The Stonekeeper (Amulet, Book 1) [Paperback]

Kazu Kibuishi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2008 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 310L (What's this?)

Graphic novel star Kazu Kibuishi creates a world of terrible, man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, a talking fox, a giant robot---and two ordinary children on a mission.

After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals.
Eventually, they enlist the help of a small mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Together with Miskit, they face the most terrifying monster of all, and Em finally has the chance to save someone she loves.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Almost too clever and poignant, Amulet is, on the surface, about navigating the murky waters of adolescence and, beneath that, an exploration of abandonment and survival. Emily and Navin are lost children, literally lost in a dark, new world and struggling to save their mother, who has been kidnapped by a drooling, tentacled beast. With stellar artwork, imaginative character design, moody color and consistent pacing, this first volume's weakness lies in its largely disjointed storytelling. There is the strong, young, heroine; cute, furry, sidekicks; scary monsters—all extraordinary components, but pieced together in a patchwork manner. There is little hope in his dark world as Kibuishi removes Emily and Navin's frame of safety. Their hopes rest in a magic amulet that seems to be working in the interest of the children—until it suddenly isn't. The most frightening element of Amulet is the sense of insecurity we feel for Emily, fighting her way through uncharted terrain with no guide and no support system. This first volume of Amulet isn't a disappointment, but it does feel like a warmup to the main event. If anything, it's a clear indication that Kibuishi has just begun skimming the surface of his own talent. (Jan.)
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Review

Praise for Amulet

New York Times Bestseller

"Five—no, three pages into Amulet and you'll be hooked." — Jeff Smith, creator of BONE

"[The] action-packed adventure sequences move at an exciting clip . . . Part fantasy . . . and part manga, this volume has much to appeal to readers." — Booklist

"A richly drawn graphic-fantasy series following in the footsteps of BONE and a must for all fantasy fans." — Kirkus Reviews

"Stellar artwork, imaginative character design, moody color and consistent pacing." — PW Comics Week

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: GRAPHIX; First Edition edition (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439846811
• ISBN-13: 978-0439846813
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Spine-Chilling Horror
  • #39 in Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Comics & Graphic Novels
  • #98 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels

More About the Author

Kazu Kibuishi is the writer and artist of the New York Times Bestselling AMULET graphic novel series, published by Scholastic. He is also the editor/art director/cover artist of the EXPLORER and FLIGHT Comic Anthologies. His debut graphic novel, Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, won a YALSA Best Books for Young Adults Award.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Kazu moved to the U.S. with his mother and brother when he was a child. He graduated from Film Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara in 2000, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. He currently works as a full-time graphic novelist. Kazu lives in Alhambra, California, with his wife, fellow author Amy Kim Kibuishi, and their children, Juni and Sophie.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My students love it March 5, 2008

By K. Parmenter

Format:Hardcover

I'm a third grade teacher, and on a whim I picked up this book for my classroom library. I'm so glad I did! Not only did I love the book, my students have gone wild over it. Every student who has picked it up has been drawn into the story almost instantly. There have been actual fights over who gets to read it next, and they are always disappointed to hear that there's no second book as of yet. I haven't had a book go over this well in a long time!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done but seems familiar March 13, 2008

By Derek Litton

Format:Hardcover

First off, I really liked the book and highly recommend it. As I read it however, I kept thinking that Hayao Miyazaki was a major influence is this work. The Amulet from Laputa, the walking house from Howls Moving Castle, the creatures that trapped their mother from Nausicaa to name a few. While this is not necessarily a bad thing as it is a very enjoyable read and beautiful to look it I am surprised no one has noticed any similarities to Miyazaki's works. I am looking forward to the next volume.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars High Quality Full Color Illustrated Fast-Paced, High Adventure Fantasy Story March 23, 2011

By christinemm - The Thinking Mother TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

I am a homeschooling mother with an interest in graphic books, both fiction and nonfiction, for adult or child readers. I just finished reading this book. However my first encounter with it was when it was released three years ago (2008) and my then-ten year old son saw it in the library and borrowed it. He loved the book. Since then two others in the series have been released. In the last month my older son, now 13, re-read or read all three (to find out what happened since he last read the first book) as did my younger son who is ten years old. The Amulet series is a hit with my sons. I also enjoyed the story.

Emily is a human girl on a hero's journey aided by her younger brother, to save their mother's life. This is a fantasy story involving magic powers. It starts on Earth but has a gate to another world, a mysterious land which looks wild and medieval in its natural state and filled with walking and talking animals and weird monsters, living "stuffed animals" and robots, but which has modern technology such as flying ships and a house that looks like a Transformer robot that walks and has a defense weaponry.

One of the first things noticed about the book is its high quality full color illustrations which makes it more visually appealing than some other graphic books for children on the market. The pages are high quality glossy paper.

This is a high action story that involves brushes with death, escapes and fighting. It's well written in that it is a solid hero's journey story which being done well, draws the reader in immediately, and makes us root for the hero from the start. We want to find out what happens next and we want the good guys to win.

The book ends with a cliff-hanger so this is not a complete story in one volume; the series must be read to find out what happens next.

Highly recommended for a tween or young teen who enjoys graphic novels, or for reluctant readers about fantasy, adventure and the battle of good against evil.

One word of caution for parents, there is an emotional scene at the beginning that some sensitive young readers (possibly drawn to the book since it's an easy to read graphic format book) may find disturbing but it's no different than the typical "child's parent dies by violent sudden death" that is in so many Disney animated children's movies. I've got no problem with it, I'm just mentioning it just in case it's an issue for some young readers.