Fiction, Fantasy, and YA Review #1- THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gaiman, Neil. Illustrations by Dave McKean. The Graveyard Book. New York: Harper, 2008.  ISBN 978-0-060-53094-5

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens, or Bod to his friends. The only survivor of a murder spree that eliminated his whole family, Bod finds himself in a cemetery, alone in the world and only a toddler. He is “adopted” by ghostly Mr. and Mrs. Owens, and is raised in the cemetery among the dead with the mysterious Silas as his guardian. Bod develops friendships with many of the ghosts, a human friend named Scarlet, and has supernatural adventures all while attempting to evade Jack, his family’s murderer.  

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The best line in this tragic story is the beginning, “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife”.  Throughout the book, the setting of the cemetery is crucial. The cemetery becomes like another character. The nuances and traits of the cemetery are crucial in every moment of Bod’s life journey, especially the climax. Bod comes to battle the Jacks, one of whom was responsible for his family’s deaths. While battling them, he saves the life of Scarlet, his human friend, who has returned from Scotland and joins him on his hero’s journey to save the world from the evil Jacks. The climactic death of the final Jack takes place, of course, in Bod’s cemetery.  I found that Bod’s relationship with his ghostly parents to be the least well defined, yet his relationship with Silas is extremely well developed. The themes of the story include good prevailing over evil, the pain of growing up, fear of the unknown, and the power of love.  This is a fantasy book for middle grades, but is very unrealistic.  I struggled to read this story because of the unbelievable thought that a baby could survive living his life in a cemetery.  That aside, many people obviously love this book.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Newbery Medal – 2009

Carnegie Medal

Hugo Awards, Best Novel

ALA Notable Children’s Books, Middle Readers Category – 2009

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults - 2009

From School Library Journal: “Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “A lavish middle-grade novel, Gaiman's first since Coraline , this gothic fantasy almost lives up to its extravagant advance billing.”

5.      CONNECTIONS

Gather read-alike books to read such as:

Avi, The Seer of Shadows, ISBN: 978-0-060-00017-2

Black, Holly, Doll Bones, ISBN: 978-1-416-96399-8

Gather other Neil Gaiman books to read such as:

The Sleeper and the Spindle, ISBN:  978-0-062-39824-6

Coraline, ISBN:  978-0-380-97778-9

Pair the Graveyard Book with The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Compare and contrast the two. Discuss similarities and differences.

With students, create a secret society of Jacks who are good, instead of evil. How could they help the world?