Blog 13

Blog 13



The Amulet: The Stonekeeper (Book One)

by

Kazu Kibuishi



Plot Summary: Emily, her mother and father are on their way to pick up Emily's brother Navin, when an unfortunate car accident kills Emily's father. Two years after the death of her father Emily, her mother and Navin are moving to a house in the country. The house they are moving into used to belong to Emily's grandfather, Silas. Silas disappeared under mysterious circumstances. While cleaning and prepping the house to move in, Emily comes across an Amulet. Putting the Amulet on unleashes a spectre. The spectre begins to create noises. The mother goes to investigate the noises and she gets swallowed by a monster. Navin and Emily chase the monster and go through a portal to another world. The monster that swallowed Emily's mother swallows Navin and Emily uses the amulet to free Navin. The Amulet tells Emily to find a house. They find a house but it is surrounded by water. As Emily and Navin prepare to swim they notice a boat coming toward them. Emily and Navin run and hide, which is when they notice that they are being followed. The man in the boat zap the man who is following them and tells them to get into the boat. Emily and Navin get into the boat and go to the house. When they get to the house the man in the boat turn out to be robot, Miskit, who was in a larger robotic body. Miskit introduces other robots and Silas. Apparently Silas has been in this alternate world Alldia. Silas asks Emily to go on a quest, shortly before he dies. Now Emily is in charge of Silas's robots. Emily's first mission is to save her mother. So Miskit, Navin and Emily go on a dangerous flying mission through a cave with rakers, an octopus like creature. Emily is about to rescue her mother when she has to stop to rescue her brother. Emily then confronts the man following her and evil elf who wants her help to kill his father. Emily is resistant so the evil elf tries to use a worm to control her mind. Emily escapes. To be continued...



My Impression: This a pretty solid story. The book moves which is one of its benefits. However, it moves so fast that you are done before you know it. But I guess that works to it's advantage, sales wise anyway. The story is a mix of fantasy, sci-fi and cartoons. So there is kid appeal to spare. It feels like The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Bone & Harry Potter all at the same time. All kid reference points for any kids book. What I like about the story is that while you don't get a great deal of information about Emily or her family it doesn't stray away from tough emotions. Emily is still raw about her Dad. Emily's mom is lost and confused. These emotions are not shyed away from, kids are allowed to feel bad. The robots are cute and in general there is a consistency in the design of the characters and the design of the world. Another aspect of this book that works is, not having read any of the other books, it feels like the author illustrator has a clear idea of what he is doing. There is some foreshadowing at play and I am looking forward to seeing how it plays out.



Reviews:

