The Graveyard Book

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The Graveyard Book
Bibliography
Nowlan, Kevin, P. Craig. Russell, and Neil Gaiman. The graveyard book: volume 1. Sydney: HarperCollins Childrens , a division of HarperCollins Publishers, 2014. Print. ISBN 0060530928
Plot Summary
In a dark house near a cemetery a mother, father, and sister sadly have lost their lives to a hit man.  Yet, a baby unknowingly escapes and finds himself in the most unlikely place for an infant. Mr. and Mrs. Owens are ghosts of the cemetery they find the baby and believe it’s their duty to look after him. The baby’s mother appears in form of a spirit and pleads that they protect her son. Mr. and Mrs. Owens take in the baby along with Silas another inhabitant of the cemetery. The graveyard ghosts all try to help the baby while growing up. They named him Nobody, Bod for short.
Critical Analysis
In this fictional book the main character Bod, is a boy who has found himself living in abnormal circumstances. Each chapter of this story holds a special part of Bod’s life that has influenced him in some way. The chapters skip about two years apart of Bods life but demonstrate the crucial parts of his life. This fantasy story includes all sorts of characters such as ghosts, wolves, vampires, and even ghouls. One can see how the author used nontraditional heroes in his story. The book has suspense, humor, and adventure that will keep readers flipping through the pages. The ghosts have spent thousands of years in the graveyard so it seems as though the book takes places somewhere in England. The graveyard is all Bod knows, but slowly begins to leave it behind. Throughout the story Bod begins to transition into the real world just like children have to separate fantasy and reality. The author gives great detail in the text though with so many visuals one can understand what is occurring without even having to read. There are several themes that the book contains such as the power of love, acceptance, growing up, and good triumphing over evil.
Review Excerpts
Review in GOODREADS: “Inventive, chilling, and filled with wonder, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book reaches new heights in this stunning adaptation.”
Review in PUBLISHERSWEEKLY: “It’s a treasure worth having even if the novel is already on the shelf.”
Review in KIRKUS: “The real achievement of this adaptation is that readers will want to jump back to the novel and then leap back again, time after time.”
Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominee for Best Coloring (for Lovern Kindzierski) (2015)
Connections
Students can use this to try and create a family tree after reading the book. This book cannot only attract students that have an interest in fantasy books, but also history. Students could discuss the fears of growing up or compare different eras in time. Books similar to this:
Mignola, Mike. Baltimore, Vol. 3: A Passing Stranger and Other Stories (Baltimore #3). ISBN 1616551828

Carroll, Emily. Through the Woods. ISBN 1442465956

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