The Cloud Searchers (Scholastic, 208 pp., $10.99) is the third book of the “Amulet” series, but readers don’t have to have read the first two titles to enjoy the whirlwind adventures in the third.
Emily – who wears the titular amulet – is a “stonekeeper.” In Book I she leaves our world with her brother and mother and embraces her destiny to free the mysterious world of Alledia from the evil Elf King. Besides her family, Emily is joined on her quest by a colorful crew of robots, a human fox, the Elf King’s own son, and (in Book III) a human bear who happens to be the captain of an airship. Together they embark on a journey searching the skies for the legendary floating city of Cielis, home of elder stonekeepers. Hot on their heels is a bounty hunter hired by the Elf King to stop them.
Author-illustrator Kazu Kibuishi has created a cast of fun characters that you quickly come to care about. Emily and her brother are scared, unsure kids, and often make mistakes. Their uncertainties give them an appealing humanity that transcends their strange surroundings.
Kibuishi flexes his artistic muscles on the beautifully painted two-page landscapes in this book. He creates a new world and lets his imagination run wild with giant mushrooms; ancient, talking trees; and amazing cities and buildings.
All the adventure, narrow escapes, and mysteries to solve make this a story a page-turner that will leave readers ages 9 and older eagerly waiting for the next installment.
