popular at the library, but I've never had the opportunity to pick it up until now. It is set in a fantastical world where five planets are on the verge of extinction unless someone is able to light all five mysterious beacons. Unfortunately, no one has been able to do that and it has been prophesized that a Sand Warrior will be able to complete this impossible task. Readers meet Oona in the very beginning of the book where it is clear that her sister was supposed to complete this huge task until she decided to run away. Unlike her sister, Oona isn't as gifted as a sand warrior and is often labeled as clumsy and useless. When a surprising attack happens on her planet, Oona must pair with two other characters to help save the world that they know. One thing that I enjoyed about this graphic novel was the art. It was so rich with color. I was shocked how much the art pulled me into the story considering that there were parts of it that were rather difficult to follow. While fantasy isn't my strongest area in terms of genre, I think that this story does get a little convoluted at times and it makes it hard for the reader to follow along. It also had a few parts that were a little on the dry side. However, it does end on a couple of big reveals/cliff hangers that will make a reader want to pick up the next installment.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Rating: —> 3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this a lot! A great middle grade graphic novel. I didn’t love it enough to pick up the second one, but you never know!



Hey. If Kazu Kibuishi says something is beautiful, I am going to read it. So here I am.

[Carina Olsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. While it wasn't perfect, it was a great read. I'm giving this graphic novel three stars, as I liked it a lot, but didn't love it. I'm curious about the next books, though. The artwork in this book is stunning. Will be full color, but wasn't that in the ARC. It was still gorgeous, though. Loved all the drawings.

This book was a fast read, and I loved that. Though I do wish it had been longer, as I liked the story a lot. There are five worlds in this story. And I'm curious to know more about them all. The main character, Oona, is a sand dancer. Which was interesting. Loved all the sand parts. It was pretty gorgeous and exciting too.

I'm not sure what to say about this story. I liked reading about the characters a lot, but I also felt like I didn't really get to know them, probably because there isn't much text in a graphic novel. Would have loved to know more about them all. Oona seemed like such an awesome girl. I loved that she was pretty clumsy at sand dancing. Though I didn't like that she got bullied because of it. Aw. But she still have friends, and she was still all kinds of awesome, and I just liked this girl a lot. Didn't fully love her, as yeah, I felt like I didn't fully know her. Then there was An Tzu, a poor orphan boy. I felt pretty sorry for him most of the time. Aw. But he was pretty amazing too. So curious about his illness. Wish I had gotten to know him much better too, though. Hmph.

Then there was Jax Amboy. He was a bit boring, yet interesting too, as he isn't fully human. And I liked that a lot. He did seem like a great character, though, again, I didn't get to know him well enough. And I really didn't like how Oona treated him at first. Hmph. There were also a few other characters in this book, and I did like reading about them all. The plant people were pretty interesting, and I'm curious about them all. And the different sand types were interesting to read about, just wish I knew more. Sigh. Very curious.

I liked this book a lot, but I also had some issues, which is why I didn't love it. It's not that I hated anything in the book, because I didn't, it was written pretty well and all the drawings were gorgeous. I loved the art. I just wish the story had been a bit better. I didn't care too much about it, about their worlds going under. Probably because this book was just the introduction to this series. But still, I wish there had been more details about everything. I wanted and needed to know much more about everything, about their history.

Overall, though, I did like reading about Oona and the other characters. I wish this book had focused more on friendship, as I didn't see any of them as friends. They just met, I know, but I felt no connection between them at all. Aw. Hopefully that will come. I might read more about this series later, as I'm a bit curious. Huge thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC to review while I was in Chicago. I'm glad I gave it a try. And I do think others should read it too. It's a stunning middle grade graphic novel.

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This review was first posted on my blog, Carina's Books, here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2017/0...

[Sylwia · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something so fulfilling about experiencing a brand new world. The author created a unique and complex world that makes sense and is entertaining. The characters reflect our reality (race, poverty, illness, privilege) but have an added notch of something different and fantastical. There is no harmful content that I noticed. It has the Chosen One trope, which I personally like. It wasn't too unpredictable, but it does have fun twists and turns. I'm looking forward to the next volume!

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just absolutely magical! Can't wait for book 2 to come out, I need more Oona and the sand warriors and this world, and ahhhh.

5 worlds, all of them on the brink of extinction, all of them waiting for that one person who can save them. It is up to 3 amazing, sweet, great characters to save their worlds, will they be able to do it? Especially when the war breaks out (oh no) and they are being followed and hunted threatening everyone around them?

But first the book starts calm and pretty normal. We meet Oona, a girl who can dance with sand and make it do awesome things. Well. That is what it is supposed to do, but Oona's powers are a bit volatile and have a life of their own. I just felt sorry for the girl, as people weren't too kind towards her. And not only due to her clumsiness (or well she needs to learn more about her powers), but also because of what her sister did the previous year.
Throughout the book we see Oona learn various new things about herself, about her power, about her world (and the other worlds) history, she learns that there are people who care about her and want to be friends with here. And we also see her dance some amazingly beautiful that I just want to go HA to all those teachers and students who were mean to her.
At times I just wanted to hug her, tell her everything would be OK, that there would be scary parts ahead of her, exciting times, and she may learn things she may not want to know, but that she has the reader and her friends rooting for her.
I loved seeing her eyes change as a certain other power took over, that is a pretty nifty feature.

