The Graveyard Book

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Author(s)

Neil Gaiman

Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers

Genre(s)

General Fiction

Age Range

10+

Release Date

September 30, 2008

ISBN

0060530928

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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.

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Enchantingly Eerie

April 01, 2015

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4.0

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One can't possibly claim the title of this book isn't fitting...or exceedingly literal. >.> The story does indeed revolve around a graveyard and its tenants. When a toddler unwittingly wanders away from the scene of his family's murder before the killer finishes his task, he ends up as the protected charge to an eclectic cast of preternatural characters. The story follows the child, Nobody “Bod” Owens, as he goes through childhood within the confines of the graveyard he calls home.

While technically written for children, the book presents themes of murder, suicide, and the grotesque—though it does so non-graphically. While I, as an adult, enjoyed it, I wouldn't consider this one for my children until they're well over the age of 10.

Oddly (or fittingly, depending on how you look at it), the non-living secondary characters had a tendency to feel more “real” to this reader than the living ones. Scarlett, for example—despite a promising introductory start, turned out to be disappointingly flat and obtuse. While on the other hand, Liza the long-dead witch girl, was a vibrant and fascinating addition to Bod's constricted world.

I've been told that Neil Gaiman writes best when he keeps it well below epic length, and I believe I'm going to agree with that assessment. His literary style is (as usual) crisp, concise, and brimming with morbid imagination. This book felt more on par with 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' --but a bit more playful, and with more effort poured into both the main character and the world-building. On the down side...the second half of story felt a bit dragged out, and the amount of things kept from the reader (and Bod) felt needlessly secretive at times. Without spoilering anything, I'll also mention that when the explanation is finally given, it wasn't entirely satisfying. This reader's expectations were, perhaps, set a bit high.

The element I least cared for would probably be the monochromatic illustrations. While included only occasionally, I didn't particularly like the blandness of the style. There were times the image selected simply didn't feel significant enough to the scene to be worthy of inclusion.

Favorite Quote:

“People want to forget the impossible. It makes their world safer.”

Angela Blount, Staff Reviewer Top 50 Reviewer 272 reviews

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Graveyard Book

October 15, 2008

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4.0

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Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. With illustrations by Dave McKean.

I really loved this one. The atmosphere, the pacing, the characters, everything is just right with this one. The Graveyard Book is the story of a young boy, Nobody Owens, whose parents (and sister) have been murdered. The young baby--toddler--wanders into the neighboring graveyard and happens to escape the killer. The residents of the graveyard take pity on him. They adopt him. Mr. and Mrs. Owens especially. (Along with Silas.) Give him the freedom of the grave yard. They raise him. They teach him. He is one of their own. And yet...and yet he's not quite of them. He's alive. Can the dead really and truly raise the boy right? Silas is his guardian. He is one of the few that can leave the graveyard. He walks amongst the living and the dead. Him being quite neither. They only know this. Someone is out to kill 'Bod' (their nickname for Nobody). And it is only if the boy remains there that he is safe. But how long will the boy be content with them, with only the dead for company, alone from others his own kind?

This is an adventure-filled story with great characters and amazing atmosphere. The book is slightly unusual in that it is episodic. The book spans a dozen years or so. We see Bod grow from a toddler to a young man--a teen boy of fifteen or sixteen. We see him learn to walk and talk and fade and haunt and dreamwalk. We see him learn to explore the world around him both in and out of the graveyard.

Definitely recommended.

First sentence: There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.

The book was inspired by The Jungle Book. Once I realized this afterwards, things began to snap into place and it seemed to resonate more.

Guest Top 100 Reviewer

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The Graveyard Book (A Room with Books review)

August 17, 2012

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4.0

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I’ll admit it: I wasn’t a fan of The Graveyard Book for a good 3/4s of the book. I know, you’re all winding up to lob tomatoes and various rotten fruits and veggies at me right about now for saying such things about a book written by Neil Gaiman, but wait just one moment.

Something about The Graveyard Book simply wasn’t working for me for a majority of the book. I think part of it was the feeling that the story had no real meaning or plot. It seemed Bod would do something, be done with it, then move onto the next which was completely unrelated. Maybe I was reading it all wrong, but that’s simply what I got out of it. Luckily, though, the last little bit of the book tied it all nicely together and I was hanging on the edge of my seat just waiting to find out what happened next.

I rather enjoyed Neil’s writing. It was something different than what I’ve ever experienced before and though I found myself confused a few times, I still enjoyed it on the whole.

Final Thoughts: It took quite some time for me to really get into The Graveyard Book but I ended up really enjoying it. I’m glad I needed something to read while waiting at the doctor otherwise I might never have picked it up :P If you’re a fan of Gaiman or aren’t sure if you are, you should definitely give The Graveyard Book a try, especially if you read and enjoyed Coraline.

