Graphic novel star Kazu Kibuishi creates a world of terrible, man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, a giant robot---and two ordinary children on ...
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Sep 22, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it: 
Meh.
Every story, whether it's being told orally, as a book, as a graphic novel, or in a kind of performance is allowed to reuse old tropes. Particularly when the story being told is appropriate for kids, there's a talent in figuring out how to use familiar images and objects in new and exciting ways. It's what distinguishes the good writing from the knock-offs. The storyline that involves a hero who finds a powerful object of some sort that could be good or could be bad is one pretty More...
Every story, whether it's being told orally, as a book, as a graphic novel, or in a kind of performance is allowed to reuse old tropes. Particularly when the story being told is appropriate for kids, there's a talent in figuring out how to use familiar images and objects in new and exciting ways. It's what distinguishes the good writing from the knock-offs. The storyline that involves a hero who finds a powerful object of some sort that could be good or could be bad is one pretty More...
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Sep 07, 2008
Sheila
rated it: 
This will be a good book to booktalk to 6th graders! If they haven't gotten into graphic novels, it'll be a good entre into that genre. The illustrations blend so well with the text to portray the emotions of Emily, her brother, Navin, and parents. The story begins with a terrible tragedy that then brings the family to their ancestor's creepy old home in the middle of nowhere. Emily discovers a pendant (the amulet) that has some strange powers. During the night, the family awakens upon hearing s
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Oct 06, 2008
neeecole
rated it: 
Just finished Amulet: Book 1: The Stone Keeper and I want moooooooore! I bought this at Comic Con this year, after it was recommended by my friend Nicole. She knows the artist/author and he signed it with a cute little bunny drawing! Any way, GREAT! adventure/fantasy graphic novel series... and I heard it's already being optioned for a movie. I am super happy to see another female heroine in the lead role, so the little girl inside of me jumps for joy and longs for the days of having silly adven
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Feb 09, 2012
Celia
rated it:
Amulet is a thrilling and adventure comic book about how two children, Emily and her brother, manage to spend a sad life without their father but with their mother. At the beginning of the book, it tells how their dad died a painful death. Their new house is in a remote area, very dark and gloomy. It belonged to their grandfather, who nobody ever heard about for a very long time.
When they arrive at the house, Emily has a bad feeling. A book magically opens in front of her eyes and requires More...
When they arrive at the house, Emily has a bad feeling. A book magically opens in front of her eyes and requires More...
Dec 14, 2011
Jewel
rated it:
Amulet book number one is very adventurous in a way. I liked how the story didn't give the readers any useless information in this story. The beginning was emotional and really affected the story. I liked how I felt like I knew the characters. I liked the pictures. That were drawn and the storyline that makes you want to read more of it. I really want to read the second book now. I really liked it because it related to me and my siblings in a way. I have to look out for them like Emily has to lo
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Aug 06, 2011
Luke
rated it:
The Stonekeeper is a wonderfully produced book. The page quality is excellent and the full colour visuals are extraordinary. I really loved the art work. It was reminiscent of manga characters, but with a gentler and more cartoonish design. The world and characters Kibuishi has designed are great in terms of aesthetics, but when it comes to development, this story is lacking somewhat. The book just moves too fast. You could probably read it in about 30 minutes, if that. It's one long action piec
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May 01, 2011
Andrew Shuping
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
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Mar 21, 2011
Kevin
rated it:
The book is called Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi. Amulet is a story about how a dad died in a car accident. Two years later the mother and two children, named Emily and Navin, moved to an abandoned house. When they all were cleaning the old house, Emily found a special amulet which gave her powers to fight evil beasts. When they were sleeping in the middle of the night, a monster creaked out of the basement and kidnapped the children's mom. Emily and Navin are on a quest to reach another world, wh
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Dec 29, 2010
Karissa
rated it:
I picked this up at the library as I was perusing through graphic novels appropriate for kids. This one looked neat, had great artwork, and didn't seem too complicated for a young child. We ended up not reading it together because it got a bit too scary for my son, but I read it on my own and really enjoyed it!
Emily and Navin are moving into their mother's old childhood house; after the death of their father in a car accident their mother can't afford their old house and they are bei More...
Emily and Navin are moving into their mother's old childhood house; after the death of their father in a car accident their mother can't afford their old house and they are bei More...
