The Graveyard Book Review

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Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. Ill. by Dave McKean New York: HarperCollins Children's Books. ISBN: 978-0-06-053093-8.

Enjoy the book trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_UUVwTaemk

Nobody Owens would be considered an average boy if he didn't live in a graveyard. After the murder of his family by the man named Jack, he is raised by ghosts, ghouls, and other night creatures as he faces dangers and finds adventure both inside and outside the graveyard.

From the opening line to the ending one readers will be entranced by the story of Nobody Owens, known simply as Bod. Instantly the reader is anxious to protect Bod as we are told he "...stepped out of the house a little hesitantly." The man Jack is sure to find Bod if he doesn't hurry and Jack will kill young Bod with his razor sharp knife. With great relief we are happy to find that he is sheltered and ultimately adopted by the graveyard folk who decide to protect him and raise him as their own. Silas who "...belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead." becomes Bod's guardian since Silas is able to leave the graveyard to find food and other items a living child needs. Gaiman describes these events so matter-of-factly that we don't question them, but simply become part of the fantasy and eagerly turn the page to see what will happen next.

What happens next is that Bod embraces the journey of growing up with the care of the whole graveyard. He is taught to read with the help of gravestone etchings, given history lessons by ghosts who actually participated in the events, and learns the skills granted by having "The Freedom of the Graveyard", "Fading, Sliding, and Dreamwalking." All of the skills will be needed as he find his way to young adulthood while having dangerous and sometimes frightening adventures inside and outside his home until he finally faces the man named Jack.

Dave Mckean's black and white illustrations set the stage for Bod's adventures with just enough detail to enhance Gaiman's lush descriptions of Bod's surroundings while leaving the time period modern, but ambiguous.

The Graveyard Book won the Newbery Medal and the British Carnegie Medal in 2009, the first time both medals were awarded to the same book. It also won the Hugo Award for Best Novel and Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book. The illustrator, Chris Riddell was shortlisted for the Greenaway Medal. Gaiman and Harper Audio won the Audie Award  in 2009 for the audiobook edition.

The Graveyard Book, by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form…The story's language and humor are sophisticated, but Gaiman respects his readers and trusts them to understand…In this novel of wonder, Neil Gaiman follows in the footsteps of long-ago storytellers, weaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment.

—The New York Times

Horn Book (starred review) “Lucid, evocative prose and dark fairy-tale motifs imbue the story with a dreamlike quality. …this ghost-story-cum-coming-of-age-novel as readable as it is accomplished.”

Booklist (starred review) “This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life affirming….this is a rich story with broad appeal.”

An author study including Gaiman's Coraline, M is for Magic, and Stardust would be interesting for students in the middle grades. We read excerpts about the gravestone rubbings as part of a genealogy workshop for families at my library last month to great effect. Also, HarperCollins offers a teacher's guide here: http://files.harpercollins.com/PDF/ReadingGuides/0061551899.pdf.

Barnes and Noble. Editorial reviews. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/graveyard-book-neil-gaiman/1100258468?ean=9780060530945. (Accessed November 19, 2013.)