The Graveyard Book

Bod is an unusual boy who was raised in an unusual place. As a baby, Bod miraculously escapes from a brutal murderer and makes his way to a graveyard. With his parents and older sister dead, the residents of the graveyard - the ghosts - take him in and vow to protect him. Named Nobody Owens, the boy learns practical things, like reading and writing, as well as otherworldly talents, such as fading and moving through bars and coffins. With a pale complexion and the ability to blend in with his gray surroundings, Bod feels comfortable within his shadowy home. That is, until he wishes to make friends, see the world, go to school. In short scenes, the book follows Bod as he ages from baby to teen, growing up in contemporary Britain in and outside the graveyard. He learns that ghouls aren't always friendly and the undead still have a lot to teach as he learns his limitations and ages beyond his years. In Gaiman's chilling young adult novel, Bod finds new dangers and new strengths around every corner...and tombstone. The Graveyard Book is not as scary as it sounds, but it is pretty chilling at times. The book is full of amazingly crafted characters and plots that all weave together in the final climactic moments. From witches to guardians that are dead, but not quite dead, the book has everything to provoke an active imagination. What I love most about Gaiman's writing is that he doesn't change is verbiage even though he's writing for young adults. Instead, he challenges his readers to keep up, giving them far more credit than many other authors would. I find that refreshing. The Newberry award winning book is a fun journey through the streets of "Old Town" Britain. Although the book does start with a horrific murder, it's not shown, just hinted at and even in the end, the battle isn't too brutal for children to read about. The book, in it's Jungle Book way of a child being raised by ghosts, shows how to learn from mistakes, how to grow and how to follow your instincts. It shows the beauty in learning and the need for connections. I really enjoyed The Graveyard Book. I loved the characters. Bod was adorable, but it was Silas who I liked most - his mysterious guardian who cared more than one would imagine. I loved Bod's ghost parents, Mr. And Mrs. Owens who I imagined to be happily plump and constantly baking deserts (that is, if they were alive). I loved the graveyard too, as a setting. Gaiman made it just haunting enough to be realistic, but friendly and comfortable enough so you didn't worry about Bod. The book was a journey - a fun one that illustrated Bod growing up scene by scene. It wrapped you up and kept you interested up to the very last page, with characters and plot lines that are hard to forget. It was incredibly well done and a remarkable edition to Gaiman's already favorable list of publications. And as it's on it's 53rd week on the NY Times best seller list, I'm clearly not the only one to think so.

