Graphic Novel: Amulet: The Stonekeeper

Amulet: The Stonekeeper
Kazu Kibuishi
GRAPHIX, 2008
Genre: graphic novel, family, adventure, supernatural
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Emily and her mother and brother have moved into the old family house in the middle of nowhere and discover Emily's great-grandfather's workshop.  When she picks up and puts on a amulet, she begins to hear voices--from the amulet--telling her to keep her family safe.  Unfortunately, when her mother is separated from her, Emily and her brother must search for her great-grandfather in a mysterious world.  Only he can help her figure out a way to save her mother.

I never quite know how to review a graphic novel.  Do I talk about the quality of the artwork?  Only if it is pertinent to the story's development?  I don't know.  So I'll talk about what I do know:  Characters.

Emily is a strong character, but she also goes with her gut--not always thinking things through and not exactly the most cautious.  When she finds the amulet, her brother tells her it's creepy and she shouldn't do anything with it, but she shrugs and puts it on anyway.  Even though she's sometimes rash in her decisions, she's making them with one thing in mind: bringing her mother back.

There are lots of monsters and creepy crawly creatures that Emily and her brother are fleeing from during the story, but the one is a tall, white haired, elfin boy.  He watches Emily and her family when they are in the house, and then as they chase after their mother and try to rescue her.  When she confronts him in the end, I was disappointed.  I felt like more would be revealed about him than we got.  Maybe this is something that's covered in the next book, but I don't know.

Amulet is a mysterious read filled with monsters and supernatural elements that come alive.  Emily is just a kid who wishes they could move back home and as quickly as possible.  She's just a kid who loves her family and knows that they need their mom and it's up to her to save them all.

Have you read Amulet? What do you think?  

Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

Belly Up
Stuart Gibbs
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010
Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure, Animals, Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Teddy Fitzroy lives in a giant amusement park zoo, FunJungle, with his gorilla researcher mom and wildlife photographer dad.  After spending the early years of his life in the Congo with his parents, Teddy is pretty comfortable around animals and knows a lot more than the average adult, let alone other twelve-year olds.  So when FunJungle's mascot, a cranky old hippopotamus named Henry suddenly dies, Teddy suspects foul play.  With the help of the zoo's owner's daughter, Summer McCraken, he is determined to figure out what is going on--even though none of the adults believe him.

Teddy Fitzroy is a bit of a prankster and gets in trouble A LOT at the park.  He's the only kid there (except for guests) and many of the adults look down at him as an annoying kid.  This could be explained by the pranks he plays on keeper, guards, and guests, but his jokes are just that.  They would never hurt any of the animals or people.  He would never do that.  He truly does care about the animals and most of his pranks are in response to the rude and ridiculous actions perpetrated by the guests as they throw things into animals' enclosure or bang on the glass to entice the animals.  He's really just standing up for them.

Teddy is also very knowledgeable about animals.  After spending most of his life (he's only 12) in the Congo with his parents, he's seen a lot of animals in the wild.  He understands more about them than most adults do, like the keepers and researchers on staff at FunJungle.  So when Henry dies, he just wants to know what's up because he's seen plenty of dead animals before, but never seen an autopsy.  Teddy is curious.  However what he learns, leads him on a chase for Henry the hippo's real killer.

This story is full of adventure and fun.  Kids will laugh at the antics Teddy gets into and root for him as he dodges the not so intelligent adults.  There are a few minor curse words in this, but nothing I would be concerned about for middle school kids, grades 6+.  Teddy have a crush on a girl, but it's all very innocent.

I definitely recommend this book to readers.  Kids who enjoy Carl Hiassen will probably jump into Belly Up.  And, there are at least two more books in this series about Teddy and his adventures at FunJungle.

Book Review: Masterminds

Masterminds

Gordon Korman
Balzer & Bray, 2015
Genre: Mystery, Middle Grade, Action
Source: Purchased for my classroom library
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Eli and his friends live in Serenity, New Mexico.  It's the best place to live, with only 30 other kids there, no crime, no homelessness, no lying.  They're reminded on a regular basis how lucky they are to live there, when outside of their town it's not so great.  When Eli's best friend is sent away to his grandparents, though, things get weird, and they all try to figure out what it is that makes their town so "great."  Now they have to sneak around their parents, the "Purple People Eater" guards, and break into the plasticworks where almost every adult is employed.  In a town as great as theirs, there's no way that all the adults could be lying--right?

This is a really fun mystery/adventure story.  Gordon Korman knows how to build a story and to get kids interested.  Although there are about 30 kids in Serenity, this story focuses on Eli and four of his friends, switching between points of view each chapter.  As soon as they get wind of something not being quite right, all five go through their own reservations before they realize that they have to uncover the truth.

This is definitely a mystery and we're given a few clues here and there to unlock the truth, but it does come out pretty quickly.  When they finally come discover what exactly is going on in their town, they have to decide on a plan of action and that's where things get interesting.  Lots of action and fast paced adventure for readers who enjoy The 39 Clues and other adventures.

There is a second book that came out in February, 2016 and a third one is possibly being worked on.  I can't vouch for the future existence of a third book, though.

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Book Review: Sky Raiders

The Sky Raiders (Five Kingdoms #1)

Brandon Mull

Aladdin, 2014

Genre: fantasy, adventure, middle grade

Source: Borrowed from a student

Rating 3 out of 5 stars

~What It's About~

When Cole follows his friends through a manhole in an attempt to save them from kidnappers, he doesn't expect to find himself in another world, but that's exactly what happens.  The Outskirts is a world of slaves and trading and of "shaping" whatever you could imagine.  There are dangers Cole could never think of, but also wonders that could only be a part of a dream.  When he's traded to the Sky Raiders, a group that jumps from flying boats onto moving clouds filled with castles, he's sure he'll be dead within a week.  Luckily he meets a new friend, Mira, who helps him find his way in this strange new world and he might just be able to help her out as well.

~The Good~

Sky Raiders is full of adventure!  Cole is not only in a new world trying to figure out how to navigate this place, but he's also trying to find a way to save his friends.  There are a lot of evil and cruel people in this world, but there are plenty of helpful people as well.  I loved the idea of "shaping."  In The Outskirts there are people called "shapers" who have the ability to create things--magnificent things--from their imagination.  They can easily fuse together or alter already existent objects to form some other object that can help or hinder.  This idea really comes to light when Cole travels through a land that a young child created from his imagination filled with skeleton armies and plastic dinosaurs that attack, but also a babysitter who can help keep you safe.  

~The Not-So-Good~

 I found it hard to get into this book for the first chunk of it.  The very beginning where Cole and his friends are kidnapped wasn't compelling and I can see kids being turned off by this right away.  It didn't really get better for me when he landed in The Outskirts and tried to save his friends.  I was glad when he was traded into the hands of The Sky Raiders because things finally started to pick up for me as a reader.  Luckily it didn't take too incredibly long to get to that point, but I am an adult reader.  

~Final Thoughts~

Cole's story is built well for an epic adventure that is compelling for fans of fast paced stories with danger around every corner.  Fans of adventures will definitely enjoy this one and if they make it through this 400+ pages long book they will probably find their way to the next one in order to see what kinds of adventures Cole gets himself into again.

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