Sep 16, 2010
Nadia
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Apr 21, 2010
J.
rated it: 
I really wanted to love this book. I'd heard so many good things about it, and I do like Kibuishi's art quite a bit, both in this and in Flight, and it simply sounded like my kind of graphic novel. I guess my problem with the story is that it's very familiar. Yes, all the necessary elements for an amazing fantasy tale are there, but it's almost paint by numbers. And there's nothing wrong with playing with archetypes and classic plots and all that good stuff that works, but I suppose I found myse
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Jan 17, 2010
Navin and Emily's father died in a tragic car accident several years ago, and now they - along with their mother - are starting a new life in an old house out in the country. Navin accepts the move with an easy-going good nature, but Emily is more resistant. To her, the change feels like running away. Nevertheless, neither child can deny that the house they are moving into is pretty cool. It has been in their family for generations, and is filled with a treasure trove of bizarre objects on a
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Aug 25, 2009
Matt
rated it:
I read the first volume of this graphic novel series-- 2 books out so far-- this morning. It is an easy and quick read, but this does not mean that it is not wonderfully and deeply affective. The opening sequence, detailing a family tragedy that will echo throughout the rest of the volume, is incredibly human and sets the tone of the graphic novel so perfectly. It is so sad, and yet this does not stop the rest of the story from being full of humor and adventure. It's just that everything t More...
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Oct 05, 2011
Mary
rated it:
A Koren manga/graphic novel written by Kazu Kibuishi.
This has to be the greatest graphic novel in the history of all time! The plot is that years after a tragic accident ending int eh death of a father and husband, a young girl (his daughter) her brother, and their mother move into the late great-grandfather's mansion. There the girl, Emily, stumbles upon a strange and beautiful stone necklace. At the time their mother finds a door leading into what seems to be the basement and just d More...
This has to be the greatest graphic novel in the history of all time! The plot is that years after a tragic accident ending int eh death of a father and husband, a young girl (his daughter) her brother, and their mother move into the late great-grandfather's mansion. There the girl, Emily, stumbles upon a strange and beautiful stone necklace. At the time their mother finds a door leading into what seems to be the basement and just d More...
Sep 20, 2011
Hadi
rated it:
The background of this first book is very quite, make me remember book of Tunnel series. Somehow it makes the story really slow and lack of adventure. The action is also not so great at this first book. Only basic use of amulet. Probably it's still the start so the level is set low.
There are also too much unclear background, like what is the world Alledia and why is Emily's grandpa Silas end into this world. This kind of background is really need some answers but seem the protagonist n More...
There are also too much unclear background, like what is the world Alledia and why is Emily's grandpa Silas end into this world. This kind of background is really need some answers but seem the protagonist n More...
Jan 13, 2012
Tom
rated it:
Kazu Kibuishi's web series Copper (which also appeared in at least one book of Flight) was what first drew me to Amulet, his young adult graphic novel series about a girl who finds a magical macguffin and an alternate dimension accessed through her family's ancestral home. I cared for entirely superficial reasons: namely, his artwork is gorgeous, and this is a book about a vaguely steampunk world. There's ships, and I love ships.
As it is, Amulet, so far, shows a series that probably More...
As it is, Amulet, so far, shows a series that probably More...
Dec 17, 2008
Emily
rated it:
I picked this up in my school library and read it in about 20 minutes. The lack of length of the book does not detract from its depth. It is by the same author responsible for the Flight graphic novels and he is a talented artist. The story is intriguing - the beginning is as exciting as a film. The young protagonist is in a car accident with her mother and father. The father sacrifices himself to save his wife and child. We move on then to discover that the family has moved to a family ho
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Sep 19, 2011
Brittany
rated it:
Emily and Navin lost their father in an accident. Their mother takes them to a new town to start over. The house they move into has been in their family for years after their great-grandfather went missing. Now their mom has been taken away too. When Emily finds an amulet necklace, it starts to help show her the way. What will they uncover deep within the house, and how do they know that the amulet won't lead them astray.
This was an exciting little tale. I can't believe they killed o More...
This was an exciting little tale. I can't believe they killed o More...
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Dec 05, 2011
Michael
rated it:
Amulet begins a lot like so many other fantasy stories for young people: with a single parent taking her children to an old, secluded, family property because lack of money has driven them away from the city. There, the family's dark history and probably a magic item or two involve the kids in an adventure to save their parent and possibly the world. It's an old premise, but a powerful one. Every kid longs to discover that there's something cool and powerful in their family history that will cha
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Nov 21, 2010
This graphic novel is the first in a series by Kazu Kibuishi. His illustrations could really stand alone, without words, they are that good. The characters are endearing, and the setting exciting and realistic, for an alternate universe. Emily and her brother Navin are on a quest to find their Mom, who has been abducted by a monster that was hiding in the basement of their great-grandfather's house. They had had to move to his house after losing their own home in the city. Their father had died
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Sep 10, 2010
Ian
rated it:
The art is gorgeous, and a healthy mixture of different styles helps make this more like the Jeff Smith's "Bone" and less like the endless parade of manga and pseudo-manga that glut the market these days. The world he creates is interesting, and includes a fun combination of sci-fi and fantasy elements -- especially the (magical?) "family" of robots -- which feel fresh in their own ways. The scenes of loss are genuinely moving, especially the moments in which two patriarchs d
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Feb 02, 2012
Mallika
rated it:
Amulet is a fast packed action graphic novel by Kazu Kibuishi. It was nominated for a Red Dot Award in 2011-2012.
