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The Sand Warrior

(5 Worlds #1)

Mark Siegel (Goodreads Author),

Alexis Siegel,

Xanthe Bouma (Illustrator),

Matt Rockefeller (Illustrator),

Boya Sun (Illustrator)

4.10 · Rating details · 4,240 ratings · 524 reviews

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 ...more

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Hardcover, 248 pages

Published May 2nd 2017 by Random House Books for Young Readers

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· 4,240 ratings · 524 reviews

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Aug 28, 2019 Calista rated it liked it

Shelves: bage-middle-grade, comics-graphic-novel, genre-travel, myth-folktale-fable, 2017, series-unfinished, genre-fantasy, series, women, diversity

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 th ...more

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Oct 06, 2018 Krista Regester rated it liked it · review of another edition

+Diverse
+Strong Female Leads
+Beautiful Art

-Wordy
-Slightly Boring
-Confusing

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May 07, 2020 Mir is currently reading it · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic

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...

...more

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May 12, 2017 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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 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.
...more

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May 28, 2020 Ashley rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-buyers-anonymous-bought, epic-adventure, extremely-unique-concepts, fantasy-and-magic, fantasy-epic-adventure, high-fantasy, middle-grade, comics-graphic-novels

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. ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 Jay G rated it it was ok

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 ...more

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Oct 04, 2018 Sylwia rated it it was amazing

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! ...more

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Mar 06, 2017 Carina Olsen rated it liked it

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 curiou 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... ...more

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May 02, 2018 Mehsi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels, children-s-books, warning-english-books, the-butler-did-it, octarine, 5-twinkling-stars, so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish

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 no 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/ ...more

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Aug 07, 2018 La Coccinelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade, graphic-novel

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 t 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! ...more

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May 03, 2017 Colona Public Library rated it really liked it

Shelves: ashley, graphic-novel-junior

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 (view spoiler) 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 t ...more

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May 27, 2017 Jasmine rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novel, middle-grade, random-house-books-for-young-reader, turtleback-books

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. ...more

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Aug 19, 2018 Mercedes McLean-Wheeler rated it it was amazing

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.

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May 14, 2018 Francina Simone rated it it was amazing

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

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Jun 13, 2017 Julie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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. ...more

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Sep 14, 2018 Christine rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-beehive-nominees, 2019-battle-of-the-books

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?

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May 23, 2017 Michele Knott rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2017, adventure, graphic-novel, fantasy

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.

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Jun 14, 2018 Cassie rated it really liked it

*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. ☺️

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Dec 05, 2018 Cortney rated it it was amazing

Mini Me Rating

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Jul 19, 2019 Ahonui rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children, sci-fi, five-stars

I like this book.

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Sep 13, 2020 Lana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a quick, fun, interesting read. I really enjoyed the illustrations and became invested in the characters. I loved the world building and look forward to exploring the other planets in the other books.

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Oct 04, 2020 Joey rated it really liked it

Really enjoyable!
Looking forward to continuing the series

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Aug 01, 2019 Lata rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, x2019-read, kids-and-ya

3.5 stars. I liked the artwork a lot for this fantasy story of several planets suffering from a variety of environmental disasters. The Sand dancers (main character Oona Lee is one) warn all the leaders of other planets that the Beacons need to be relit to save each planet. Oona joins up with two others, An Tzu and Jax Amboy, and the three realize they need to work together to save everyone.
The story was intermittently confusing, and I never really got my head around the necessity of relighting ...more

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Jun 19, 2017 Celeste_pewter rated it really liked it

I'm still very new to the idea of graphic novels, so am always eager to try new titles. So when I was given the opportunity to read 5 Worlds: The Sand Warrior, of course I said yes.

In many ways, 5 Worlds felt like a nice mix of The 5th Element and Doctor Who, when a young dancer, a street urchin, and an illegal android are brought together, in circumstances that are of course, going to lead them on an epic adventure to save the world.

The story is thrilling for those who are looking to go on an ...more

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Apr 29, 2017 Kellee Moye rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure, mystery, graphic-novel-manga, middle-grade, war, fantasy

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 possibiliti ...more

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Apr 04, 2018 Lena rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novels, ya-mg

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 fee ...more

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Jul 10, 2017 Aaron rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s, graphic-novel, fantasy, favourites

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. ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 Khai rated it it was amazing

Shelves: want-to-own, books-to-re-read, favorites

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") ...more

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Jul 14, 2017 Nori rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novel, fantasy, middlegrade, library-book

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. ...more

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Dec 06, 2017 Samantha Small rated it really liked it

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

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About Mark Siegel

Mark Siegel

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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.
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