The Stone Keeper: Amulet, Book One (Amulet #01)by Kazu Kibuishi

All Ages AdventuresA review by Donald Lemke
Since Jeff Smith's Bone, few graphic novels have truly captured the imagination of an all-ages audience. It's a difficult task, satisfying the curiosities of youth while pandering to the expectations of adults. Fortunately, Kazu Kibuishi, creator of Daisy Kutter and editor of the acclaimed Flight anthologies, has discovered the secret formula in Amulet: The Stonekeeper, book one of his much-anticipated series from Scholastic.
In Amulet, Kibuishi doesn't give readers, young or old, a chance to turn away. His distinctly cinematic style will immediately captivate readers from the opening panels. A loving family travels peacefully along an icy, mountain road. Suddenly, oncoming headlights blind the father's view. He swerves, and the station wagon skids off the side of the road, careening down a steep hillside. Miraculously, a tree stops the car from plummeting over a deadly cliff. The mother and her daughter, Emily, scramble out of the doomed vehicle; the father, however, is trapped inside, his legs pinned underneath the dashboard. As the car teeters on a ledge, Emily instinctively clings to the rear bumper, desperately trying to stop the vehicle from falling. Her attempts are useless. She is powerless...at least in this world.
The heart-pounding opening sequence demonstrates Kibuishi's skill for pacing, which he proves time and again throughout the book. Some moments, such as the accident, move rapidly, like the linear frames of a film. Others are deliciously decelerated, like the painful moments before the father's death. The sequence also establishes a tone for Kibuishi's entire series. A dose of harsh reality immediately grounds readers before sending them into a world of fantasy and science fiction. It also sets the stakes of life and death, a barometer for the risks versus consequences during the adventures to come.
After the tragic accident, Emily, her mother, and her younger brother Navin move into a shabby, old country home to start a new life. The house belonged to Emily's great-grandfather Silas Charnon, an eccentric puzzle maker; although Silas mysteriously disappeared long ago, a few of his puzzles and inventions still remain. On the very first day, Emily and her brother discover a crimson amulet in the dusty attic, and unaware of its power, Emma ties the amulet around her neck. That night, after drifting off to sleep, Emily is awakened by a voice from within the glowing amulet. "Your family is in danger. Stay with them. Keep them safe," the mysterious voice cautions. (40) Moments later, a loud "thump!" echoes from the basement, and Emily's mother investigates. The children chase after her, but they are too late -- a giant, tentacled beast has swallowed her up and scuttered away through a door to the netherworld. In the first of many decisions to come, Emily and Navin head through the portal as well.
On the other side of the doorway, the real story begins, and Kibuishi's illustrations start to shine. While rescuing their mother, Emily and Navin encounter a grand landscape of spiraling peaks and bottomless valleys, each richly colored in murky shades of blue. The simple, moody scheme of the background makes the life-forms discovered within all the more appealing. Mauve mushrooms, pink and purple snails, and, of course, the brilliant glow of the amulet, all exude a sort of kindness and light. In contrast, a dull, grey creature known as Trellis, the son of an Elf King, follows the children in their quest. He lurks like a shadow, seeking the amulet's power. The children, on the other hand, follow the guidance of the amulet, which advises, "Seek the aid of the man who lives at the house...your great grandfather, Silas Charnon." (62)
Their arrival at Silas's house is a pivotal moment in the story, and Kibuishi treats it accordingly. For much of the book the images are confined to small, almost claustrophobic panels. Although Kibuishi's illustrative skill is evident throughout, the tight angles and talking heads don't give the reader an opportunity to view the full extent of his abilities. When he finally opens up, in one of the book's few splash pages, the result is a wonderfully majestic image, like the photograph of a daydream.
The nonhuman characters found in the house are also brilliantly imagined and rendered. Dozen of multi-colored robots live within, including a mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Unfortunately, the children soon discover that their great grandfather is ill, and the robotic world cannot outlast his own death -- unless, of course, Emily agrees to accept the power of the amulet and rule over the land of Alledia. "What if I told you this power would allow you to turn back time?" says Silas, trying to entice his hesitant granddaughter. "There must have been a time in your life when you were happier." (100) Like Emily, the reader experiences the weight of this decision. It's more than a fantastical choice; Kabuishi has woven layers of responsibility, family, survival, and childhood happiness into the outcome.
Kabuishi answers the question of what Emily decides to do in book one, but he leaves many other problems unresolved, and though a dramatic battle with Trellis provides a climax, the story will leave some readers unfulfilled.
Thankfully, Kabuishi has at least two more volumes of Amulet in the works -- plenty of time to satisfy his fans and attract even more all-ages readers to this refreshing series.



Lemke, Donald. (2008). [Review of The Amulet: The Stonekeeper] retrieved from http://www.powells.com/review/2008_03_09.html