It's about a two siblings, Emily and Navin, and their mother who one unlucky night loses their father. Ever since that day things have been different especially money wise. Their mother can't afford rent so they have to move to the outskirts of the city finding out that they're going to live in an abandoned house. One day Em and Navin discover a necklace in the attic but l More...
It's about a two siblings, Emily and Navin, and their mother who one unlucky night loses their father. Ever since that day things have been different especially money wise. Their mother can't afford rent so they have to move to the outskirts of the city finding out that they're going to live in an abandoned house. One day Em and Navin discover a necklace in the attic but l More...
Jul 10, 2011
Joni
rated it:
Barely five pages into Book One of Kazu Kibuishi’s popular Amulet series, a late night car accident over a snowy precipice takes the life of beloved husband and father, David Hayes. Hoping to start a new life, Hayes widow, Karen, moves her children Emily and Navin into her grandfather’s abandoned ancestral home. It soon becomes apparent, however, that the house has secrets – ancient secrets – that lead Emily and Navin into an alternative universe where Emily learns she has been chosen to fulfi
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Jan 04, 2012
Michelle
rated it:
It's funny that the word 'juvenile' doesn't have a postitive connotation, yet in literature there's a whole world of juvenile fiction. A few of those books stand out as adult-worthy, with deep plots where protagonists just happen to be kids. But most juvenile literature is, well, juvenile. And that sums up what I thought of Amulet.
The dialogue is wooden, the plot is absurd and predictable at the same time, and it has that kids' book feel, almost like a kid wrote it for another kid. But More...
The dialogue is wooden, the plot is absurd and predictable at the same time, and it has that kids' book feel, almost like a kid wrote it for another kid. But More...
Jul 15, 2011
Ben
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Feb 17, 2011
Jeffrey
rated it:
You won't find anything revolutionary in this conventional fantasy tale. Not only does it tread the standard fantasy fare, but it also reuses common themes and ideas in Kazu Kabuishi's own work in Flight Volume 1 and Copper.
But the story is told well and, for the most part, is accessible even to beginning readers who can interpret most of the tale from the pictures alone. Indeed, there are a number of pages where Kibuishi allows the art to tell the story alone with minimal interferen More...
But the story is told well and, for the most part, is accessible even to beginning readers who can interpret most of the tale from the pictures alone. Indeed, there are a number of pages where Kibuishi allows the art to tell the story alone with minimal interferen More...
Apr 18, 2011
Carol
rated it: 
Feeling that I have to start looking into the graphic novel genre to keep abreast of what my students like I was given this to read by a teacher who enjoys them quite a bit. I'm sorry, if this is the best there is then I have to wonder. I just found everything so unbelievable and fantastical that I couldn't enjoy it. I guess it just reminded me of years of student writing where everything becomes more and more unbelievable as you go until finally everything is solved in the end with a super r
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Nov 03, 2011
jeremiah
rated it:
Can't remember where I saw this series mentioned first, but after picking it up from the library my oldest daughter exclaimed "Ooooohhh! You got Amulet?!?". Needless to say, she had read it before and really liked it. I ended up liking it too.
So far it's a great adventure style story starring a young girl that kicks butt. Kibuishi does a great job creating likeable and realistic characters and so far their reactions to the situation they're in have been believable.
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So far it's a great adventure style story starring a young girl that kicks butt. Kibuishi does a great job creating likeable and realistic characters and so far their reactions to the situation they're in have been believable.
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Feb 14, 2011
Sandy
rated it:
I bought this book for my brother because I am on a mission to get that boy to like reading and I am perfectly content if all he likes to read is graphic novels because half the time that's what I read. I discovered Amulet in the bookstore read the very sad prologue, made a note to put it on my TBR list and when I came back to the bookstore bought it. I didn't buy it for me but I of course got to read it first while my little brother was at flag football practice.
In the prologue Emil More...
In the prologue Emil More...
Jan 15, 2012
Melissa
rated it:
I thought this was a really great first book in a graphic novel series for children. The story line is really intriguing, and even at my age (22) I was still like "what's going to happen next?!" The main thing I wish it would have had more of was text. I thought the pictures were BEAUTIFUL but the book itself is a breeze because there are only word bubbles on every few pages. The adventure develops SUPER quickly because of this, and I think it could have stood to have a few extra plot
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