This graphic novel was a little deeper than I expected, exploring loneliness, grief, and how to cope.

It follows a boy who deals with a number of issues inside and outside his home. He discovers an entire different place where he begins to escape to and can literally spend forever, never aging, and reenter the world with no time passing.

The story was relatable for the most part, understanding we all experience these emotions from time to time and look for ways of coping.

The artwork was done well and feels like a lot of thought went into in order to get the reader to feel certain emotions. If that's the case, they were very successful. That being said, this graphic novel is not for everyone and may even be a little uncomfortable or triggering for some who may relate TOO MUCH to the main character.

But overall, it was a good story for what it was trying to communicate.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for this eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC

The cover really drew me to this graphic novel

Es un libro realmente increíble que me enganchó de principio a fin. Sin dudas súper recomendable para todas las edades

I feel sorry for this one. I couldn't finish reading it.
The whole story and the illustration are just not so impressive.

An usual graphic novel, it had the feel of stranger things but without the dark monsters. Nathan longs to hang out with his older brother, but lately he has been distant and not at home. One day while trying to escape the local bully, Nathan falls into much more than a hiding space. As things at home change he escapes more and more to the unusual realm where time seems to have no measure and Nathan can forget the world.
This graphic novel was full of strong images and the bold colour pallet added to the moments of intense emotion and there were a few full pages/scenes that captured the raw feelings of Nathan and his family.
Not my go to, this didn't go where I thought it would but it was a well told story with an interesting reflection on the passing of time and loss.

This title was not for me. I found the subject matter to be presented in such a personal way that I was unable to connect as a reader. The panelling was poorly organized. This felt much more like a personal passion project than an attempt to make something others could connect with. Which is fine, but I couldn't get much out of it myself.

The cover for My Own World is gorgeous. Unfortunately, that's about where the good parts end. I think I get what the creator was trying to do with the parallel of the main characters own world and the real world where things are not great, but the end result is not what I think they were going for. Could possibly be good for kids who have siblings or other loved ones with cancer, but only maybe.

This graphic novel follows a troubled boy that creates an imaginary world to cope. Based on the title, one would assume this was a magical tale with fantastic artwork. Unfortunately, the illustrations in the story are crude and unappealing.
There wasn't much of a storyline or character development, and I found the story difficult to follow. There was no world-building in the imaginary world, and the artwork was very simplistic. The fantasy world scenes were like watching a little kid play pretend.
Unfortunately, I didn't care for this story. I would not recommend it to anyone.

The art syle in this graphic novel reminds me of some of my fave non-Disney movies from the 1990s. The bolded words are distracting but the dialogue and text work well otherwise with the art and plt. I appreciate the power of play and imagination and dreams throughout the story.

3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed the plot of the story and how it ended. The inner workings of the mind of a child trying to make sense of a tragic situation was nicely portrayed.

Thank you Netgalley and First Second Books for giving me the opportunity to read this.

An exploration of grief and loneliness. The concept was good I just felt like the story arc was a little disjointed. There is a specific place in the book that there is a time jump that doesn't make a lot of sense. I thought the other "world" in graphic novel form was fun and I loved the ending.

The book definitely surprised me. Going in, I expected to like the story. Halfway through, I felt like it wasn't particularly what I was hoping for. But things go way better from there.

What bugged me at first was the color palette. It wasn't exactly easy on my eyes. But as the story progressed, I understood that it was chosen to convey a certain feeling, an atmosphere of sorts. I am new to graphic novels, so that's probably why. All in all, I loved it. It was emotional, relatable, and endearing. At times, I was worried and sad. If you are looking for a quick, touching, middle-grade graphic novel, then this is it.

Thank you to Net Galley and First Second for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Own World was an emotional journey that blended reality and fantasy to portray feelings of isolation and otherness that many kids go through as they grow up.

Nathan feels like an afterthought both in and outside of his home, so when he finds a portal that transports him to a world where he's in control, it's like he's finallly able to breath for the first time in a long while. But Nathan can't escape forever, and soon, he's forced to face problems that are much closer to home than he ever imagined.

