Customer Reviews

The Graveyard Book

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Imagine Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book"... but replace the animals with ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and other such supernatural creatures.

Such is the concept of "The Graveyard Book," which cleverly turns Kipling's classic story into an exquisitely-written, darkly witty fantasy. While it starts as the assorted supernatural adventures of a young boy raised by ghosts, the story slowly evolves into a beautifully ghastly confrontation between Nobody Owens and the people who want to do him harm.

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." A man named Jack kills an innocent family at night -- except for a baby boy, who toddles out to the graveyard.

With the approval of the Lady on the Grey, the Owens ghosts adopt the boy, whom they name Nobody (or "Bod" for short), and the mysterious not-dead-or-alive Silas is appointed his guardian. Bod slowly grows up, but his upbringing is hardly ordinary -- he is taught by a Hound of God, wanders into the horrific realm of Ghulheim, watches a danse macabre, and befriends a witch's spirit from the Potter's Field.

But the man named Jack is still out there, and for some reason he (and the organization he works for) still wants to kill Bod. And though Silas and the ghosts are trying to keep him safe, Bod is becoming curious about the world of living humans -- and about the man who murdered his family. And when they come for him, he'll be ready.

The world of Neil Gaiman is never a safe place -- it's always painted in shadows and shades of grey, and something horrible may be lurking around the corner. And the world of "The Graveyard Book" is no exception to this -- it's filled with strange supernatural creatures, hellish red cities with decayed moons overhead, and midnight parades where ghosts dance with the living.

The world of the graveyard is an intriguing one -- moonlight, crumbly headstones, a little stone church, and a creepy barrow where the Sleer lurk. From a lesser author this would be kind of boring, but Gaiman's beautiful prose brings it to life ("There was a silent implosion, a flutter of velvet darkness, and Silas was gone").

And Gaiman explores Bod's childhood with dark humour ("Can you imagine how fine a drink the black ichor that collects in leaden coffins can be?") and adventure. But the tone changes as Bod grows older, especially with the creepily professional Jack and his cohorts slowly closing in on him. It's a coming-of-age tale, and a bittersweet, sometimes terrifying one.

Bod himself is a lovable kid, who slowly explores first the world of the graveyard and then the world of the living. He's both ruthless and kind, sweet and strong. The mysterious Silas -- whose true nature is only revealed late in the book -- serves as a kindly but stern mentor, who pretty clearly loves young Bod like a father.

And there's a pretty wide supporting cast -- Bod's childhood friend Scarlett is rather bratty, but the ghosts make up for that. The snappy, witty witch Eliza, the kindly Owenses, Mother Slaughter, the fussy Mr. Pennyworth, and the schoolteacherish substitute guardian Miss Lupescu all round out the cast. And with only a few lines, Gaiman makes them seem practically real.

"The Graveyard Book" is a beautifully written, bittersweet coming-of-age tale with some moments of pure creepiness. A magnificent fantasy story, which is not to be missed.

Neil Gaiman is an incredible writer, and his homage to Kipling's "The Jungle Book" is a gem of so-called children's literature (by that I mean that you can enjoy at any age). The plot follows the young life of Nobody Owens, who after his family was murdered, is raised and looked after by the ghosts and creatures that inhabit an old graveyard. This seems straightforward enough, until Bod gets old enough to start wondering what happened to his family.

Besides giving the reader a very fresh take on the usually terrifying graveyard creature (why can't a ghost be a caring mother to a small baby, after all?), and by depicting children as sharp and resourceful, this rather unique book gives a gorgeous voice to an unlikely story no one could have tackled as well as Gaiman.

It's not very long (I finished it in a couple of days), but it left me deeply touched and happy. I just wanted to hug the storyteller!

*** SPOILERS ALERT!! ***

I really, really liked this book. And no, it's not because I'm madly in love with Neil Gaiman (seriously ' he looks like a rock star!), but because he can write a damn good book. The Graveyard Book falls into the category of Juvenile/Children books, according to Neil. I've only read two other books of his from this category ' Stardust and Coraline ' and I was intrigued the whole way through both of them. Enough so that I tried to read them in any instance I had, in any spare moment of time. Even the movies were wonderful. But maybe I'm just biased.

Back to The Graveyard Book.

On the first page, we learn the fate of the main character's family. It was a scary beginning, which made me wonder what age exactly a 'juvenile' is, but I trudged through (at 28 years old, I figured I could take it). The family is killed right off the bat by the man Jack (from the order of the Jacks of All Trades) and the main character, a toddler of just over a year at the time, manages to escape. He finds his way to the local graveyard and is adopted as part of a family of ghosts in a graveyard and from then on his name is Nobody ' Bod, for short.

