I just finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It was another delightful tale with that particular flavor that Gaiman brings to his works. So many other people have gone into details, that I won't do so here. It was certainly worthy of the Newberry Award it received this year. It would make a delightful movie right up there with Coraline.

I must say that the composition and layout were just as original as the story itself--interspersing Dave McKean's illustrations and the opening chapter segments. The only thing close to this approach that I've seen lately is The Monsters of Templeton. The portrayal of Silas in one of the drawings reminds me of Dream himself in the Sandman characters, and the Convocation here is very reminiscent of the "cereal" convention in that series.

This story certainly does an admirable job of instilling various virtues and wisdoms. While it is set in an unnamed small town in England, and the majority of characters can safely be presumed to be white and English, there is a smattering of diversity, from Miss Lupescu who appears to be Eastern European or Russian, to extremely minor characters--Haroun the Afreet, Alonso Tomas Garcia Jones, the man with the turban and beard (Sikh?), many of the unnamed attendees of the Convocation, and there's one Japanese name mentioned among the gravestones, but I can't find it again. Neil Gaiman also excellently portrays the speech patterns of various eras and social classes in English history as our hero Nod interacts with the ghosts in his home, ranging from the single Roman buried there until the early modern era. And I think he captured foibles and troubles of every age of childhood as Nod progresses from baby to independent teenager. As I said, a charming story, definitely a keeper. My querido might not notice that it never goes home...but then, he's such a rabid Gaiman fan, probably has a microchip installed. ( )

Imaginative and unique, the Graveyard Book tells the story of a baby "adopted" by the occupants of a graveyard. Neil Gaiman certainly has a dark imagination, but the story is very entertaining. Perfect for middle-school students, who all seem to be interested in ghosts, monsters, and of course vampires right now. ( )

At first, I wasn't sure if I would like this book, but it turned out to be one of the most unique and fascinating books that I've read recently. It starts out with a bit of a jolt, following a murderer who is hunting for a child in order to complete the elimination of a certain family. However, Nobody, or "Bod" Owens escapes death that night and is protected and taken in by the ghosts of the graveyard he wandered into. It is great fun following Bod as he grows up here and has various adventures meeting ghostly characters from all different places and eras who are buried in the graveyard. He also meets a witch, some goblins, a werewolf, and the mysterious "sleer." I especially liked the mysteriousness that surrounds Silas, Bod's guardian, and the way the author gradually gives us clues to who he is yet never comes right out and tells us. Although the setting is unconventional, Bod faces many familiar issues such as trying to fit in, and wondering who he is and where he belongs. He deals with bullies at school, finds joy in making friends, and experiences the hurt and sadness of friendship lost. The end of the story is satisfying in that we finally learn who murdered Bod's family and why they have been hunting him, but it is also a bittersweet end as growing up and accepting change tend to be. ( )

Everything I’ve read by Neal Gaiman lately has been fabulous and The Graveyard Book was no exception. His latest work has that wonderful mix of elements – love, loss, humor, fear and above all, that understated quality of things left unsaid that is just SO compelling. We first meet young Bod (short for Nobody Owens) the night his parents were killed. Toddling about with his family’s killer hot on his trail, Bod happens across a local graveyard where a couple of ghosts decide to raise him as their own with the aid of the mysterious Silas who becomes his guardian. So Nobody Owens is raised in a graveyard and like any little boy must learn through school and his mistakes and as readers we are witnesses to both. More often than not, Bod’s mistakes are quite serious and require some major rescuing by various graveyard inhabitants in order to fix. Each instance brings new information, skills and truths to light while morals are discovered and friends are made without being sugar-sweet or forced upon the reader. His formal education is overseen by various ghosts who recount firsthand life in times long past which give Bod a unique understanding of history but provide little help in dealing with the technology or challenges of the present day. Perhaps it is because he was raised by ghosts but Bod is fearless and fearless kids are always wonderful to read about. They have an innate understanding that the whole world is completely open to them to do or be anything they want. Bod embodies this spirit of discovery and I am so glad a book such as this won the Newbery Award. I hope it will encourage children to venture out into the world to make mistakes, love others, learn new things and above all experience every bit of life they can. ( )

I originally bought this book to read with my ten year old. After some thought I decided he may be a little squeamish about the subject matter so I read it myself. I know the story is inspired by Kipling's Jungle Book, even so, I thought it was original. I am excited to have discovered Neil Gaiman and will be sharing Odd and the Frost Giant with my ten year old instead. ( )