After Emily and Navin's father dies in a car accident, their mother moves them to their great-grandfather's house. Their great-grandfather was an inventor who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. While the family is cleaning their new home, Emily discovers a hidden amulet and decides to put it on and keep it. Later that night, a creature kidnaps their mother, and the kids discover that the house is a portal to another world; another world where they discover their great-grandfather has been living for years. Their great-grandfather, who is near death, is attended to by his mechanical creations who are given to Emily on his death, along with the amulet, which appears to have magical powers and a personality all it's own.

A fun little story, Amulet, Book 1 is full of adventure (can the kids rescue their mom?), mystery (are the good guys really good and the bad guys really bad?) and intrigue (why does the amulet seem to have an agenda all its own?). This was an extraordinarily quick read, but clever all the same. The characters are drawn rather simplistically, but the backgrounds are rendered beautifully. I'd like to see where this story goes. ( )

From Follett Titlewave:

Rutherford, Dawn. "Amulet: The Stonekeeper (Book Review)." School Library Journal. (2008) 20 Nov. 2009

Thomas, Kaylia. "Amulet: The Stonekeeper (Book Review)." Library Media Connection (2008) 20 Nov. 2009

"Amulet: The Stonekeeper (Book Review)." Booklist. Vol. 104, No.7 (2007) 20 Nov. 2009

"Amulet: The Stonekeeper (Book Review)." Kirkus Review (2007) 20 Nov. 2009

(http://www.flr.follett.com/search?SID...) ( )

Great high interest reading for lower level readers. Beautiful graphics. ( )

This is one of the better Graphic Novels for teens that I have read. The pictures are wonderful and the dialog is easy to follow. Reminds me of the breathtaking work of Studio Ghibli, which has won academy awards for their animation. Appropriate for any age level. after the book I was more than ready to read the next installment. ( )

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. ( )