Bod grows up like any normal kid, learning his ABC's by doing gravestone rubbings, taking classes from the local graveyard ghosts, and learning lessons from his guardian, Silas (who isn't dead and isn't alive, but is 'in between'), and his alternate Mrs. Lupescu. He's given 'Freedom of the Graveyard,' sees 'as the dead do' and learns how to fade (i.e. disappear), dreamwalk, and how to instill fear in people.

Wait? That's not normal? Well, it's normal for Bod.

If you've ever read the Lemony Snicket books, The Graveyard Book is very reminiscent of them ' without the goofy language. Instead of a whole series of short novels, Bod has many adventures in this book ' he goes to school, he meets the 'Sleer', he meets Scarlett, he meets Liza the Witch ' and they all manage to tie together quite nicely for a slightly-expected ending.

My only disappointment was that Scarlett and her mom move back to Scotland, where they were originally from. The romantic in me wanted her to stay and for her and Bod to have more adventures ' maybe in future books. I don't think that Neil is planning on releasing more books in the series, which is okay because everything is resolved in the end (though he does leave a few ends hanging just slightly, which could work for a sequel). I was also sad that Bod eventually doesn't see his graveyard family anymore, having grown up and all.

The illustrations throughout, by Dave McKean, are great, though sometimes I was left staring at them wondering how they are depicting the story at certain points. The illustrations aren't distracting at all, and are quite lovely, but sometimes I wanted more of them ' they really only appear at the beginning of each chapter for a few pages, and again at the end of the book.

I would recommend this to readers, young and old, who want something different, something that makes them smile in wonder and amazement, and something with enough mystery and fantasy for all.

I can add no more to EA Solinas' wonderful review of The Graveyard Book. I sought it out after hearing it praised by bookshop owners on CBC Radio. I was not disappointed. This book's adroit handling of sensitive subject matter (the mysterious murder of a sleeping family)and well fleshed characterization make it one of the best reads I have had in months. Particularly notable in that it is juvenile fiction. Engrossing and highly recommended.

Like a talented spider, Neil Gaiman spins his dark web. After reading any of his children's books I'm left wondering if I should equate him to Stephen King for kids or Lemony Snickett for adults. A master word-smith, Gaiman creates visions that are darkly tangible; that slip into your mind and play with the focus on your inner eye. At the same time, they touch your heart, evoke laughter and make you loose track of time.

Nobody Owens, a young lad raised by the graveyard folk is confronted by bullys both natural and super natural. He learns to value life, respect his elders ( some of them Very Elder), speak several languages, appreciate the wisdom of his somewhat terse temporary nanny, show bravery and compassion and choke down beet soup.

This is a book worth sharing with your spook-loving kid or Goth grandchild...or just to savor for yourself.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is an honest book. It is that rare book that tells the truth about living in a way that continues to draw you deeper and deeper into the characters and the story till you don't want to put it down. The book was awarded the prestigeous John Newbery Medal for the most Distinguised Contribution to American Literature for Children and for good reason - it really is an amazing work.

The book tells the story of Nobody 'Bod' Owens, a boy raised his entire life in a graveyard by it's ghostly inhabitants. There are Mr. & Mrs. Owens, who never had a child in life and now have the opportunity to raise orphaned Bod. There is Silas, the quiet, stoic guardian who comes only at night and walks the world between the living and the dead. He helps with the acquisition of food and books and other items necessary for survival. There are many others as well.

Ultimately The Graveyard Book uses the dead to teach us the value (and sometimes the very real dangers) of life. As one of Bod's ghostly friends says "Us in the graveyard, we wants you to stay alive. We wants you to surprise us, and disappoint us and impress us and amaze us."

I had to read the acknowledgements at the end of the book before I realized that The Graveyard Book is really a modern take on the children's classic by Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Book. This is no fault of Gaiman's but my own thickheadedness for all I needed was a quick glance at Kipling's title for the similarities to come rushing in.

Maybe one of the best compliments I can pay to this book is that I didn't want it to end. Gaiman is true to his material. The book does not end the way I want it to but it ends the way it must - and still exceptionally satisfying. I hope to see more tales like this.

This is a book of adventure and friendship, a book that highlights the values of family, friendship and virtue and ultimately the value of life. I highly recommend it and have no doubt it is bound to be a classic. Best suited to ages 10 and up.

