The Stonekeeper: A Graphic Novel (Amulet #1)

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 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.

I read Amulet: The Stonekeeper with my class, and the students couldn’t get enough of it! The artwork is absolutely stunning, and the story grabbed their attention right away. Even reluctant readers were eager to see what happened next. The mix of fantasy, adventure, and relatable characters makes it the perfect series to hook middle-grade readers. As soon as we finished, they were already asking for the next book in the series!

The Stonekeeper is the first volume in Kazu Kibuishi's graphic novel series. Although aimed at middle school, it is good for upper elementary school children, and is enjoyable for adults as well. 2 years after the death of Emily and Navin's father in a tragic car crash, Karen moves her children to the family's old house in a dense forest. Built by Karen's grandfather Silas who then disappeared, it has been abandoned for years. During the first night, they hear a strange noise, and Karen is captured by an Arachnopod, a creature from a parallel world, Alledia. Emily and Navin follow their mother into the parallel world where they find their ailing great-grandfather Silas. He tells Emily about the power of the amulet she found in his house. It is the key to ruling Alledia. Silas expires, but not before instructing his robot and animal minions to aid Emily and Navin. This first volume, besides setting the story arc, narrates the rescue of Karen. Unfortunately, she is poisoned setting up the next volume for finding the antidote. Besides an engaging story with compelling characters, Kibuishi is a fantastic illustrator. As with many exemplar graphic novels the spare text is amplified and much of the story told through his illustrations. The creatures of Alledia are strange enough to pique our imagination, but not so much that they are totally alien in form. After reading Stonekeeper, I am eager to see what happens next with Emily and Navin, and their company.

Good

My son absolutely loves these books that were recommended by a teacher. He loves manga so these graffic novels are great

My kid loves it. Great for every teenager.

this is a really good book because it has a good price, but the story is not Long enough it only has like 200 pages, it's a good amount of pages, but it's a comic so thoose 200 pages become in like 75 pages and the price is $300, i like the book because the story intrigues you besarse the story is too short

Our grandson loved this book