Review of Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi
Book One: The Stonekeeper is an Excellent Young Adult Read
© Benjamin Royce Jaekle Jan 11, 2008
Book One: The Stonekeeper by the Daisy Kutter, Flight, and Copper artist is a four-star work of children's literature in graphic novel form.
Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet, a series of as-yet-undetermined length, begins powerfully with the lovingly-illustrated The Stonekeeper. While it sips from the gene pool of Harry Potter and similar kids-in-a-fantastic-situation literature, Amulet is more easily and fairly likened to one of Kibuishi’s idols, legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, whose influence is felt in the sparsely-defined and round-faced protagonists, steam punk robotics and airborne creatures of gooey consistency.
The Stonekeeper, being Book One, is a whirlwind tour-de-force of introduction. It is an action-packed volume lined with tender moments and an eerily beautiful atmosphere. Whether entering houses lit by bioluminescent trees, floating with a giant mushroom for a parachute, or waging magically-charged battles, the book is saturated with stunning art and a sense of wonder.
Every page is expertly laid-out, beautifully lined and lushly colored. The quality of painting especially is top-notch; every newly-turned page is a highly-detailed, engrossing piece of sequential art which, while clinging to its cartoon roots with simple characters and Kibuishi's deliberately casual lettering, conveys a sense of physical texture and powerful lighting, giving every panel weight and substance.
The tale suffers the unfortunate burden of being the first in a series, and as such the ending is, while wholly satisfying for the weight of the volume and the individual through-line, ultimately inconclusive, leaving a reader to desperately scan the internet for signs of a pending sequel. Kibuishi undoubtedly has the conclusion, or more likely merely the continuation, thumbnailed and in the steamer already, but the wait will still be tedious for the many who enjoy this excellent start.
To sum Amulet up in brief, it is the tale of a girl who finds a magical world to which she is mysteriously tied by her great grandfather. The eponymous amulet comes to her (the eponymous “stonekeeper”) with a dubious promise of power, a power which would allow her to rule the strange new world in which she finds herself and, more importantly, the power to reunite her endangered family. The petulant and manipulative amulet unavoidably finds some comparison to Tolkien’s One Ring, and the series will almost certainly feature the struggle between the girl and the burdensome power of the stone as its most potent conflict.
For children and young adults, this is an instantly recommendable read. The Stonekeeper taps universally familiar themes of family, loss and even troublesome friends, and winds them into a fantastic, fast-paced adventure. The work is gripping and thrilling, and stonekeeper Emily is an understandably conflicted yet apt and moral protagonist, a fierce big sister, loving daughter, and a capable and determined leader in the dangerous times she faces.
In fact, Kibuishi provides an excellent cast overall. Emily's is a strong, stable family that, despite suffering tragic loss, is able to adjust and band together in even the most turbulent times simply because they are family, and that love is enough. Also of note is the book’s commendable if quiet stance on video and computer games, treating them not as a fattening seed of familial decay but as a regulated family activity with positive results for players.
For lovers of the comics form and readers young and old, The Stonekeeper is a promising first work whose sequels are sure to entertain with high-fantasy adventure, potent themes, and already-memorable characters. Fans of high fantasy, adventure, Harry Potter, Miyazaki, and Kibuishi’s brilliant webcomic, Copper, should all add Amulet to the top of their reading queue. It’s a quick, easy, and amazing read.


Jaekle, Benjamin Royce. (2008). [Review of The Amulet: The Stonekeeper] retrieved from http://graphicnovelscomics.suite101.com/article.cfm/review_of_amulet_by_kazu_kibuishi



Suggestions for Library Use: Graphic Novels do not lend themselves to read alouds. If a theme could be created around graphic novels that might work. I would also suggest this book to children who enjoyed Jeff Smith's Bone. Perhaps this book or series would be a good place to start a graphic novel or fantasy book club.



Buddha: Volume One Kapilarstu

by

Osamu Tezuka



Plot Summary: This is a manga that ties several stories together. The book begins with the telling of a story about a rabbit that throws itself into the fire infront to feed an hungry old man. The old man turns out to be Oshala and the story is being told to prepare Brahmin to search for the next wise person of merit. A young Brahmin goes in search of this person.


Chapra who is carrying some cloth, when he is attacked by Tatta who takes the cloth. Chapra must face his master who gives Chapra three days to find the cloth. If Chapra does not find the cloth, Chapra's mother will be sold. Chapra goes out to find his mother but can't. He eventually comes across Tatta's tribe of paraihs. A scuffle ensues and Chapra is knocked unconcious. When he comes to he sees that the cloth has been given to Tatta's mother. Chapra tries to get it back, but fails. Chapra does convince Tatta to help him get his mother back. Chapra's mother is saved. On the way back Tatta reveals that he can take over the minds of animals. Continuing home Tatta sees his village has been burned and his mother killed. The group goes into hiding. They hide in wine barrels that are taken to the soldiers who burned the village. Tatta leaps out and attacks the soldiers, most of his comrades are killed. The Brahmin tries to reason with the soldiers,but tono avail. Tatta, the Brahmin and his friends are chained in the dessert and left for dead. Then Chapra and some locusts free them. The soldiers are looking for Chapra and the rag tag crew. The General decides to take a bath in a stream where he is attacked by some crocodiles. Chapra jumps into and save him. For saving him the General makes Chapra his son. He begins to train Chapra as a soldier. Eventually Chapra becomes the peoples champ. However, the people discover that Chapra was born a slave and make him a slave once more.



