Amulet Book One: The Stonekeeper
Author: Kazi Kibuishi
Published January 1, 2008
Page Count: 192
After getting into a terrible car accident with her parents Emily loses her father. Still in the grieving process Emily, her little brother Navin, and their mom move into an old ancestral home to try and piece together their lives. The home was once owned by their Grandfather Silass, who mysteriously disappeared. After Emily finds a magic pendant things get turned upside down as their mom is kidnapped by a monster! Emily and Navin pursue the tentacled beast through a door in the house into a strange new world of robots, flying machines, evil elves, and talking animals. It is here that Emily’s journey as a Stonekeeper begins.
This is a graphic novel so it is like reading a comic book, but longer.
Reading Audience:
Middle School is the aim here I would guess. My nine and eleven year old are really enjoying it. Amazon says ages 8-11.
Stuff to be aware of:
This is a graphic novel so everything is not only read, it is also seen in photos. Amulet starts out with a car accident in which the children’s father dies. It isn’t real graphic, but there is blood running down a character’s nose and the reader will witness the car go over a cliff with the father inside.
There are some scary creatures and characters. There is a phantom like being with large eyes, a tentacled monster with sharp teeth, and some other odd and possibly scary creatures. There is a race of elves that have very sharp teeth and open their mouth unnaturally wide when eating. One eats a cute little slug looking critter.
There is also an older character that is dying and hooked up to a breathing machine. He has one eye that is blind and foggy looking.
No cursing or sexual stuff.
Overall:
This graphic novel feels a bit like a mix between the Chronicles of Narnia (without the allegory) and a Studio Ghibli film. The art is really well done, and the story is captivating, but a little cliche at times. The magical world the book takes place in is very different than anything I have seen before, which is good. It is different in that Studio Ghibli kind of way. The world feels fresh and surprised me a few times. My girls and I have all ready finished the second book and plan to get the box set with the first eight books.
I grew up reading comics and graphic novels and still enjoy a well written one today. This is a fun story and I am enjoying teaching my children how to chronologically read panel comic art.
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