Merideth says: Kibuishi, who I know primarily as the creator of the Flight anthologies, turns in a well-paced, tightly plotted adventure story here. However, for me, the draw was the jaw-droppingly beautiful artwork. The fantasy/steam-punk/alternate world setting lets Kibuishi create both fantastic monsters and mechanical marvels, all rendered in beautiful soft tones. One quibble is there is not much character development here, but as this is only the first volume in the series, I'm sure the characters will be more fleshed out. ( )

Reviewed by Michaela Pallante aka "Mickey" for TeensReadToo.com

After the tragic death of their father, Emily and her brother, Navin, move with their mother to a new town to start a brand new life. Their new house is very old and has been in their family for years. Emily is very interested by this old house, particularly one room upstairs in which she finds a beautiful necklace with a very pretty stone in it.

Emily's cool find is soon overshadowed by a very strange first night in the house. After hearing noises in the basement, their mother is kidnapped by a strange creature.

Emily and Navin, with the help of Emily's stone necklace, now have to find their mother and figure out what is going on in this strange new town.

THE STONEKEEPER, the first in the AMULET series, is a quick yet enjoyable read, set up in graphic novel form. The main characters are easy to relate to, and the supporting characters are serious but amusing at the same time. The storyline is interesting and leaves you wanting to know more.

Kids will love seeing people their own age as strong and independent main characters. Emily and Navin are definitely role model material. ( )

Bought this as the Book Fair Warehouse sale for my elementary school, read it tonight and while I liked it, I think I'll pass it on to the middle school, seems more like a 6th and up story to me. It was really well done, quality illustrations and a plot that progressed quickly but effectively, and characters with depth, even in this short format. Reminded me of a Spiderwick for the 12 and up crowd.

After Emily's father is killed in a car crash (dramatic opening pages), she and her brother and mom move into the old family homestead. Turns out it's a bizarre kind of a place where mom gets snatched by a huge octopus creature. So, it's Emily to the rescue with the help of a magic amulet. Gorgeous color, action frames, and clear storyline make it a hit. The ending demands that we read book two which may be annoying to some.

My advice:check it out from a library instead of buying it. It's an okay book, but not one you'll read again and again