My Impression: This book is somewhere between Carl Bark's "Uncle Scrooge" and Jeff Smith's "Bone." While this book deals with heavy subject matter slavery, spirituality, love, death and contains pictures of nudity it does so with the lightest of touches. This is not to say that the subject matter is made light of, but the book isnot above taking a dip into cartoon enjoyment. The majority of the illustrations are simple and direct, but inspersed are some absolutly lovely painstakingly detailed drawings. The story while dense with several characters moves rather quickly and I am anxious to read the other seven volumes.



Reviews:
Learn from the Master
By Andrew D. Arnold Friday, Oct. 17, 2003
Looking in each of the four primary directions a young man faces a choice: an elderly man, a scabrous woman, a corpse or a monk. Rejecting old age, disease and death, the man, Siddhartha, chooses the life of the monk and goes on to enlightenment in one of the key moments in the story of the Buddha. Thoughtful comix readers can relate to such limited choices. Even among the more ambitious works of graphic literature there have been few explorations of spirituality or attempts at creating a distinct morality. But now a radical, epic, ambitious, brilliant option presents itself: Osamu Tezuka's "Buddha" (Vertical, Inc.; 400 pp.; $24.95).
Osamu Tezuka's "Buddha" Vol. 1
Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989), a former M.D., more or less invented Japanese comics — AKA manga — during the 1950s. Part D.W. Griffith and part Walt Disney, he is revered in Japan and throughout Asia but only recently has his work been appearing in quantity in the United States. His most famous creation, "Astro Boy," a series about a powerful robot who looks like a boy, has been reprinted by Dark Horse (see the TIME.comix review.) "The Phoenix Saga," a multi-volume series considered his life's work has properly begun to appear here courtesy of Viz. Now Vertical Inc., a two-year-old publisher of translated Japanese literature has begun the first-ever English translation of "Buddha." Originally appearing in serialized form during the 1970s, "Buddha," an imaginative re-telling of the story the 6th-century B.C. teacher and spiritual leader, will be collected in eight stylish hardcover volumes. Two volumes appear at a time in the fall and spring. Volume one, "Kapilavastu," appeared this month. Volume two, "The Four Encounters," is due at the beginning of November. Volumes three and four will hopefully come out in April and June of 2004.
It's lucky that practicing Buddhists tend to be liberal-minded. For one thing, the key events in the Buddha story appear in "Buddha" like cornerstones on which Tezuka constructs his own fantastic palace of myth and philosophy. The first volume, during which prince Siddhartha is born, barely concerns itself with this event. Instead the majority of the narrative follows Chapra, a talented slave child who hides his caste to become the adopted son of a general. Along the way he befriends Tatta, a cheeky little boy of the lowliest pariah caste. Tatta has the remarkable ability to take over the minds of animals, making him the target of intense interest by a young monk, Naradatta. With tragic consequences Chapra's secret eventually comes out, setting up the themes of escaping cycles of destiny and the futility of violence. Chapra, Tatta and many other characters too numerous to mention are wholly fictional and original to Tezuka. Besides adding levels of narrative sophistication, this gives Tezuka room to explore the issues he has always been most concerned with: the freedom, equality and sanctity of all life.
Siddhartha non-violently disarms the ruthless Bandaka in "Buddha" Vol. 2
During the first two volumes Tezuka particularly explores the injustice of the caste system, and by implication, all human hierarchies. Thus, the second volume opens with the young Siddhartha being told he cannot play with the toys of the slave children. The sickly child, who frequently dozes off into meditative states, becomes increasingly obsessed with the inevitability of death and the cruel arbitrariness of the caste system. An older Tatta, the mischievous pariah, reappears and takes the prince away from his palace of luxury to experience the real world. There he meets Migaila, a bandit that he falls in love with. Returning home, though, Siddhartha is compelled to marry a princess and struggles with the calling to become king of a defenseless country or a monk.
Neither reverent nor irreverent "Buddha" can best be described as playfully serious. (Tezuka takes the Middle Path!) Much of this comes from a uniquely Tezuka form of comix making. The characters have a simplified, "cute" design but inhabit a highly detailed, realistic environment — a style that became the foundation of the manga look. Recalling traditional Japanese landscapes, with careful pen and ink craftsmanship Tezuka depicts mountain vistas and waterfalls. In one remarkable scene a swarm of locusts fills an entire two-page spread.
Cameos by characters from previous works, nonsense doodles, and even Hitchcock-like appearances by the artist himself, are de rigueur to Tezuka. He has an almost Shakespearian desire to mix high drama with low comedy, though Shakespeare rarely had characters doing both. At one point during volume one a powerful general sends away his escorts when he wishes to bathe in a pond. Adopting a silly, girlish pose and sprouting long eyelashes he says, "I don't want you to see me naked. Pray, won't you go?" Some of the oddity may be attributable to the translation, which puts modern vernacular ("It ain't no trick dude!") in the context of ancient India. The references to New York, Paris and beer-drinking "college girls" seems to be authentic to the original, though. Tezuka never lets you forget the essential cartoonishness of the medium or even that you are reading a comicbook. Characters that get really over-excited, for example, will bounce all around the frame or even tear it up.
Filled with beauty, cruelty, drama, comedy, romance and violence, Osamu Tezuka's "Buddha" encompasses the entirety of life in a masterpiece of graphic literature. Deeply moral but never moralistic, "Buddha" merges the delight of cartooning with the epic seriousness of one of the great religions, becoming a thing wholly unto itself. Even if you can't achieve satori with "Buddha," you can open up another world.Read more:



