The Stonekeeper (Amulet, Book 1) (original 2008; edition 2008)

When their father dies, Emily and Navin must move with their mother to a run-down house in the middle of nowhere - an inheritance from a great uncle they've never met. On their first night in the disturbing old house, their mother is kidnapped by a gigantic squid-thing and the kids must rescue her with the help of a talking amulet that they've found in a dusty room.

I read this because my nephew really loved it, and he's a very reluctant reader. I can see why he liked it - there's lots of pretty pictures and very few words. It's a book appropriate for middle-graders both in vocabulary and in plot. It was a cute, fast read, and I'm sure I'll read the rest in the series. However, it's not a book that would appeal to me for any other reason than bonding with my nephew. The premise and plot are simply too unsophisticated to be of much interest to most older kids or adults. On the other hand, the book seems to be VERY popular with the younger crowd, and I highly recommend The Stonekeeper for reluctant readers. ( )

We have this in YA and I disagree. Total middle school read. But that's not the book's fault. If I was the age this was intended for it would have gotten 5 stars. Good fantasy story, fun characters and wonderful art. But being not the intended audience I felt it a little flat.
( )

January 2011 Cover to Cover discussion selection. ( )

Z reads this book all of the time. Read it out loud to his dad in one sitting and has just read it out loud to me in one fell swoop. I get Vol 2 tomorrow. Woot. ( )

Following a family tragedy, Emily's mom moves her and her brother to an ancestral house in the middle of nowhere, where weird things happen, Mom gets swallowed by some kind of tentacled-monster thing, and Emily has to save her and keep
her little brother out of harm's way. Emily is guided by a voice from the amulet she found in the old house, and is helped by the variety of sentient toys her great-grandfather has charged with her care.

I'm not explaining it very well, but it makes perfect sense in the book. The story may not be much to write home about--it's a variation on a familiar theme; Kid Needs to Save The World--but what makes this book 5 stars is the incredible art. Or if you find Kabuishi's style unappealing (is your heart made of stone?), surely you can't help but be amazed with his color work. His use of color is reason enough to pick this up. ( )