Neil Gaiman once said in an interview that, “Kids are so much braver than adults, sometimes, and so much less easily disturbed. Kids will make their nightmares up out of anything, and the important thing in fiction, if you're giving them nightmares, is to demonstrate that nightmares are beatable.” One of my favorite authors of any genre, Gaiman has proven himself time and again to be the conqueror of nightmares and daydreams and even gods. His story The Graveyard Book is a perfect example of his ability to weave a haunting tale, with fun anecdotes and life lessons that will follow children into their adult years, while still finding a special way to appeal to the adults who will pick the story up to share with their children. Though the book itself is definitely of the children’s genre, the tone of the book is that of a suspenseful, whimsical nightmare on the brink of adolescence. Told from a third person point of view, the voice of the book in that of a narrator. The opening pages of the story opens up into a grisly scene, outlining why, exactly, the book was targeted towards children older than the fifth grade. “The knife had done almost everything it was brought to do, and both the knife and the handle were wet.” (Gaiman, Pg 6.) A home invasion and triple murder sends a toddler child out into the night in search of adventure. The invader, the man Jack, tracks him to a cemetery, where the child has somehow slipped into the locked graveyard and stands upon a hill. The man Jack managed to find his way to the child, only to have him swept into the mist. Of course, we as readers know that this was really the ghostly inhabitants of the graveyard protecting the boy as requested by the weak spirit of his recently slain mother. Gaiman has several themes in the story that work together to create a flawless plot that captivates his readers. Some of the more obvious ones are death, the supernatural, fate versus free will and community. While the death and supernatural themes are easily explained in the cemetery, walking-talking-mythical creature moments, the others are actually just as obvious. It was predicted centuries prior to the time period the book was set in that a child who matched Bod’s description would destroy the Jack’s, a secret society of assassins and criminals. This makes me wonder if the events leading up to the resolution of the story, the removal of the man Jack from Bod’s life, were set in motion long before he was born, or if Bod himself truly did play a part in the entire situation. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and when Bod is given the freedom of the graveyard and taught the tricks of the ghosts (such as fading), the inhabitants pull together to raise and care for Bod as a community, ensuring his safety and education as best they could. Bod’s story is a simple tale for children, with a twist of complicated ingenuity that leaves you wanting to know more about him. You find yourself heart-broken when Scarlett, his one and only human friend, leaves him in fear, stating that he is “less than human.” And then Silas tells him, after ensuring she forget everything that had happened, that “people want to forget the impossible. It makes their world safer.” (Gaiman. Page 288.) There is a lesson to be learned as you run through the graveyard with the little orphaned boy, learning letters from the ancient tombstones and history from the oldest of ghosts, and as you sit in the classroom Bod finally attends as he desperately wants to be normal, only to find that he always attracts the strangest of attention. It is important to branch out of your comfort zone, to explore the world around you, and to learn as much as you can about that world. But it is just as important to remember where your home and heart are, and to understand that sometimes there aren’t always happy endings, and some people just are not meant to be in your life. Neil Gaiman uses his literary prowess to spin a tale of fantasy and reality in a way that steals your heart, and the only true way to realize this is by reading the book. I recommend The Graveyard Book to anyone who wants a good adventure story, with an amazing plot as well.

