Book Cover
Book Summary
Emily and her brother and mother move from their home in town to a family home in a very small town in the country. The house belonged to Emily's great-grandfather who disappeared until very mysterious circumstances and the people in town believe the house to be haunted. Emily quickly discovers why when she acquires an unusual amulet and her mother and brother are captured by a very strange beast. Emily must learn how to use the power of the amulet to get her family back, and along the way she discovers some very strange things about her family and the amulet.
APA Reference of Book
Kibuishi, K. (2008). Amulet. New York, NY: Graphix.
Impressions
I enjoy fantasy and this book has all the best elements of a good fantasy. The young protagonist must use newly discovered powers to save herself, her family, and a newly discovered (by her) world with the help of just a few new friends. This book will appeal to older elementary readers who like fantasy and would be a good introduction to the genre for reluctant readers or anyone who is not sure if they will enjoy the genre. There are monsters and robots and magic, some of which might be a problem for younger readers. The strong female main character will likely appeal to girls, but the strong adventure plot and the presence of her brother as a sidekick will appeal to boys.
Professional Review
"With many a SZZT! SZRAK! FWOOM! and SKREE!, young Emily learns to use an energy-bolt-shooting amulet against an array of menaces to rescue her captured Mom in this graphic-novel series opener. When a scuttling "arachnopod" sucks down their widowed parent, Emily and younger sib Navin pursue through a door in the basement and into the alternate-Earth land of Alledia. Finding unexpected allies in rabbit-like Miskit, grumpy Cogsley and other robots created by their mysterious greatgrandfather, the children weather attacks from huge, tentacled Rakers, a pointy-eared elf prince with shark-like teeth and other adversaries to get her back--only to discover that she's in a coma, poisoned. Off to Episode Two, and the distant city of Kanalis, for a cure. The mid-sized, squared-off panels are sometimes a little small to portray action sequences clearly, but the quickly paced plot is easy enough to follow, and Kibuishi is a dab hand at portraying freaky monsters. Fans of Jeff Smith's Bone will happily fret with the good guys and hiss at the baddies."
[Review of Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi]. (2007). Kirkus Reviews, 75(22), 1201. Retrieved from: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Library Uses
This would be a great book to book talk as part of an anime/manga group, especially for younger readers. The book is the first of a series so if readers are hooked they can read more of the story.
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