★ 09/17/2018
In this sprawling, wonderfully original space jaunt by Walden (Spinning), the depicted characters are all female or gender nonbinary, and the diverse protagonists inhabit cluttered and homey quarters aboard a fish-shaped starship. Teenage Mia joins the close-knit crew of the spaceship Aktis, who travel the galaxy restoring old buildings that float untethered in open space. Flashbacks chronicle Mia’s freshman year at boarding school—bullies, sports, and all—and her doomed romance with the mysterious Grace. When Mia discovers her crewmates’ unexpected connection to Grace, the crew embarks on a dangerous mission to a forbidden planet to find her. The exquisite art foregrounds simply lined characters against intricate architectural constructs, and Walden’s distinctive layers of flat color create temporal cohesion and emphasize themes of memory and family. As Walden develops the relationships, and drops tantalizing hints about the vast universe this graphic novel inhabits, it becomes clear that the meandering, atmospheric journey—and the growth it affords each character—is the point. With a gratifying conclusion, this masterful blend of science fiction–inflected school drama, road trip, and adventure is nothing less than marvelous. Ages 12–up. Agent: Seth Fishman, the Gernert Company. (Oct.)
Magnificent.” —The New Yorker
“Walden creates the intoxicating effect of a universe as mysterious as our real one.” —The Atlantic
“Phenomenal . . . Utterly mesmerizing . . . A remarkable, stunning comic.” —Booklist, starred review
“This masterful blend of science fiction–inflected school drama, road trip, and adventure is nothing less than marvelous.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A stunning interpretation of interstellar life . . . Bound to be a sci-fi favorite, especially for teens who also appreciated Nina LaCour’s We Are Okay." —School Library Journal, starred review
"On A Sunbeam is an intimate, cosmic, and sometimes deeply funny work of art that is hopefully not the last glimpse of Walden’s science fantasy world." —VOYA Magazine, starred review
“Both gently romantic and heartbreaking, the story ultimately celebrates love and the importance of chosen family. An affirming love story.” —Kirkus
“Watching Mia and Grace rekindle their love against the backdrop of a bleak, mystifying universe is deeply satisfying.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“[A] pageturning and profoundly moving read.” —Horn Book
“Tillie Walden is the future of comics, and On a Sunbeam is her best work yet. It’s a ‘space' story unlike any you’ve ever read, with a rich, lived-in universe of complex characters.” –Brian K. Vaughan, Saga series and Paper Girls
“On a Sunbeam is a rare treat. It’s both a slow-burn romance and a found-family space opera adventure with an engaging cast of characters. But it’s the world building that really stands out, with a blend of SF and fantasy in a gloriously strange setting that is so brilliantly original I have no idea how to describe it. I enjoyed every bit of it.” —Martha Wells, author of The Murderbot Diaries and The Books of the Raksura
“Enthralling, beautiful, and compelling. I couldn't put this down.” —Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice
“On A Sunbeam strikes a magical balance between trippy and tangible, heartbreaking and hilarious. It was so easy to curl up in the art and lose myself in the story.” —Becky Chambers, author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
★ 10/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—Walden's meditative space epic will easily win the hearts of sci-fi and romance fans. Mia is the latest addition to a team of restorers, who are tasked with repairing abandoned structures across the galaxy. Though each member of the tight-knit crew is harboring a complicated past, it is wistful Mia who proves to be the linchpin of the plot. Walden treats readers to a stunning interpretation of interstellar life; fluid, fish-shaped ships, floating cathedral-like ruins, and giant celestial creatures add to the grandeur of the story, as do the enormously meaningful friendships and romances among the cast of women and nonbinary characters. The narrative is split into two time lines: one set in the present, colored in berry tones with swatches of orange and red, that follows Mia and the restoration crew; and one five years earlier, done in black, white, and shades of gray blue, where Mia, then a freshman at a boarding school, develops a swoon-worthy romance with new classmate Grace. Walden depicts them with warmth, often dedicating an entire wordless page to their embrace. The artwork, from expansive landscapes to cozy glimpses of the shipmates snuggled together watching TV, is a sight to behold. VERDICT Bound to be a sci-fi favorite, especially for teens who also appreciated Nina LaCour's We Are Okay.—Della Farrell, School Library Journal
2018-08-20
In this graphic novel/space adventure, a young woman discovers her place in a vast universe.
After graduating from an all-girls boarding school, Mia, a light-skinned, black-haired girl, joins a reconstruction crew traveling through space to restore crumbling buildings with ancient and forgotten histories. She carries with her memories of Grace, the girl she fell in love with and lost during her freshman year of school. As Mia develops close bonds with her teammates, she learns they each have mysterious and complicated pasts of their own. Despite their differences, the strength of their love holds them together on a dangerous journey to the farthest reaches of space. A deep color palette of blues and purples with bursts of warm shades captures the setting. Walden's (Spinning, 2017, etc.) diverse cast of queer characters includes Char, a black woman who co-captains the reconstruction crew with her white wife, Alma; Mia's past love Grace (a black woman); and Elliot, a white nonbinary person who communicates nonverbally. While Mia's journey is central, every character experiences a moment of growth over the course of the narrative. The timeline alternates between Mia's memories depicting the progression of her relationship with Grace and the present. At times both gently romantic and heartbreaking, the story ultimately celebrates love and the importance of chosen family.
An affirming love story full of intriguing characters and a suspenseful plot. (Science-fiction graphic novel. 13-adult)
