Description

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Mike Holmes, the artist behind the hit series Secret Coders and Wings of Fire, delivers his solo debut: My Own World, a middle grade memoir-inflected fantasy graphic novel.

Life is difficult for nine-year-old Nathan. All he dreams of is hanging out with his older brother, watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, and enjoying summer vacation far away from the neighborhood bullies. When he overhears his parents talking about a family crisis, he seeks sanctuary from his troubles. In an abandoned lighthouse, Nathan discovers a portal to a berry-colored world where time has little meaning and he, finally, is in control. There, his imagination takes him on wondrous adventures, across seas and through the air, with new extraordinary friends of his own creation. In his magical hideaway, Nathan is safe from the anxieties of his life—but can he bring himself to face the real world?

About the Author

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Mike Holmes has drawn for the comics series Secret Coders, Bravest Warriors, Adventure Time, and the viral art project Mikenesses. His books include the True Story collection (2011), This American Drive (2009), and Shenanigans. He lives with a cat named Ella, who is his best buddy.

Praise For…

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"Holmes judiciously uses wordless panels to tell much of the story, relying on shading and perspective to illustrate how small and insignificant Nathan feels much of the time, and how much turmoil he is experiencing as he carves wild swoops and slashes in his second world." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)

"Holmes’s expressive, energetic art renders Nathan’s excitement about his new world, one that readers can’t help but get lost in." —Publishers Weekly

"Holmes paints an exquisitely realistic portrait of a troubled boy’s real life, grounding the fantastic in the urgency of Nathan’s heartache and anxiety." — Booklist, starred review

"A lot of emotion is subtly packed into this quick read about loneliness and escapism, and perceptive readers may enjoy poring over details and forming their own ideas of what is real."—Kirkus

"Holmes skillfully captures the joy of escape as scenes of Nathan’s imaginary world convey the delight of exploration, with his explosive, saturated crimson illustrations evoking the joy of creation, exploration, and life—School Library Journal