Fear was my gateway to becoming interested in stories. My nanny growing up, a Scottish expat named Jackie with a fox pelt of red hair and a manic...
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nrlymrtl, October 26, 2012 (view all comments by nrlymrtl)
Miss Lupescu (shape shifter), Scarlett (Bod’s first live friend), and Liza Hempstock (deceased witch) are some of my favorite characters. As Bod ages, he learns about ghouls, school bullies, and eventually the man who killed his first family.
I love this book for many reasons. Neil Gaiman does an excellent job of showing that not all scary things are inherently evil. Each chapter shows yet another facet of the world of the graveyard and those experiences shape Bod as he grows into a young man. I would jump for joy if Gaiman wrote a follow up novel exploring Bod’s life after this book.
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Heather Sturgill, August 6, 2012 (view all comments by Heather Sturgill)
This is a wonderful book of death, intrigue, love and life. Neil Gaiman writes like a watercolor, the edges of murder and horrors sit at the edge of the story, just out of focus rather than bludgeoning the reader in the way of so many horror writers. Though much of this story is sad, it is truly about being loved and growing up to face your demons.
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Andrew Karcs, May 13, 2012 (view all comments by Andrew Karcs)
What an amazing book!! Neil Gaiman outdoes himself once again, I must say, with this heart-wrenching tale of what happens to a boy, whose parents were killed by a mysterious man, and who is raised by ghosts, in a graveyard. A great book, and one you won't forget!!!
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clairepiper, January 19, 2012 (view all comments by clairepiper)
Hands down, the best book I've read this year. Probably in my top ten of best books ever. Even better is to listen to it as an audiobook, read by Neil himself.
Firiel, September 29, 2011 (view all comments by Firiel)
A great work from a great writer, this story is everything a children's book should be...Sad, magical, sweet. It makes you aware of how hard it is to always know good from bad.
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"A lavish middle-grade novel, Gaiman's first since Coraline, this gothic fantasy almost lives up to its extravagant advance billing. The opening is enthralling: 'There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.' Evading the murderer who kills the rest of his family, a child roughly 18 months old climbs out of his crib, bumps his bottom down a steep stairway, walks out the open door and crosses the street into the cemetery opposite, where ghosts take him in. What mystery/horror/suspense reader could stop here, especially with Gaiman's talent for storytelling? The author riffs on the Jungle Book, folklore, nursery rhymes and history; he tosses in werewolves and hints at vampires — and he makes these figures seem like metaphors for transitions in childhood and youth. As the boy, called Nobody or Bod, grows up, the killer still stalking him, there are slack moments and some repetition — not enough to spoil a reader's pleasure, but noticeable all the same. When the chilling moments do come, they are as genuinely frightening as only Gaiman can make them, and redeem any shortcomings. Ages 10–up." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review A Day"
by Chris A. Bolton, Powells.com,
"The Graveyard Book is one of Gaiman's best novels. With some notable exceptions, like Stardust and Anansi Boys, I prefer Gaiman's comic book writing (i.e. the Sandman series) to his prose, but this book is a joy to read. The scenes and characters spring vividly to life in a way that helped mark Gaiman's reputation as a comic writer but doesn't always happen in his prose. Don't be surprised to find yourself wishing you could trade places with Bod and grow up in a cemetery, yourself." (read the entire Powells.com review)
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review),
"Wistful, witty, wise — and creepy. Gaiman's riff on Kipling's Mowgli stories never falters, from the truly spine-tingling opening...to the melancholy, life-affirming ending....[T]his needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child."
"Review"
by 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."
"Review"
by VOYA,
"Gaiman writes with charm and humor, and again he has a real winner....The conclusion is satisfying, but it leaves room for a sequel. Everyone who reads this book will hope fervently that the very busy author gets around to writing one soon."
"Review"
by Joe Hill, author of Heart-Shaped Box,
"The Graveyard Book is everything everyone loves about Neil Gaiman, only multiplied many times over, a novel that showcases his effortless feel for narrative, his flawless instincts for suspense, and above all, his dark, almost silky sense of humor."
"Review"
by The Onion A.V. Club,
"Gaiman's gift for invention and wit are as present as ever....The Graveyard Book lacks the scope of Gaiman's best-known efforts, but some stories don't need to be epic; they simply need to be. (Grade: A)"
"Review"
by A Fuse #8 Production,
"The Graveyard Book is one of the most emotionally honest books I've yet to have read this year. Smart and focused, touching and wry, it takes the story of a boy raised by ghosts and extends it beyond the restrictive borders of the setting. Great stuff."
"Review"
by KLIATT,
"Gaiman has a true gift for narrative and a delightfully light touch, and there are humorous details along with spine-chilling ones. YAs will race through this fine tale and enjoy every magical, creepy moment."
"Review"
by 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."
"Review"
by Washington Post,
"Like a bite of dark Halloween chocolate, this novel proves rich, bittersweet and very satisfying."
"Review"
by New York Times Book Review,
"The Graveyard Book, by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form. In this novel of wonder, Neil Gaiman follows in the footsteps of long-ago storytellers, weaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment."
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
In his Newbery Medal-winning novel, Gaiman introduces Bod, a boy who is the only living resident of a graveyard. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? Illustrations.
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
It takes a graveyard to raise a child.
Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy — an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack — who has already killed Bod's family.
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