Amulet ~ An Addictive Graphic Novel Series

Graphic novels are SO popular with middle grade readers, including my students. I was hesitant to bring them into my classroom at first because I didn't think they counted as "real reading," but I have seen how they motivate my students and push them outside their own comfort levels. Often, graphic novels turn out to be more complex and require more advanced comprehension skills than traditional texts. Now I actually require my students to read at least two graphic novels per year.

The most popular graphic novel series in my classroom is Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi. These books never seem to sit on the shelf, they are passed from one student to another all year long. Below are super quick premise/review blurbs for each book. All premises are from Goodreads.

A scene from Amulet

Amulet 1: The Stonekeeper (2008)

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.

Review: This book is definitely engaging! I like how it's unclear who the bad guys are and if the Emily's amulet is trustworthy or manipulating her for evil purposes.  I'm still confused about the overall problem, though.

Amulet 2: The Stonekeeper's Curse (2009)

Emily and her brother Navin head for Kanalis, a beautiful and mysterious city of waterfalls, where they hope to find the antidote for the poison that felled their mother. That cure lies in the eggs of a giant serpent atop Demon's Head Mountain, but the kids' archenemy, Trellis, is headed for the peak, too.

Review: There is lots of action in this one! I like how the characters are evolving and how Kibuishi is doling out information about the conflict a bit at a time. The story and backstory are emerging simultaneously. Nicely done.

Amulet 3: The Cloud Searchers (2010)

Emily, Navin, and their crew of resistance fighters charter an airship and set off in search of the lost city of Cielis. There they hope to find help from the Guardian Council's powerful Stonekeepers. It's a mission that Alledia's survival depends on, and time is running out--Emily's got to find Cielis before the Elf King finds her.

Review: I love the complexity and intensity of this world. Some of the action scenes really confused me, though... not enough transition panels maybe?


Amulet 4: The Last Council (2011)

Emily and her friends think they'll find the help they need in Cielis, but something isn't right. Streets that were once busy are deserted, and the townspeople who are left live in crippling fear. Emily is escorted to the Academy where she's expected to compete for a spot on the Guardian Council, the most powerful Stonekeepers. But as the number of competitors gets smaller and smaller, a terrible secret is slowly uncovered.

Review: My students would give this series a million stars if they could. I enjoy it too, but there are some gaps in the plot that really bugged me. The world building continues to be great and moves up to a whole new level in this one.

Amulet 5: Prince of the Elves (2012)

the Elf King forges new Amulets that will give him the power to invade and destroy the nation of Windsor. Emily and her friends lead the soldiers of the Cielis Guard in a fight to stop him, but Max stands in their way.

Review: Ah this wonderful series has redeemed itself after the gaping plot holes in book 4. This one is so dark and the truths revealed make for a complex and compelling story.


When I revealed the cover for Amulet 6: Escape From Lucien, my students burst into a round of applause. They are so excited for this book! Unfortunately the have to wait until August 26th.

This post is part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

Castle Intrigue Genius ~ The Queen's Thief

Over the last year I've realized that my favorite genre may be "castle intrigue." This is my own term for it-- is there an actual term for this genre? You know, set in a land with royalty and peasants. Where the characters scheme and plan and grab for power. As I studied my completed books for 2013, I was surprised to find 20 castle intrigue books.

So far my favorite castle intrigue series is The Queen's Thief by Megan Whalen Turner.

For this post I have organized abbreviated reviews for the first 4 books of the series. Turner has indicated that two other titles are in the works.

Book One: The Thief

For a book called The Thief, there just wasn't much thieving. The first half was excruciatingly slow, full of traveling, camping, and stilted dialogue. Once the thieving started the story got more interesting, but I consistently struggled to imagine the action and events. This was a 2 star book for me until the last 40 pages which included a satisfying twist.



Book Two: The Queen of Attolia

Wow! Where book one, The Thief, annoyed me with its slow pacing, little action, and even less thieving, this one, was SO much better. It was a little slow to get going, but that's because the characters are all playing various long-cons, which means the last third of the book is fever-pitch awesome.

Book Three: The King Attolia

I'm so glad that I continued this series! Books 2 and 3 are so strong. I love the way the king and queen manipulate people's perspectives, lure them into false confidence, and get them to show their hands. These two characters make a better team than I had imagined. The intrigue here was less about power and more about gaining loyalty. It was a cool change of pace, and totally appropriate for a new king.




Book Four: A Conspiracy of Kings

Although the sneaky maneuvering of the previous books isn't as prevalent in this installment, I continue to be impressed by Turner's ability to create distinct voices for her characters. This one uses a totally different voice/narration style. It didn't quite grab me in the same way as the others, but the style totally fit this novel's central character. The intrigue and scheming were front-and-center, just the way I like it! Please publish a fifth book!




The scheming in this series is so stinking fun! It reminds me a lot of how the show, Leverage, is organized - with a major long-con that is revealed at the end of each episode.

If you're interested, I recommend that you at least read the first 2 books since book one is only meh. Still, that first book is critical for understanding the rest of the series. So don't be afraid - dive in, muddle through The Thief, and LOVE the rest.

A Wonderfully Stormy Thriller - Eye of the Storm

Premise: Set about 40 years in the future when the planet has seen a dramatic increase in monster storms. Jaden has arrived in Oklahoma to spend the summer with her father, a weather scientist, at a special science camp run by his company, Storm Safe, in a community where tornadoes seem to change direction at the last minute. Something doesn't seem right about the camp, community, or Jaden's father. When a huge tornado threatens everything, she must decide to protect her father or discover the truth.

