The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
About the Book
After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod’s family…
Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. While I will grant you that there are some flaws – for instance, I wish the details of the mystery/conspiracy were more clear and we had a better idea of why Bod is so important – I still found the story quite fun to read and the characters very interesting.
The illustrations also added another dimension to the book, enhancing the feeling of living somewhere between life and death.
Note: This is Book #92 of my 2011 Reads (master list here) and also part of my personal Newbery Medal Winners Reading Challenge.
I'm a mom with Asperger's raising an amazing son with autism, which means I'm basically the case manager/advocate/cheerleader/chauffeur. The rest of the time, you can usually find me with my nose in a book!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Really sounds AMAZING
Is it scary – I am always scared to read books that will actually frighten me
Hmmm. . .this is one Newbery title I’ve avoided because most reviews I’ve read of it are negative. It seems a little. . .morbid, maybe.
. I might have to give it a try sometime anyway.