And then there is Tzu/Tsu. A boy from the slums who also has a great gift, but also something troubling him. Something that he needs to find a cure for or else his life may end. I had to get used to the little dude, but I did see a lot of potential in this guy, and indeed, after seeing him doing his stuff, I started liking him more and more. He is a good friend for Oona, he is caring and nice. I just hope that he will be able to get the cure in time.

Then there is Jax. I knew what his secret was right away. It was that obvious. I am not too sure how I feel about the guy, then again, I can't blame him for how he is acting. I won't say anything else, as that would go into spoiler territory and I don't want that. I am just happy that he also seemed to undergo a change.

I loved how the story unfolded itself. It is definitely not fast paced, but everything will come, every act will be played when it is supposed to play. The action parts are pretty well done, but again, nothing is rushed. Plus we get tons of background on the land/the worlds. From the queen, the beacons, to various other things.

The art is absolutely gorgeous. I just love the characters designs, the different races and what powers they hold, the creatures that roam the land, the houses, the land, well, everything. It was just beautiful.

The ending was terrific, and I definitely hadn't seen that twist coming. Oh boy, this is going to haunt Oona. But I am happy that she managed to do x. Great job girl! And then there is that last page, who are those 3 women and are they good or evil? Are they on the side of our characters or are they going to snitch on them?

There are still tons of things I want to see, and questions I have. So I can't wait for the next volume to come out. I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like I may have found a new graphic novel series to binge on. The Sand Warrior opens up a great big complex world of storytelling possibilities. The worldbuilding and artwork are so well done that I felt completely immersed in the story.

For a middle-grade title, the plot is fairly complex. Oona is a sand dancer, which, as far as I can tell, is some sort of magician who can create and command forms out of sand. She's not a great sand dancer, though, so when it falls to her to help save the world (well, five worlds, actually, but who's counting?) she needs a bit of help. That comes in the form of An Tzu, a chubby little kid with a secret, and Jax Amboy, a celebrity starball player with secrets of his own.

There's a whole mythology built around the worlds, and it's woven seamlessly into the story. Long ago, some creature called the Mimic (who seems analogous to Satan) threatened the worlds. But it was stopped by the Felid gods (who are catlike in appearance... except for the fact that they have six arms). There's this whole plot about the planets dying because there are these beacons that need to be lit by a chosen one; the attitudes around that are reminiscent of the whole climate change argument, with people fighting each other over their beliefs rather than trying to tackle the problem that's staring them right in the face. It's a bit political for a middle-grade book, though it's subtle and I don't know if younger readers will see the parallels or not.

Oona was a good character, even if she was a little bit of a special snowflake. I liked that there was diversity in the way the characters were drawn. There are different types of people populating these worlds, from robots to plant people to humans, but there's variation even among those groups. Oona is drawn as quite curvy (which you notice when she's standing next to some of the other characters); it's nice to have a little more representation of different body shapes, especially in a book for younger readers. Jax Amboy confused me at first, but not for very long; his twist is kind of obvious. An Tzu was one character I found a bit annoying, mainly because of the way he treated Jax. But he has an interesting story of his own, and I kind of want to see how it gets resolved.

The main twist I saw coming from miles away, but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the story because there were so many other things to wonder about. This is just the first installment of what I assume will probably be five books (that would make sense, anyway), so we're just getting going with the story. I can't wait to find out what happens next to Oona and her friends!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to a new world inspired equally by Avatar: The Last Airbender, Studio Ghibli, and the mystic SF comics of Jodorowsky and Moebius, though never feeling like a rehash or imitation. Can't wait for the second volume to come out!

Edit: Still awesome after reading it a fourth time.

[Fiebre Lectora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Llena de aventura y giros inesperados, El guerrero de arena es una novela gráfica preciosa visualmente, pero que cuenta además con valores importantísimos, como la tolerancia, la igualdad, y la confianza en uno mismo y en los otros. Para lograr su objetivo y salvar los mundos, Oona deberá formar equipo con personas que ni se esperaba llegar a conocer, ni mucho menos conectar con ellas, y ha resultado conmovedor y emocionante a cada capítulo que pasaba.

Reseña completa: http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202...