Title: Eye of the Storm
Author: Kate Messner
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-8

Three adjectives that describe this book: addictive, fast-paced, intense

True confession: I read the last 200 pages of this book in one sitting. That's how much this plot drives forward. Chock full of science experiments, research, data, and number crunching, at first glance it doesn't seem like Eye of the Storm should be such a page-turner. But Messner's skillful writing trumps all, ratcheting up the intensity with every truth uncovered and suspicious question revealed.

The only weak spot in Eye of the Storm is that the characters are a bit flat and almost type-cast:
* Jaden and Alex are nerdy problem solvers.
* Risha is a bit too boy crazy.
* Jaden's father is distant and fake.
* His new French-ballerina wife is happy to take care of the baby and have dinner ready for her husband.

Yep - these characters are thin. Still, it didn't bother me much because the focus is really on the plot and this crazy storm-filled future.

I absolutely loved this novel's action, suspense, greedy villains, and the way it made science, math, and even poetry cool.

5 stars

Book Blast & Giveaway Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires

Jack is back!

After his adventures at the Monster Hunter Academy (which included fighting a goblin army, befriending an ancient werewolf, and battling two fire breathing dragons), Jack Templar was hoping for a rest. No such luck.

In the newest title, Book #3 of the Jack Templar Monster Hunter series, Jack embarks on a quest to track down and acquire the first of the five mythical Jerusalem Stones, an ancient power found by his ancestors the Templar Knights. Only the reunited Stones can stop Ren Lucre, the Dark Lord who holds Jack’s father hostage and prepares for an all-out war against an unsuspecting human world. But each Stone is held by a different Creach Lord and recovering them will not be easy.

I am about to start reading the newest installment, Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires (Book 3). My review will be part of an Official Blog Tour and will be posted here on October 18, 2013.

If you haven't tried this series - you absolutely should! The Jack Templar books are like a more advanced, darker, and more frenetic version of the Percy Jackson series. But what really drew me to these books was the back-story. You can read the story in Jeff's own words in his post at the Nerdy Book Club. My synopsis is below, but his telling is really very powerful:

Author, Jeff Gunhus, wrote the first chapter of Jack Templar, Monster Hunter to encourage his 11 year old son to read. His son wasn't interested in reading, so Jeff started meeting with him for father-son reading time each morning. To spice it up, he wrote the first chapter of Jack Templar. Yep - This book was literally written to grab young readers and keep a-hold of 'em. And it worked! Both of Jeff's sons got involved in the writing process and soon they had a whole book, which they published on Amazon. Now the series has just released Book 3 and has developed a strong fan base.

Be sure to check out my reviews:
My review of Book 1: Jack Templar, Monster Hunter
My review of Book 2: Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy

Jack Templar Monster Hunter was chosen as a Book of the Year Finalist by Foreword Reviews.



BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash; Ends 10/31/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Hypnotists by Gordon Korman

Premise: Crazy things happen whenever Jackson Opus is around. When Jackson is recruited into a special program for hypnotists, he learns to hone his mind-bending powers, but also discovers that hypnotizing people can be a dangerous business.

Title: The Hypnotists
Author: Gordon Korman
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 in a new series
Content Appropriate For: Grades 4-7
Format: ARC provided by Scholastic via NetGalley.

Three adjectives that describe this book: addictive, exciting, believable

Usually I wait a few days after reading a book to write up my review so that I can marinate on it for a bit, but I finished this book about 15 minutes ago and I feel compelled to write about it - RIGHT NOW! I find Gordon Korman's novels to be really hit or miss. My students and I really enjoy some of his titles, but find others tedious and dull. The Hypnotists definitely falls into the first category of Korman's works. This is probably my favorite Korman novel ever.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Premise: Will and Horace are training to become Rangers and knights respectively. Rangers are sort of a cross between Robin Hood and CIA agents. Ultimately Will and his colleagues must battle an enemy of the kingdom and his 2 terrifying monsters/assassins.

Title: The Ruins of Gorlan
Author: John Flanagan
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 of 10 in the Rangers Apprentice Series
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-8

4.5 stars

3 adjectives that describe this book: believable, addictive, page-turner

This book has been on my TBR shelf for years. I kept hearing about it's awesomeness from students and Ashley so I finally made the plunge. And boy am I glad I did!!

The first 2/3 of The Ruins of Gorlan focuses on the training that Will and Horace endure for their future jobs as a Ranger and a knight, respectively. Sometimes this section of plot can really drag a book down, but John Flanagan is a masterful world builder. The training sessions were wonderfully written and really fleshed out this pseudo-medieval world. I especially enjoyed the character development. Again, this is an aspect that can really drag down a book, but Flanagan's characters are rich, believable, and interesting. Each character fills a clear niche and no one is a caricature. The one exception may be Jenny, the somewhat rounded cook's apprentice who excels at baking meat pies, but her character adds some really fun elements.

Although this book is a fantasy novel, set in a made-up world with some invented creatures, it felt very real. The workings of the kingdom and its hierarchy, the bullying and resentment among boys, and the outsider feelings of those whose work is misunderstood were clear and palpable. I found myself fully immersed in the lives of these characters, especially Horace as he dealt with harassment while being somewhat of a bully himself.

In the last third, Will and his colleagues must battle an enemy of the kingdom and his 2 terrifying monsters/assassins. This section really builds in intensity and culminates in an epic battle. The most incredible thing about Flanagan's writing is that the plot was truly unpredictable. The events in The Ruins of Gorlan surprised me at every turn, and yet made total sense. When you read a lot of children's and YA novels, the stories sometimes run together, often following similar plot lines. The Ruins of Gorlan was a completely unique plot. 

I'm glad I finally read this book and I can't wait to read the sequel, The Burning Bridge!