86. The Stonekeeper

The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
Amulet Book One

Pages: 187
Finished: May 14, 2008
First Published: Jan. 2008
Genre: children, graphic novel, fantasy
Rating: 4/5

Reason for Reading: The cover and the illustration caught my attention

First sentence:

We're supposed to pick up Navin at eight o'clock.

Comments: The opening panels chronicle an intense scene of a car crash in which everyone escapes except the dad. Two years later Mom and the two kids, Emily and Navin, are moving to an ancestral home in a small town because of financial hardships. It is an old rundown, creepy place but they settle down for the first night until they hear strange noises. As they follow the noises down to the basement the mom is attacked and kidnapped by a strange bulbous tentacled creature. A door in the basement opens and the children follow it into a strange alternate world. Emily finds an amulet with a strong power and they meet up with other creatures who want to help them but all the while an dark figure is trailing them. This is a beautifully illustrated story with an anime feel to it. It is cute and fun but on the dark side and atmospheric. The plot is very entertaining and I really enjoyed this quick read. I'd recommend this for middle grades as the intense death scenes (one of a parent) would not be appropriate for the very young. Book 2 isn't out yet but I'll be interested to see where the story goes when it is published.