[Colona Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me of Avatar the Last Air bender, I think it's the one person with all the sands, young friends going to save the day and when she became a guardian reminded me of when Aang was with a water spirit. It's got some similar vibes going on but its easily it's own thing. The art in this book has a nice style and is beautiful. The pacing of the story is a little quick but they manage to make the world building authentic. In the next issue I'm hoping the characters personalities come out a bit more but very nice start! If you liked this book I recommend you pick up The Stonekeeper ~Ashley

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

My little brother handed me this book (he's 10) and told me it was full of adventure and I would like it, and he's right. An evil mimic! Plant-people! Clumsy bottom-of-the-class-folks finding out they're talented! Invasion! An android! Sportsball! Saving the world(s)! Space ship shuttles between moons! Kids with terminal curses! Missing sisters! This book has it all, and good art too.

Not a stand alone title, very much introducing the world and characters rather than bringing arcs to a close.

[Mercedes McLean-Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this book is beautifully complex. The world building, the characters and their development, the art. This is an incredible story in a similar vein as Avatar: The Last Air Bender and Amulet.

This is one of those books that makes me wish that I had never given anything a 5 star rating before so that when I gave it a 5 star rating it would really indicate how much I loved it.

[Francina Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiul and I loved the plot. A little confusing in the beginning but smooth sailing after chapter 3/4

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 update: Major upgrade on second reading. I still haven't finished the series (just book 2), but I think I have a better understanding of what this book is setting us up for. It's a complex plot with a lot of backstory to be revealed. Should appeal to fans of Amulet.

2018 review:
Some positives: I like the art, and the plot and world building are interesting and engaging.

HOWEVER, I feel like the society is pretty obviously replicating a lot of our systemic racism in a way that isn't remotely subversive, or at least hasn't yet revealed itself to be. Like really a class of people who are a different color and treated like a different species in all of the garbage collecting and service roles? Dark sand is dangerous and white sand is good? And I'm mad about it because I don't really want to read the next one but also really want to read the next one to find out what happens and see how the Toki plot is resolved. Like literally the only way this can work out is if it comes to light that the Toki were in the right about the mimic and the beacons and Oona comes around to their uprising being totally justified. Because if Oona stays a hero and Jessa really is possessed by the mimic then this is just racist.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...

I am always amazed when I read a book and the concept is so unique and well-crafted that I am in awe of every page and cannot predict anything that is coming. The Sand Warrior did just that. The Siegels have created a whole new world (well, five worlds, and I do really appreciate them including a map of the world at the beginning of the book to help the reader navigate) as their setting which allows for infinite possibilities of story.

In addition to the new, cool setting, the characters in the book are so interesting! Each of them have their own unique backstory (and I look forward to learning more about them in future books) and are just so different. Oona is living in her sister’s shadow and struggling to be what everyone expects of her. Jax is perfection on the field but hasn’t really had a chance to live. And An is hiding a terrible secret and has had a rough life. Each of these characters has a trait that a reader will connect to and even if they don’t, as you read you really want to know more about them.

[Library Lady 📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gahhh, that ending! *dies*

I need the next book and it's not out yet. It's just cruel to end a book that way. *sniffle sniffle*

That aside...I loved this one. The illustrations were top-notch, the villains were fierce, creepy (the prince...shudder), and sympathetic though you don't know all their reasons yet.

The main character is your typical reluctant princess/underdog and her scrappy sidekicks have their own stories, too, so you really love them. There's a good twist at the end, and lots of feels throughout.

Highly recommended, can't wait for more.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my type of book, but I can see it being extremely popular with my graphic novel lovers, especially those who love Amulet. There is a lot going on: fantasy/sci-fi, adventure, good vs evil, sports star as main character. I'm not sure all kids will be able to follow what is going on, but I know many will love it. I will be curious to see how this series plays out.

[Khai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly beautiful artwork, world, story, and characters. Lovely world building and exciting story. I can't wait to read the next one! I love the depth of detail, and it inspires that which all worthwhile stories must: the urge to ask, "And then what happened?" (- As Neil Gaiman said in the intro to "Stories: All-New Tales")

[Nori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Finally, a book worthy of recommending to kids who loved the Amulet books. There were undertones of Nimona and little nods to Avatar the last Air Bender. But, also, this was its own awesome story. I can't wait for more people to read it.

[Samantha Small · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool premise, kind of like a mix between Avatar the Last Airbender and the Amulet graphic series! Definitely interested in seeing where the next volume takes us! Also the artwork/world is so beautiful and interesting XD

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read for a graphic novel. Lonely girl makes friends, overcomes her shortcomings, saves the worlds and finds her long lost sister. Too bad I had a hard time making out the shaded illustrations and why oh why do they make the typeset so small?

[Lucía Cafeína · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟
Una preciosidad de principio a fin, tanto visualmente como la historia con la que nos encontramos, llena de valores y de personajes que se merecen un abrazo y que todo les vaya bien en la vida. Adorable, entretenida, y dramática, con giros inesperados y mucha magia.

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex story, one you will want to pay close attention to as you read.
Great adventure and mystery. Big cliffhanger.
Hand this to fans of AMULET.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

this book was so much fun and the illustrations were beautiful! i really love the aspect of friendship in this story. excited to continue on with the second book. ☺️

[The Carrion Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would make an amazing studio Ghibli movie.