Jasmine Top 50 Reviewer 326 reviews

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the graveyard book

March 21, 2012

This book starts off with this guy named jack entering a house trying to kill this family but the the main character Nobody Owns which is a little boy sneaks out of hes bed and gets out of the house. he follows this path which takes him to a graveyard and these ghost named Mr ans Mrs Nobody Owns will be taking care of him.

Good Points

1 Straight To The Point
2 keeps you thinking
3 is a book that makes you feel as you in there

lisandro

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The Graveyard book

March 20, 2012

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4.0

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The Graveyard Book

If you need a book to read try “The Graveyard Book” it is filled with a mysterious and tricky scenes? First, The Graveyard Book is about a young boy named Nobody Owens whose family gets killed by a huge man and now he is living in the graveyard. Next, The book had a lot of terrific Vocabulary mystery. It had to the main character Nobody Owens is living with ghosts. It had good vocabulary because it uses the right words at the right time. The Graveyard Book is a Newbery Award winner in 2009. The Graveyard Book got 25 grand prices. Thus, The Graveyard Book is about a young boy named Nobody Owens whose family got killed by a huge man and now he is living in the graveyard. The Graveyard Book is a book worth reading.

Good Points

The Graveyard Book had a lot of good vocabulary.

The Graveyard book is very mysterious.

stevan

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Simply Sublime!

February 12, 2012 (Updated: February 12, 2012)

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5.0

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I fell in love with this book. It's what made me become a fan of Neil Gaiman. Anyone who can create a character called Nobody Owens is a genius. It was a brilliant read. A heartbreakin, moving tale with a sad yet hopeful end.

Al Stone Top 100 Reviewer 43 reviews

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Graveyard Book

January 27, 2012

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4.0

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The premise to the story is that a toddler toddles out of the house while a murderer is killing his parents. He ends up in a graveyard, and when the murderer comes to kill him, the ghosts in the graveyard choose to shield him from harm and end up adopting him. The book then chronicles his life as he grows up around ghosts. As can be expected there were excellent moments of suspense throughout different sections in the story.

My only real disappointment was that the story was a bit episodic. It jumps through sections of his life, and I didn't feel like I was carried with it through each section. While I loved the sections of his early childhood making friends as well as his adolescence when he learns haunting, I found the ghoul section a bit too fantastic. In short, there were moments when I put the book down, and didn't feel any anxiety to pick it right back up again.

Good Points

-Excellent beginning. Hooked me immediately.
-Clever premise
-Good suspense through most sections

Jim

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The best book review of the book I read.

December 15, 2010

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Reader reviewed by Tony Longo

Neil Gaimans The Graveyard Book opens with a pretty terrifying situation. A man has slaughtered a family in the middle of the night, all save a toddler who escapes unharmed, walking out the front door and away from the mayhem. Up the hill trots the toddler, to a graveyard full of ghosts who take him in. By the end of the first chapter Gaiman has established the graveyard as the storys center. Within its reassuringly locked gates, the boy finds a safe and cozy place to grow up.

Among the dead are teachers, workers, wealthy prigs, romantics, pragmatists and even a few children, basically a good place for a baby to live in. And they do, ably led by Silas, an enigmatic character who is not really one of them, being not quite dead and not quite living. In this moonlit place, the boy who is given the name Nobody Owens, or Bod for short has adventures, makes friends (not all of them dead), and begins to learn about his past and consider his future. Along the way, he encounters hideous ghouls, a witch, middle school bullies and an otherworldly fraternal order that holds the secrets of his familys murder by the man Jack. When he is 12 things change, and he learns why hes been in the graveyard all this time and what he needs to do to leave.

While The Graveyard Book will entertain people of all ages, its especially a tale for children. Gaimans remarkable cemetery is a place that children more than anyone would want to visit. They would certainly want to look for Silas in his chapel, maybe climb down (if they were as brave as Bod) to the oldest burial chamber, or (if they were as reckless) search for the ghoul gate. Children will appreciate Bods occasional mistakes and bad manners, and relish his good acts and eventual great ones. The storys language and humor are sophisticated, but Gaiman respects his readers and trusts them to understand.

