The Stonekeeper (Amulet #1)

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Author(s)

Kazu Kibuishi

Publisher

Graphix

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

January 01, 2008

ISBN

978-0439846813

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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.

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.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Feels Like You're Reading a Movie

July 01, 2013 (Updated: July 12, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

The beauty of graphic novels is they can be flipped through a lot quicker than your average book, but still be packed with adventure. The downside to this is that when that graphic novel is crazy good, and you’re flipping through these pages like your life depends on it, you’re done with that awesome experience in a heartbeat. That’s the magnificent conundrum I found myself in when reading Kazu Kibuishi’s “Amulet: The Stonekeeper.”

“Amulet” follows siblings Emily and Navin as they move into a new home. It’s two years after their dad passed away in a car accident, and without his support, they’ve fallen on some financial hardships. Their new home once belonged to their Great Grandpa Silas, who mysteriously disappeared years ago. As the kids and their mom, Karen, start to fix up the rundown house, they discover some unwelcome boarders who serve as the catalyst for all three to be catapulted into a new world full of frightening creatures, enchanting robots, and answers as to just what happened to their grandpa.

“Amulet” is so visually stunning it feels like you’re reading a movie. The colors are vibrant, the action is fast-paced, and emotions run high from page to page. I was repeatedly torn between staring at each page with its myriad of fantastical characters, and turning the page to see what happens next. Obviously, I kept turning these pages like mad, but when I finished I went back through it all to keep looking at Kibuishi’s art. It is so captivating I couldn’t help but analyze every nook and cranny of each panel of his pages. I especially found myself staring at his full-page art that highlighted the setting and landscape of his unique world. I hope someday Kibuishi gets the opportunity to turn this into a movie, so that we get to see this world in action.

Kibuishi sure knows how to build a world, which is another aspect that just completely pulls you into the story. He’s mixed up science and fantasy here with talking robots, magical jewelry, and evil elves that, although typically kept in different stories, feel like they all fit together nicely in this new world. At the end of book one there’s still an air of mystery as to just how this world operates, but that mystery doesn’t make the book feel incomplete. Instead, enough groundwork has been laid that I want to travel back into this world and get to know more about Kibuishi’s exciting land.

Fortunately, there are four more books to go, and I’m sure the world will become even more magical than this go around.

Good Points

Captivating art that makes it feel like you're reading a movie.
A new fantasy world that mixes magic and mechanics.
A diverse cast of robots that brings humor and variety to the characters.

Jason Gallaher Top 50 Reviewer 98 reviews

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Amulet: The Stonekeeper

March 25, 2026 (Updated: July 12, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

This book is a fantasy mystery graphic novel. I think the best age range for this book is middle schoolers. This book has good suspense and is easy to read, it is also a shorter book. This book is the first one in the Amulet series, there are currently 9 books in total in the series, which I strongly recommend you to read if you enjoy the first book.

Good Points

David, Karen, and Emily are driving home and they almost crash into a car. Instead of hitting a car. They hit the side railing on the road to a cliff. The car is hanging into the cliff as Emily and Karen get out. As Karen holds her daughter in tears, the car falls over the cliff with Emily's father still inside. A few years later Karen, Emily, and Emily's little brother Navin move to Karen's great grandfather Silas's house. As they explore the house Emily discovers an amulet in a room full of her grandfather's inventions. When she finds it she puts it on and walks away. Later at night time everybody was together in a room. Suddenly they hear a loud crash in the basement. Karen goes down to explore and tells her 2 kids to stay at the top of the stairs. After a few moments of her being down there they hear her scream. They rush downstairs and see the lantern she was holding on the ground and a door slowly closing behind something. They decide to go through the doors and what's behind the door will change their lives forever.

Emily is the older sibling, she tries to hide emotions but they can slip out in a way nobody else notices. She always takes the lead and fights for what she believes in, no matter how crazy it is. Navin is shy but tries to be just as good as Emily and it shows. Just like his sister, he tries to hide emotions but it spills out in a way that people would consider weak and pathetic. Karen is a great mother and tries her best to fight for her children, she's also very strong mentally, raising her kids all on her own even after her husband died. Silas was a very smart inventor and just smart overall. He is also very loving and trusts his gut, no matter how crazy and unexpected it might be. The dad dies in the beginning but just from that bit you can see how much he cared for his daughter and wife.

MarinaM Top 1000 Reviewer 1 reviews

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Patel Stonekeeper Review

November 14, 2014 (Updated: July 12, 2026)

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

4.0

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Have you ever felt what it would be like to live without a dad and a mom trapped inside of a monster? If you haven’t, read this book and find out right now! After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her no longer living great-grandfather. The strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a weird creature takes the mom through a door in the basement. Em discovers she is the stonekeeper and that she has powers. Em and Navin are desperate not to loose her, follow her into an underground world filled with demons, robots, and talking animals. The authors purpose in this story is to entertain you with a brother and sister on an adventure in the underground world to save their mother. In my opinion, this book is worth reading. Once you start reading this book you’ll never stop! Go ahead and start reading it, the name of the book is “The Stonekeeper” and it’s written by Kazu Kibuishi. This author has a full series of books written for you to read so you might as well start of with the first one.
The main characters throughout this book are Em and Navin. The author makes me feel like Em and Navin are real in the story by them having to rescue their mom. Most of the characters in this story are sweet and caring, just like the talking animals. During the story Em wants to save her mom, but her brother Navin isn’t really interested so Em has to convince him into it.
You should take the time to read this book because I think it is very interesting. The series of these books are called “Amulet”. Em and Navin have to decide to move on and take the journey. If you’re interested, why don’t you take the journey with them!