The Graveyard Book is a deliciously dark tale about a little boy who grows up in a graveyard. Raised and accepted by the spooky residents, Bod, short for Nobody, is only truly safe within the confines of the graveyard on the hill, where the normal rules for the living hardly apply. This book made me ugly cry. Now, you may be wondering how a spooky book about a boy in a graveyard can accomplish such a feat, but it would be a great disservice to just tell you. You must read this book. For me, I think the part that hit closest to home was the little boy in the story and how he comes to terms with growing up. As a mom of four boys, thinking about them leaving the utter magic of childhood and then facing the realities of growing up always feels bittersweet. The Graveyard Book is bittersweet. Not only will you be entertained by Gaiman's storytelling, but you will also be charmed by the characters, intrigued by elements of the story that probably could be written as their own book entirely. For example, how did the Jacks of All Trades come to be, and who exactly are they? This, and the other questions that pop up, add depth and layers to the story which allow the reader to let go and fully embrace their own imagination. I really loved this book and I highly recommend you read it.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Hey Hunters, So I started Neil Gaiman's Masterclass, wishing to improve my writing and to get a piece of mind from a professional. Now this post is a book review, so I will not be analyzing the class itself, but if you guys want me to, then leave a comment. Anyhow, in his class, he talks about his characters, how he designs them, how their needs and wants collide and how you build a character. Really what impressed me was the way he talks in his lectures, it is mesmerizing, and how he sees things when he writes about them. One of the books discussed in the lecture was The Graveyard Book. Previously I have only have read the Good Omens, and this was back when it came out and I was selected as an ARC reviewer. Since then I was overwhelmed by the number of books in existence and by staggering publishing amounts that grow yearly. Basically I knew Gaiman existed, but did not give much attention as to what was published by him. Warning minor spoilers! During his lecture, he pulls out his book, which obviously looks like a children's book, and I almost rolled my eyes at this. Then he started reading and explaining why did he write that, what he did there and so on. It was such an obvious thing on the "wants and needs" and one character getting something that they want, and how others don't. As a reader one simply glides over these things, they just seem more real when they are so well written, it feels organic, but as an author, one feels simply invigorated when all things click. When this realization comes. So I bought the book. The thing was blue, with a dust jacket. I carefully tucked the jacket away, keeping the fragile thing safe, and opened to a familiar first chapter that Gaiman analyzed in his lecture. The abundance of characters the world of the Graveyard is simply astounding, and one feels welcomed as one of the ghosts and allowed the reader to wander with little Bod and the rest. World: The setting of the book is The Graveyard. Gaiman takes us here and there on short trips to the world of humans, but Graveyard is our home. During each chapter, we read the names of people long gone, and I have a suspicion that Gaiman possibly used the real engraving from the gravestones to commemorate them in his book. Although a seemingly monotonous place, Graveyard is full of its surprises. All is always as it was at the graveyard, but one only needs to ask a question to find history and soul of this seeming teeming with life place. Characters: The man Jack The man Jack, or rather men Jack were the most startling and mysterious of the characters. They simply exist as a mystery and with an unknown purpose. We do know that they are villains, and one can draw parallel between them and maybe evil corporations, the spies, or whatnot. Still one never truly knows what they are. Dr Lupescu I loved this character. And beetroot is yummy! She is this stern lady, with a strong drive to help Bod. I liked her complexity through her small roles, they were important. One can never simply dismiss people in their life. Lupescu is one of those teachers that you ignored, but then one day realized that they have a life outside of your time and how they are actually using this small time to help you. The teacher that becomes a an alive human being not just a 45-minute mannequin. Nobody (Bod) Owens Although he is the main character, I placed him lower down the food chain, simply because other characters were much more fun for me than him. So Bod is an orphan who lives at the Graveyard of ours. We go through his life living there, the lessons he learns and mistakes that he makes. Possibly the most outstanding of his qualities was to do what was right when it was needed. His ability to learn through experience also resonated quite a bit with me. Silas One of the more mysterious characters, as we have all of him to ourselves, but never truly. He is there, but not fully. This is the best way I can describe the guardian of Bod. He is helpful, he protects, he provides, but always not fully there. Not dead, nor alive. The Ghouls Oh my goodness, THE GHOULS. I am a supernatural fan, so seeing the word ghouls gave me a little start! Of course, Gaiman described them as miniature people about the size of, I believe, a seven or eight-year-old. Things that do not remember, things that always hunger, they live in Ghoulheim, but they never create, they only scavenge. I really liked a chapter with them, as they were simply adorable! Plot: It is always difficult to find a plot and meaning in a very good book, there is always simply soo much to dig up. One can always find his meaning, but another person will simply find the one that fit them the most. I guess this is why literary critics exist. This book focused on everything: Growing Up Growing Old Dying Memory Friendship Good vs. Evil Being a hero Learning and life lessons This book was simply packed with themes and plots. And my list is in no way a complete one. If you were to read this book, I would want for you to find the lessons that simply were written for you and not look for mine. Final Thoughts: I wish that I would've read this book when I was younger, maybe 8 or 12. I see this book as I see The Hobbit, its a journey to adulthood. One must read this book when they are young to learn common themes and then once more as an adult to grasp the text in its entirety. It is a beautifully and thoughtfully written book, with so much backbone to it. In my house, it is an instant classic and if I ever have kids, it will be a must-read. Cheers, Regina Hunter

Captivating and surprising story line. Neil Gaiman always comes up with ideas that are so quirky and unexpected, you're always in for a pleasant surprise.

Una MARAVILLA. Excelente lectura para niños inteligentes, con un mensaje súper trascendente. Ideal para presentarle a los niños de entre 8 y 12 años el tema de la muerte de una forma nada morbosa. Tiene momentos oscuros y que asustan un poco, pero no excede en ese aspecto a algunos momentos de Harry Potter (por ejemplo). Es un libro que también pueden disfrutar los adultos de cualquier edad. Emotivo. Me imagino que es ideal para comentar en un club de lectura o en una clase.

Acquistato per ovvie esigenze scolastiche il prodotto si è dimostrato conforme a quanto descritto nell'inserzione e quindi consigliato l'acquisto per coloro che sono alla ricerca di un prodotto con tali caratteristiche