Guest #1 Reviewer

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The Graveyard Book Review

December 15, 2010

Overall rating

4.0

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Reader reviewed by evan tanaka

The Graveyard Book by Neil
Gaiman is a pretty decent book. Although I personally did not like the book, I thought
it was well written. The story starts off rather confusing and leaves the
reader rather puzzled throughout the book. On top of the questionable beginning,
the author throws another curveball at us. The main characters real name is
unknown, but he is referred to as Bod, short for Nobody Owens. Bod ends up in a
graveyard on the top of a hill, and ghosts gives him the freedom of the
graveyard due to the fact that his parents were killed and he is an orphan. Bod
interacts with ghosts and acquires new skills and languages that he uses
throughout the story. I think the book possessed too many unanswered questions
that distracted me from focusing on main events that happened. I do however
like the theme or life lesson that the author was trying to get across, which
was to appreciate what you have, before you lose it. Also, I like how well Gaiman
did at showing that you dont need to be blood-related to have a family. I
think that Neil Gaiman did a job well done on teaching and reminding me to appreciate
all the wonderful things that I have and all the loving people I have
surrounding me and to not take them for granite because you may wake up
tomorrow and some people and things may be gone.

I
would only recommend this book to people if they really do enjoy reading in
their free time. I found this book a waste of time due to the immense amount of
confusion I encountered while reading this book, it made it more difficult to
read. I do however think that anyone could use a reminder to be grateful of the
things they value in their heart.

Guest #1 Reviewer

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An incredible story

December 11, 2010

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4.0

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Reader reviewed by Christian

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is a spooky story about a little boy who grows up in a graveyard. The little boy named Nobody Owens sneaks out to the graveyard on the night that his parents and older sister are killed by the man jack. The man jack follows the nearby graveyard. The specters of the graveyard hide him, and one of the phantoms, named Silas kicks the man jack out of the cemetery and erases his memory.

A couple of apparitions names Mr. and Mrs. Owens adopt the boy, and give him the nickname Bod. Silas also watches over and teaches the boy. He also leaves the graveyard to bring him food. There are other ghosts in the graveyard that teach him such as Miss Lupescu and Liza Hempstock. They give Bod Freedom of the graveyard and he is taught tricks, and can disappear from human sight. He is allowed to explore ancient graves with monsters in them for entertainment. Bod is not allowed to leave the graveyard because the man jack still has it out for him.

When Bod is 5 years old, he became friends with a girl named Scarlett Perkins while she was playing in the cemetery. Her parents think that Bod is just an imaginary friend because he can disappear from them. Scarlett`s parents even convince her that he is just an imaginary friend. She ends up moving away and Bod is devastated. He gets very lonesome and wants human company and finally convinces Silas to let him go to human school.

This is the epic story of a little boy trying to grow up between the world of the living and the world of the dead. He uses his powers to go on amazing adventures and even stands up to a bully at school, but he is aware of what would happen if the man jack were to find him. One day, he sees a suspicious figure. Will the man jack find him again?

This novel would be great for Harry Potter fans. Many elements of this story are very similar to that of Harry Potter. The little boy`s family is murdered when he is just a baby, and he grows up practicing preposterous powers. He also lives among an absurd cast of mythical creatures, and explores monster infested tombs, just like in Harry Potter. I would recommend this book to any Harry Potter fan, or anyone fascinated by abnormal beasts. The thing I didn`t like about this book was that it was so incredible. The events that took place in this book would nrver happen in real life. It was kind of hard for me to read a novel where everything is so ridiculously impossible. You need to really use your imagination while reading this book.

The Graveyard book is a fun, yet spooky and confusing book to read. Neil Gaiman thinks of some really creative adventures in this novel. Some of the characters of this book were so interesting, I could`ve read a book just about them. I enjoyed reading this spooky fairy tale. The Graveyard Book is a must-read for anyone with a good imagination who likes a good, paranormal story.

Guest #1 Reviewer

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READ IT! READ IT! READ IT!

May 24, 2010

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5.0

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Reader reviewed by Daniel :-)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimen is a great book about Nobody Owens. The book is about a young boy named Bod, short for Nobody. In the beginning when he is a baby his mom, dad, and sister are murdered. He some how escapes. He ends up crawling in a graveyard. A ghost named Mrs. Owens finds him. She becomes his mom and Mr. Owens becomes his dad. Then he has a main guardian called Silas. He teaches him important things to live in the graveyard, like walking through walls and in life like, not sticking out. All of the ghost also start to pitch in. As he gets older he starts to have trouble with being a ghost. He starts to be more alive. Soon he finds out about the Men of Jack. I can't say any more.

I would recomend it to ages 10 and up. The words aren't too hard and there is any really bad violence. I think the author could've added some more poetic devices. Instaed of saying "dark", he could've said "dark as the bottom of a pit." I thought the organization, character point of view and ideas were fantastic! All in all I'd give this book a 4.5 out of 5. READ IT, READ IT, READ IT!

Guest #1 Reviewer

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One of the best

May 15, 2010

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5.0

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Reader reviewed by Amanda Lane

I loved this book. It was so easy to fall in love with all of the characters. I loved watching "Bod" grow up in the cemetary with all of his ghosts friends and adopted family. It was a wonderfull and fun book. I would recommend it to anyone of any age. It was great!

Guest #1 Reviewer