After his family is killed a baby escapes by wandering out the open door and making his way to the graveyard. A married ghostly couple adopt him and name him Nobody Owens, Bod for short. Nobody then commences to grow up in the graveyard and can see and talk with all the ghosts of those buried there. In fact, he himself is not quite in the land of the living but somewhere between the life and death. He must stay here in the graveyard until he is old enough to look after himself on the outside as the man who killed his family is still looking for him and will continue until his job is completed.

I really enjoyed this book. Finally a 21st century Newbery winner I can rave about and recommend. The story and the characters are just wonderful. I really enjoyed the premise. It reminded me a bit, at first, of Terry Pratchett's Johnny and the Dead even though the plot's are completely different. Even though I don't believe in ghosts and my religion tells me differently what will happen in the afterlife, it still is so much fun to imagine a world of ghosts. To imagine graveyards are full of the people buried there talking to each other. The book is really well written, fun and exciting. I think this is the type of book that will appeal to pretty much anyone, even those who don't like fantasy as a rule. Finally a Newbery winner that *will* be enjoyed through the ages!

My only reason for not giving a full rating of 5 is that I really did not like the illustrations at all. They were dark, hard to see the details and I thought the faces were horrible. They definitely did not enhance the reading experience at all. From looking at covers at LibraryThing I see there is an edition with illustrations by Chris Riddell. Now that is someone whose art I appreciate and I'd love to have a look at those illustrations.

After a run of stinky book and comic-book projects, Gaiman returned to form with this riff on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book that won several major awards, including children's novel honours the Carnegie Medal and the Newbery. Rather than being raised by a forest of animals like Mowgli, young Nobody Owens is raised by the mostly dead inhabitants of an English graveyard.

He doesn't start off as Nobody Owens. Instead, an 18-month-old toddler fortuitously wanders into a no-longer-active graveyard on the same night his parents and sister are killed by a mysterious, knife-wielding man called only Jack. The ghosts of the graveyard and the mysterious Guardian we know only as Silas -- supernatural but not a ghost -- band together to protect and raise the baby they christen Nobody Owens (or 'Bod' for short) over the next 13 years or so. The killer continues to look for Bod, so the child remains for the most part inside the graveyard at all times.

Thankfully, being granted The Freedom of the Graveyard by its inhabitants also grants Bod a number of supernatural powers, though he does have to practice to perfect them. Eventually, he can walk through walls while in the graveyard, fade from sight almost anywhere, and induce a certain measure of fear in others if he concentrates.

Needless to say, all these powers will be needed by the end of the book. Jack's still out there, and he has friends. In a subtextual narrative reminiscent of Clive Barker's Nightbreed (though much, much more child-friendly), The Graveyard Book pits the mysterious supernatural "monsters" of horror fiction's long history against the knife-wielding maniacs of horror's more recent past.

The ghosts of the graveyard are a lively bunch from throughout history -- the graveyard has been active in one form or another for several thousand years. A mysterious but strangely pitiful magical being that calls itself a Sleer guards a treasure cache and a grave hidden within a mound; one of the tombstones is a "Ghoul Gate" (every cemetery has one) through which carrion-eating ghouls come and go from their strange, red-skied land; adjacent to one part of the graveyard is an unhallowed, unmarked grave area in which witches and others were interred. Bod's Guardian Silas has physical form outside the graveyard, and so he can fetch food, clothing and books when necessary.

Gaiman portrays Bod's journey to being a teenager with a lot of zing, sentiment, and cleverness. Homages and references to other works of the supernatural abound, either obliquely in the persons of Silas and the stern but helpful Miss Lupescu, or slightly more noticeably with the episode that involves the ghouls and pays homage to H.P. Lovecraft's odd, dream-like narrative The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath. All in all, this is a jolly, engaging book from the writer of The Sandman and Stardust and Coraline, suitable for anyone above the age of 8 or thereabouts.

If I could give this book ten stars, I would. This is the first Gaiman book and most likely, it won't be my last. Throughout the book I was entralled from the very beginning to the reader pleasing end.
With a well thought up story, engaging likeable, quirky characters. Gaiman, weaves a tale that is like no other. This book is on my keeper list. Bravo Gaiman!

There is a hand in the darkness, and that hand carries a knife. The knife has dispatched nearly an entire family, and the man holding it is on his way to kill the baby.

But the baby is not in his crib. The baby has wandered up the street to a graveyard. The man is in hot pursuit, but the baby is snatched up by a protective ghost, and disappears. The ghosts of the graveyard decide that they will raise the child, who is still being hunted.

They call him Nobody, or Bod for short. A vampire acts as his mentor, and a werewolf is his tutor. But Bod is growing up fast, and sooner or later, he will have to confront his past.

This book won the Newbery Medal in 2009, for good reason. This is a great book, full of mystery and suspense. A must-read!