by Kazu Kibuishi
Vol 1: The Stonekeeper
First Sentence: “We were supposed to pick up Navin at eight o’clock. We’re late”
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Vol 2: The Stonekeeper’s Curse
First sentence: “Let go of me. I don’t want to see him.”
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First off, I read this one backwards, and got Volume 2 first. While it works okay as a stand-alone, I highly recommend getting Volume 1 first and reading them in order. It makes much more sense that way.

After the car accident that kills their father, Emily, her brother Navin move with their mother out to the woods, into the country house owned by their mother’s Grandfather Silas. It doesn’t seem like anything exciting, until on their first night they are lured into the basement by a strange noise. Which turns out to belong to a strange beast that kidnaps their mother. Emily and Navin follow twists and turns, aided by a strange necklace that Emily found in the house, discovering the strange new world below.

In the second book, the story continues: Emily’s mother has been poisoned, and it turns out that the evil Elf King is out to get Emily. In search of an antidote for her mother, Emily takes on the elves as well as fighting the overpowering influence of the stone. She meets a guide, and learns that there is an underground resistance, which Navin happily joins, to overthrow the king. What her part in all of this, and whether or not she can save her mother, remains to be seen.

Yeah, it’s all a bit Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (C, who also read them even noticed the similarities), but it’s gorgeously drawn, and a rollicking adventure. The world is creative, combining both fantasy elements — like the powers of the stone — with technology — Emily and Navin are accompanied in their endeavors by a collection of robots, ranging from the crotchety to the overly-sensitive. Emily’s personal bodyguard is a pink bunny robot named Miskit, which I found to be highly amusing. It’s well-paced; there’s always something to keep the pages turning. All of which makes me curious for the next installment.

A great addition to middle grade graphic novels.