http://www.time.com/time/columnist/arnold/article/0,9565,519424,00.html




Review – Buddha Volume One – Kapilavastu
Osamu Tezuka Writes an Epic Manga on the Birth of Buddhism
© Brian Jungwiwattanaporn Oct 19, 2009

Volume One of Osamu Tezuka's Buddha is a playful imagining of the events surrounding the birth of the Buddha.
Interspersed with the questions that Buddhism seeks to answer, Buddha by Osamu Tezuka stands as a straightforward adventure tale appropriate for young teens with an interest in Eastern philosophy. Buddha establishes the conditions in ancient India that led to Buddhism prospering, while also engaging in a tale that swings from serious to silly as it traces the paths of various characters.
A Manga About Ancient India
Master Asita, an enlightened Brahmin, sends his disciple Narradatta to find a mystery person who is destined for accomplishing great things. A theme quickly emerges as Tezuka explores the injustices and constraints of the caste system. Chapra and his mother are slaves who become acquainted with Tatta, a pariah, from the lowest caste of society. Tatta however has special powers that enable him to possess animals. As an army attacks their town, this group bonds as they try to survive.
With his mother captured by the invading army, Chapra seeks to rescue her with Tatta’s help. Chapra later sees an opportunity to rescue the life of cruel General Budai who quickly adopts Chapra. Chapra’s ambition to transcend his class and become a renowned warrior comprises a significant part of the book, as his mother, Narradatta, and Tatta wander northern India in order to reunite with him.
Chapra’s caste is ultimately exposed, and his mother’s status as a slave marks her for death as well. Narradatta, failing at his own quest for enlightenment, is magically transformed into a brute by Master Asita as penance, while the magical boy Tatta is left to fend for himself. The story dwells on sacrifice, and is filled with emotional content mixed with high adventure. Its ending leaves the reader with enough curiosity to approach the next volume in the series.
The Birth of the Buddha
There are three streams in Buddha, Chapra’s growth as a warrior, his mother’s search for him, and the story of the Buddha’s birth. In the city of Kapilavastu, a young king and his wife witness various portents as they await the birth of their son, who they name Siddhartha. In this volume he remains a baby and is secondary to the main story. Tezuka does ask questions about class/caste, god worship, and the cycle of life throughout however, laying the foundation for Siddhartha’s life in further volumes.Read more: http://manga.suite101.com/article.cfm/review_buddha_volume_one_kapilavastu#ixzz0Y8J67qe9

Suggestions for Library Use:
This is a tough one,because there is male and female nudity. I feel that a great deal of children and their parents might not be able to see past this minor detail. Although, the nudity is not presented in a lude or inappropriate manor. The nudity is there because thats the way things were. Because of its length and format this book is unacceptable to be read out loud. Due to the books content I would have to get to know a patron and detremine on a user to user basis whether or not to recommend it.