At times I found it difficult to keep track of characters, and the lettering also contributed to this. (Although the lettering was clear for the most part, there was a lot of text in some places, and some world balloon positioning made it difficult to parse through the text.) But My Own World handled grief in a way that's accessible to young readers without being preachy, and I think it would be a valuable addition to a growing book collection.

A unique graphic novel, tackling the idea of isolation and grief and trying to find your place and yourself when the world feels like it’s falling apart around you. In this case, in a literal other world. The ending surprised me, but he story itself was a slow build that veered too many times to be cohesive.

Mike Holmes bring an imaginative style to My Own World that captures childhood and experience in visual form. I loved the way Holmes created a grounded universe that then takes trips into unknown adventure to illustrate creativity and escape.

My Own World works as a graphic novel character study, a portrait of a young artist, and a compelling story. Holmes knows how to use the grammar of the graphic novel for narrative advantage, and the result is entertaining and a book that will stick with me for a long time. Looking forward to sharing this text with future students.

Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nathan feels like a loner this summer. His older brother, Ben, who used to be his best friend seems to be leaving him behind for his teen friends. His older sister totally ignores him. The neighbor kid only likes him for the quarters he can provide, and then his parents seem distracted with something going on with Ben. One day Nathan stumbles across a portal to a world that is all his own. He can create awesome stuff there, including the perfect friends. He has a blast. But is it too good to last?

This is part fantasy portal world for a lonely kid and part exploration of how siblings deal with one of them being seriously sick. I came away from this wanting a little bit more. It felt like you barely started to figure out what was going on and then it was over. I guess that’s better than including too much and getting bored. Nathan’s fantasy world is fun, and readers can debate as to whether or not it is real or in his head. I can see this really resonating with kids who feel lonely (and if you talk to many middle school kids, that pretty much is all of them at some point).

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: Two minor swears, some profanity, and scribbles used to represent what you can tell is supposed to be worse swearing (though not clear enough to know which words). No sexual content. There are some bullies in the neighborhood and a very angry father who is out of control. No one is seriously hurt, but definitely traumatized. There is one death (view spoiler).

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Inspired by events in his childhood, Wings of Fire and Secret Coders illustrator Mike Holmes delivers a graphic memoir with a splash of fantasy. Nathan is alone, but for his older brother, Ben. His other siblings and the neighborhood bullies torment him, but he always looks to Ben to spend time with; Ben is the one person who gets him. Unfortunately, there are things coming up that take Ben farther and farther away from Nathan, leaving him to create a fantasy world to escape to when the real world intrudes too much. A study in grief, loss, and healing, My Own World is a better reading choice for middle schoolers than younger readers; there's trauma contained within these pages. It's an excellent starting point for discussions on the lingering damage done by bullying, loneliness, and coping with loss. The real world is depicted in flat colors, but Nathan's fantasy world is alive with color, vibrancy, and engaging characters that Nathan creates to spend time with. 


My Own World has a starred review from Booklist.

This book was sweet. But i felt i wasn’t very engaged when reading. The little text that there was wasn’t really engaging and it was really lacking. The plot was also quite confusing. This book does have a good potential though

Nathan would like to spend his summer vacation hanging out with his brother, watching movies, and avoiding the bullies who seem to have it out for him. Things aren't quite as he hoped though, While seeking refuge from problems at home and bullies, Nathan stumbles onto a magical world where his imagination builds adventures and friends who provide some solace.

This was a cute book, but was not as engaging as many of the currently available graphic novels. I would buy it for my middle school library, but it won't be on the top of the list.

Super depressing story! A kid with a sick brother and bullies that go beyond just sucky to a real physical danger (not a lot a 9 year old can do against multiple teen assailants threatening them but run and hide).
If the story doesn’t sound too traumatic to you it is is an interesting look at a boy trying to deal with his brother’s illness and his isolation. I think a lot of readers might find it pretty dark but maybe it would be a starting point for a parent to talk about feelings with a kid who has lost someone close to them.