The Stonekeeper

I brought this book home from the library to read with my daughter. I have seen TONS of kids checking it out and I love a good graphic novel! Well, my daughter took it to bed before I got a chance to even look through it. Twenty minutes into the book she came into my room absolutely terrified! But she refused to go to sleep until she had finished it.
I picked it up the next day and HOLY CRAP! I was really glad it was my husband that stayed up with her to read it. It was terrifying! SO deliciously terrifying though! I immediately put the rest of the series on hold! Besides having a super gripping story-line the illustrations are fantastic! A graphic novel falls flat on its face if it doesn't have both appealing illustrations AND a good show more plot. It's too easy to slip out of the story and into
critic mode when they don't combine well.

I've been trying to explain to people at work the difference between a graphic novel and a comic book. This is a great example! This story just needs to be told visually. show less

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 show more 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. show less

An enjoyable graphic novel, surprisingly dark in places for the age range it felt aimed at. Definitely the first one in a longer series, it left me with lots of cliffhanger 'but who is good? Who is bad? What will happen next?'

This begins with Emily and her parents on their way to pick up Emily's young brother, Navin. They get in an accident, and although Emily and her mother make it out, Emily's father is trapped in the car. When it slides off a cliff, he's still inside.

Two years later, Emily's mother is moving the whole family to a rundown house in a smaller, less expensive area. The place was previously owned by Emily's mother's grandfather, Silas, who used to create machines and puzzles. They're all working on cleaning the house up when Emily's mother is attacked by a tentacled monster that traps her, still alive, inside its belly. Emily and Navin chase after the monster and somehow end up in a strange fantasy world with only a talking amulet that Emily show more found among Silas's things to guide and protect them.

If you're okay with works that begin with a dramatic and tragic parent death (Emily's dad was conscious and had just enough time before the car went off the cliff to realize that he was going to die and to say goodbye), this seems pretty good so far. I liked the artwork, even though the robot character designs didn't quite work for me. The fantasy world was very nice looking, Silas's house was vaguely creepy, and the moving house bit near the end was great.

I'm interested to see where this goes. The amulet definitely gave off a slightly sinister vibe. Every time she used it, Emily's eyes glowed red, which is never a good sign, and at one point it tried to convince her to kill someone. Granted, that person had "villain" written all over him, but still. I have a feeling that Emily will come to regret accepting the amulet and its power without first finding out more about it and how it works. It wasn't like she had many other options, though.

This first volume felt like it was over in a flash, so I'm glad I already have the second volume on hand.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

The kids at my library LOVE this series. Although many of them pronounce it like an egg dish (omelet), and it took me awhile to figure out what they were asking for, I finally decided I needed to see what the fuss was about for myself, and read the first volume. Wow! Gorgeous artwork, compelling story line, cute fantastical creatures, and intense issues handled sensitively. Bravo, Kazu Kibuishi. I've already put holds on volumes two and three!

So, It just so happened that my local Los Gatos Library was having a grand opening today. Upstairs, I found a presentation going on in which Kasu Kibuishi created sketches of his fantastic world and talked about how he made his work. Technology is rather awesome. We got to see the sketches go up on the big screen as he drafted them out on his computer tablet. Made me wish I was a better artist and that I could just throw stuff out like that. Anyway, I bought Book One of Amulet and got it signed. He included a cute little sketch of one of the characters, too (see below).

Of course, I had to read it right when I got home. I was hooked right away and breezed straight through. After facing a tragedy in which their father dies, Emily and show more Navin and their mom move to the families old home in a small town to build a new life for themselves. But there is something mysterious about the basement, and a tentacled creature appears, grabbing their mother and dragging her away into a strange world. Emily and Navin set chase to rescue her.

Book One is the set up for the series, so there isn't room for complete character development yet. Hints are there, though, and the three family members are sweet and loving and rather likable.

There's some really great ambiguity going on, too. It's not entirely clear. The potential ally my be a dangerous threat, and the supposed enemy may not be all that evil. I really like that depth, which will allow a larger more complex story to potentially unfold.

Kibuishi has created a wonderfully creative fantastical world. The art is gorgeous -- bright and colorful sometimes and shadowy and mysterious, all depending on the mood. The only frustrating thing is that I now have to go out and buy the other four or five books in the series. I'm that hooked. show less

Amulet, a graphic novel by Kazu Kibuishi (Flight, Volume One, Daisy Kutter: The Last Train), is geared towards the 9-12 age group. However, the novel will captivate anyone that begins to read it as they are swept along a moving story with beautiful illustrations.

Our young heroine Emily witnesses the death of her father in the opening pages of this novel. Emily, her mother, and her brother Nevin move into the home of their missing great grandfather. There are secrets lurking within the house, one that soon ensnares Emily's mom. She's dragged from the basement by a tentacle through an open door and Emily and Nevin must go on a rescue mission to another world.

This story captivates the reader from the beginning. The reader is compelled to show more feel for the characters of the story, from Emily witnessing the death of her father to watching her mom being dragged away by some unknown creature. Although this is only the first part of the series the reader gets a true sense of the characters, their feelings, and their emotions and is left hanging at the end of this book and wanting more.

What really sells the story are the illustrations as they capture and convey the moods of the characters and their surroundings. The drawings have a light airy quality to them, with a simple, but moody, color palette to show off the extensive use of shadows to convey emotions of the character in graphic detail. The reader is never left wanting or wondering what the characters are thinking, the colors clearly display what they feel--the age of the great-grandfather is written into the lines on his face, the fear and courage of Emily as she seeks to save her what's left of her family. As the story progresses a darker palette is used and we are left wanting the lighter colors to return. Something unique about the drawings is that when the story first begins the characters almost look undefined. While we can read their emotions they are merely shapes on a page. However, as the story progresses they gain more depth and emotion.

This novel is a must read. A strong young heroine, with monsters and robots as well, enough to keep any crowd entertained. The moving illustrations and compelling story make this a great read and the book is highly recommended for all ages. show less