The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Bibliography:

Gaiman, Neil. 2010. The Graveyard Book. Ill. McKean, Dave. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. 9780060530938

Plot Summary:
Nobody “Bod” Owens lives in a graveyard, but he isn’t a ghost – he is a real human boy. After Bod’s entire family was murdered when he was a barely old enough to walk, he wandered into a graveyard where he was saved by and adopted by a ghostly couple named Mr. and Mrs. Owens. As long as Bod stays in the graveyard, he will be protected from the man who killed his family. What will happen if Bod leaves the safety of the graveyard? Join Bod on his journey of self discovery, humor, and revenge!

Critical Analysis:
The characters in this story all have interesting personalities which are unique to each character. Young readers may find Bod's character irresistibly likable and easy to identify with. Bod’s personality changes as he grows up, which is to be expected from any growing child. Bod’s behavior early on in the book makes him out to be a spoiled child who feels sorry for himself. His sulky behavior causes him to be taken by a group of ghouls. Once Bod was rescued by an unsuspecting person, Bod’s behavior begins to grow and change as he realizes the mistakes he has made.

The plot of this story is remarkably attractive and hard to resist. The story begins with a terrifying scene of an entire family, except for one little boy, being murdered. By some strange luck, Bod “accidentally” wanders into a graveyard where he is adopted and loved by the inhabitants of the graveyard. Each chapter displays a portion of Bod’s life and the trials he went through while growing up as the only living soul in the graveyard. In the end, the unraveled plot will shock you, surprise you, and might even make you cry.

The setting is obviously in a graveyard, but it is in located in Old Town which is supposed to be somewhere in England. Neil Gaiman does a fantastic job of describing the graveyard all throughout the book to the point that it almost possible to create a map of the graveyard and the graves of each inhabitant in your mind. One of my favorite little details is whenever Bod walks by or up to a headstone and the text on the stone is shared with the audience. It seems realistic for someone to read a headstone as they walk by and I think this is why Gaiman incorporated this little detail in the story. Here are two examples from the book:

"Digby Poole (1785-1860), As I Am So Shall You Be" (p. 164)

"Majella Godspeed, Spinster of this Parish, 1791-1870, Lost to All But Memory" (p. 221)

Throughout the entire book Bod’s guardian, Silas, is always telling him that he is only safe in the graveyard and it is the only place his friends can protect him. Gaiman’s graveyard is described in such a way that even the reader can feel the safety in the graveyard and the reader won’t be able to help but worry about Bod when he leaves the gate.

Any book written by Neil Gaiman will no doubt have its own style. Bod’s character does things no human would ever be able to do, such as: fade, dreamwalk, or even walk through walls while in the graveyard. As though to keep with the fantasy genre this book fits in Gaiman creates the creepy, made-up place known as Ghûlheim. Ghûlheim is the home of the ghouls:

     “Even from the path below Ghûlheim, even from miles away, Bod could see that all of the angels were  wrong – that the walls sloped crazily, that it was every nightmare he had ever endured made into a place, like a huge mouth of jutting teeth. It was a city that had been built just to be abandoned, in which all the fears and madnesses and revulsions of the creatures who built it were made into stone. The ghoul-folk found it and delighted in it and called it home.”
(p. 82)

Dave McKean's artwork is cleverly placed at the beginning of each chapter and randomly throughout the pages. McKean's drawings do well to depict a being without providing the visible characteristics and traits associated with human beings. The drawn images of the ghosts offer blurred lines and unintelligible facial features in order to keep up with the 'creepy' feeling portrayed throughout the book.
 

This book is recommended for children ages 8 and up.


Review Excerpt(s):

Newbery Medal (2009)

Kirkus Reviews – given a blue star for remarkable merit – (2008) “this needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child.”

School Library Journal (2009) “This captivating production makes the story accessible to younger students as well as reluctant readers.”


Connections:

• Pair this title with other great favorites such as:
       Divergent by Veronica Roth
       The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
       Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
• Have the child(ren) select their favorite part(s) in the story and create pencil drawings to depict their favorite scenes. 
• Give the child(ren) a pencil and a large sheet of paper and ask the child(ren) to try and draw a map of Bod's graveyard. Encouraged the child(ren) to look for details within the book to help them in their efforts.