"you can EVEN wear it as a funky fresh medallion!"

rappers may rock ice and platinum, but how many of 'em got a medallion that can help them save the world? nah, this ain't about Kanye's jesus piece, it's about the bling little Emily rocks in the new fantasy graphic novel Amulet, by rising star cartoonist Kazu Kibuishi (Flight, Daisy Cutter). for those who are unfamiliar with the great Kazu, try to blend the surreal spookiness of Sam Kieth (the Maxx) with the charming 'toon excellence of Charles Schultz (Peanuts [that's Charlie Brown, mom!]) and you'll be on the right track!
Amulet is the story of a a young girl and her small family that, in coping with the death of her father, all get caught up in an epic fantasy adventure, complete with more cute robots, weird technology, killer elves and land-roving squids than you can shake a stick at... plus, of course, a powerful (and apparently sentient) Amulet! the 187 page Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper gets the series of OGNs (original graphic novels) off to a great start, establishing the high-stakes of the series for the cast right from the beginning scene. Kazu does a great job of telling and showing at the same time, making sure that the pictures and words enhance each other rather than interfere with each other or become redundant, so the story can move along at a brisk yet comfortable pace.

if you haven't read Amulet, i strongly encourage picking it up. it is an all-ages book, but deals honestly with themes of grave danger, sickness and even death. since it's published by Scholastic, you should be able to cop it just about anywhere, but if you can't find it in stores, cop it here for $14.95 in hardcover or cop the paperback (like i did!) for ten bucks or less... if you HAVE read it, i'd love to hear what you thought of it!

holla!
samax.
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