The Subtle Knife (HIs Dark Materials Graphic Novel #2)

Gr 5 Up--Lyra finds a new companion in this beautifully adapted version of Pullman's The Subtle Knife. Will Parry is a hopeful kid from our world with a missing father and an unwell mother. He accidentally slips into a parallel world through a cut in the fabric of the universe and meets Lyra, sealing their fates. Will takes Lyra and Pantalaimon, her dæmons, back home to Oxford, where they seek information regarding Will's father and Lyra continues her search for Dust. Lyra meets an Oxford professor studying dark matter, which they determine is the same thing as the Dust of her world. Back in Lyra's world, Lee Scoresby tracks down Stanislaus Grumman for details on a weapon that could save her. Serafina Pekkala, the witch, seeks to protect Lyra and soon finds that Will needs her help, too. When the boy comes in possession of a knife that can slice through anything, people in multiple dimensions want to see him destroyed. Gilbert uses Clément Oubrerie's character designs from the previous volume (Lyra's hair remains delightfully disheveled) but brings his own style to the extra fantastical worlds of the witches and angels. His faces for the dæmons are particularly expressive. It's no small feat to take a story as dense as this one and render it into a graphic novel, but fans of the series will be rewarded with lovingly depicted characters, vivid illustrations, and thrilling adventure. VERDICT A worthy addition to the series, brought to life with stunning art.--Gretchen Hardin