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.

An interesting comic about introvertism, escapism and loneliness, but the art didn't work out for me and neither the overall pace.
Although 'My Own World' provides the tools for a child to imagine their own safe places so they can explore it and evade the problems from their actual world and take a break from life when things are getting out of control.

I was definitely able to see myself in the protagonist's introverted self. I lovely graphic novel with beautiful artwork and story on loneliness and way escapism.

3,2/5
Quality of writing: 4
Plot development: 3
Pace: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of reading: 3

This... was not for me. The art didn't impress me, the story was a bit confusing, characters just seemed... flat.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A striking middle grade graphic novel about escapism and loneliness. The story really shines and touches you in the pages with no dialogue, only images. You can grow up, move on, become the person you're meant to be but you'll always have a spot for the worlds you create in your youth.

A fun and very engaging little comic book. The story was cool and the I think children could relate to the main character. I would recommend it!

I truly enjoyed this fantasy graphic novel. 9 year old Nathan finds a portal to a secret world in which he can manipulate the surroundings and literally create his own world, complete with friends. It's an introvert's dream, and I think the book will really resonate with kids that dream of getting away from their own anxieties.

We all need a place to escape to, especially when things get out of control. My Own World allows a child to imagine and explore in a safe place (he did run away, so not entirely safe) where he can pause on life, think about his loved ones and go back to chaotic reality when he needs to.

My Own World is a story about a boy who overhears his parents talking about a family crisis. He can't deal with it at the moment so he runs off to find peace and ends up finding a portal to another world. I could not find information about the creative team in the review copy. It does state by Mike Holmes, which oftentimes means he was the writer, artist, letterer, and colorer.

In the beginning of the book the colors were very flat. I loved this effect. This is the story of a kid who things that things are as bad as they get. He's running from bullies, getting in trouble, and stuck waiting for big brother. The effect of muted tones and a more dull finish really sets the mood. Then the color shift from our world to the magical world. WOW. The colors are glowing. Everything is coming alive on the page. It was breathtaking.

The story fit with this so well. Once I started My Own World I couldn't put it down. You get so sucked up in the magical world that you forget that Nathan has problems waiting for him in the real world. I was surprised. I loved every minute of this book. I have already asked my local shop to order copies for myself, my classroom, and to carry in the shop. I can't wait to see this book when it isn't on my phone screen!

I received a digital ARC through NetGalley from First Second. In this middle grade graphic novel, 9-year-old Nathan is dealing with bullying, finding his place in a big family, and missing his busy brother who used to be his best friend. Nathan discovers a fantasy place that he can build to his own needs and he never loses time. Nathan is making his own friends in this world, but he is hiding from his real world problems.

While the illustrations were quite evocative of the moods Nathan was feeling, there was more art than story. Pages after pages with little text, that left me wanting a bit more substance. There is a lot of drama within the pages and sadness with Nathan’s brother having cancer, but I’m not sure tweens would grasp the nuance in the ending.

Nathan's older brother doesn't have as much time for him anymore, and he doesn't have friends in the neighborhood, so when he overhears that his brother has been having health problems, the world he has visited in his dreams seems to manifest itself in real life for him. He spends more and more time in the dream world, creating his own adventures. The story starts strong and has vivid illustrations, but the point when he leaves his world to re-enter the real world toward the end seems fragmented, with the sequence of events unclear, making it ultimately feel anticlimactic.

The gist of the story, for me, was that a boy desperately needed an escape, so he created one..
That is a good message. Sometimes life is so rough that we need to create safe spaces for ourselves. Places to dream and to create and to find love and connection... even if those places are imaginary.

I appreciated the premise of this story, but didn't always follow it. Maybe I'm too literal. I was confused if this fantastical place really existed or just existed in the boy's imagination. It seems to be rooted in a physical place in the story, but was it all a figment? What was the sugar correlation? Did he conjure this world on a sugar high? Was sugar just part of the pleasure and the escape?

I'd like to read this with students to see what they glean from the story.

This is a poignant and affecting story about a nine-year-old boy named Nathan who is dealing with bullying, loneliness, and a changing relationship with his older brother. Nathan stumbles upon a deserted lighthouse and enters into a fantasy world of his own making where he can create the friends he needs and wants.

I really enjoyed this and its subtle approach to dealing with issues of change and growing up. It captures that feeling of being out of place in the world very well. The ending was the most effective part for me, as it brings Nathan's story full circle and shows that there is hope and potential for growth despite loss.

At first I wasn't a huge fan of the art, but my feelings shifted when I got to the fantasy parts. The the colours of the "real" world (kind of drab) contrast sharply with the colours of the fantasy world, emphasizing the themes of the story and reflecting Nathan's inner emotional landscape.

Overall, this is a very effective and moving story that readers of all ages will be able to connect with.

A sweet, sad story about being a lonely kid, imagination, family, and the fact that even though we physically all HAVE to grow up, we can always keep a little bit of our youth close to our hearts, and even though people come and go from our lives, they are never really completely gone.

I requested this galley based entirely off the cover art, so I hadn’t read so much as a synopsis when I started it. I was completely unprepared for the emotional journey I was about to go on, and *man*, that was a journey. I felt well and truly wrecked by how poignantly the main character’s sadness and loneliness are illustrated, how each event perfectly leads to the next one so that the whole book goes down in one long devastating gulp (even as I tried to make myself slow down to appreciate the artwork), and how strangely satisfying and cathartic the end would be.

Anyway, I really liked it, and I’m so glad the cover caught my eye.

I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.
This graphic novel introduces us to 9 year old Nathan. He is struggling in real life, being bullied, wanting to be with his brother but his brother has his own things going on.
Nathan discovers a deserted lighthouse and enters a safe dreamworld when time seems to last forever. He creates his own creatures and landscapes. He is finally in control. But then reality kicks in. No spoilers so I won’t go on.
The use of colour is really effective. There is a dramatic difference between the yellows and greens of Nathan’s real life and the reds of his dreamworld. There is also a playful use of panels. Some pages follow convention but others use the whole page and insert long thin panels to tell a part of the story within the background image. There are also a few plain black panels, placed for high impact.
I was totally immersed in this story and it hit the emotional scale. Always the sign of a good story, well told.

Nathan has a lot he is dealing with and escaping into a new found world provides the comfort he needs. This was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. Those that have a sibling who is going through an illness will be able to find comfort in this and Nathan's struggle. A sad, but comforting graphic novel that really provides reflection moments.

Loved this graphic novel! The boy deals with growing up and grief all at the same time. Who wouldn't want to escape reality? This lovely story is for anyone and everyone. Beautiful illustrations throughout the story.

My Own Mind follows 9-year-old Nathan who stumbles on a secret portal. In this “world” he creates for himself friends and goes on adventures. While there, time stops.

In the real world, a tragedy has occurred in Nathan’s family, so this new “world” he creates helps him to escape that truth. But even a secret world cannot escape tragedy and feelings of loss, waking Nathan up to the reality; accepting the tragedy that has rocked his family.

A powerful story of dealing with grief, learning to accept, and how to keep living.

Thanks to First Second Books and Netgalley for giving the opportunity to access this ARC. I really enjoyed it and look forward to adding it to my library when it is released!

Sentimental, surreal, heartbreaking, unique, uncomfortable, and, interesting are all words I think of to describe my experience reading this book and getting lost in the images. This was a difficult memoir of loss and escapism and acceptance, along with a bit of coming-of-age in a way.