Author: Neil Gaiman
Artist: Dave McKean
Genre: Fantasy
Year Published: 2008
Number of Pages: 312 pages
Date Read: 1/12/2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Library
Content Rating: Ages 13+ (Death, Murder and Some Scary Scenes)
Buy on: Amazon // Book Depository
“There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.”
That is pretty much the opening sentence to Neil Gaiman’s classic story, “The Graveyard Book,” so you definitely
know what kind of book you are getting yourself into! After reading so many of Neil Gaiman’s fantastic books (“Coraline,”
the “Sandman” series and “American Gods”), I just had to check
out one of his most beloved young adult books, “The Graveyard Book” which also had the honor of winning the Newbery Medal Award! Filled with heartwarming scenes and your
average creepy themes, “The Graveyard
Book” is certain to be a hit with fans of Neil Gaiman’s works!
The book starts off with the murder of an innocent family,
which was caused by a man named Jack (they call him “the man Jack” throughout
the book). When the man Jack thought
that he killed the whole family, it turns out that the youngest child, who was
a baby boy, managed to escape from Jack and ran to the graveyard. Since Jack could not find the child, he
decided to give off the chase. When the
citizens of the graveyard found out that the young boy’s family was killed, a
ghost couple named Mr. and Mrs. Owens, decided to raise the boy themselves and
they called him Nobody Owens. After that, the young boy Nobody Owens begin
having many adventures in the graveyard including meeting the frightening Sleer
and meeting a human girl named Scarlett, while also trying to figure out who
murdered his family.
Wow! I was totally
blown away by the plot and the imagery in this book! As always, Neil Gaiman had crafted a brilliant story that not only revolves
around the mystery of the murder of Nobody Owens’ real family, but also
provided a heartwarming story about a young boy trying to discover who he really
is and what he really wants out of life.
I loved the way that Neil Gaiman
made Nobody Owens into a sympathetic character who only wanted to see what life
was like outside of the graveyard since he spent his whole life living in a
graveyard and I often felt sorry for Nobody as his curiosity about the real
world would not let him rest. It was
also interesting in the way that Neil
Gaiman mixed in the supernatural elements (such as Nobody Owens being able
to fade so no one can see him and his ability to talk to the dead) into the
story as it made the story extremely creative and creepy to read through! I really enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of
the story as I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat trying to figure
out if the man Jack will ever find Nobody Owens and how Nobody Owens would
handle the man Jack if he ever comes across him! Dave McKean’s illustrations are simply gorgeous and creepy at the
same time as the characters look a bit abstract, as their bodies are far too
lean, but it fit the surreal atmosphere of the story! I also loved the way that Dave McKean shadowed the characters’
facial expressions as it made the characters look extremely dramatic and
mysterious in every page they appear in.
I also loved the creepy images of the graveyard as they really give off
a mysterious and frightening feel to the story (the book is called “The Graveyard Book” after all!)
Even though this book is aimed at a young audience, there
are some genuinely creepy moments in this book which includes what Nobody Owens
did to two bullies at school and some readers might be a bit frightened at the
creepy atmosphere of this book. Also,
since there are many scenes of dead people talking to Nobody Owens, some
readers would be frightened by the scenes of dead people walking around.
Overall, “The
Graveyard Book” is a truly fantastic book for fans of Neil Gaiman’s works and books with ghost, monsters and friendly
strange children!
* 2008 Cybils Awards for Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction
* 2009 ALA Teens' Top Ten
* 2009 An ALA Notable Children's Book for Middle Readers
* 2009 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year
* 2009 British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel
* 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novel
* 2009 Indies Choice Book Award for Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book (Fiction)
* 2009 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel
* 2009 Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee
* 2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Children's Literature
* 2009 Newbery Medal
* 2009 World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel
* 2010 Carnegie Medal in Literature
I really loved this book and I can't wait to read more from Gaiman. It took me a while to get through this one for some reason but I ended up loving it by the end. Great review! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Bonnie!! It took me awhile to get through this book too since I had so much to do this month, but I finally finished it and I loved it too! Now, I'm going to check out more works from Neil Gaiman!!! He's such a fantastic writer!!!
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