Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishing.
Grade level: 5-8
Review: The Graveyard Book is a highly imaginative fantasy novel with a fast-paced, exciting plot. It is written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean and won the Newbery award in 2009. The Graveyard Book is about a young boy, Nobody ‘Bod’ Owens, who is raised by ghosts after escaping a grisly murder scene at his own home. The story follows Bod into adolescence as he learns the truth about what happened to his family. As he grows, he faces new dangers and perils while learning life lessons from his ghostly protectors. Gaiman has a captivating style of writing that entices and intrigues the reader. I also enjoyed the fantasy aspect of the book, particularly the graveyard setting, because it is an especially unique setting for a work of children’s literature. Additionally, the idea of graveyard residents creating a sense of community and raising a living boy is fresh and ingenuous. While the book was enjoyable, there were parts of the plot that were somewhat disjointed which detracted from the overall flow of the story. For instance, Gaiman only briefly mentions “the ghoul gate” early in the novel without much further development or description later in the book. Even with some faults in the plot, this was an entertaining, charming novel that would be great for upper elementary and middle school aged children.
Recommendation: Recommended
Byline: Marcy Singson, Graduate Student, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
(Image retrieved from amazon.com)
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