The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman is one of the most unique books I've ever read. As a child I was terrified of cemeteries and frankly, I'm not fond of them as an adult either. Imagine growing up in a graveyard, raised by ghosts. The story begins with a baby wandering (crawling) into a graveyard, not knowing that he was being pursued by a murderer. A kindly ghost couple vows to protect and raise the baby, and a resident vampire agrees to provide for him. The baby, now named Nobody, lives and learns surrounded by his ghostly family and friends.

The complete normalcy of Bod's life struck me. He wasn't afraid of graveyards or ghosts because it was all he knew. He found peace amongst the dead. There are many stories of orphans being raised by horrible monsters - usually human. Bod's family were dead but yet they loved him and cared for him. Go figure. It was a fresh perspective on the story.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was beautifully written and I confess to crying at the end. It's a Newbery Award Winner and deserves that award. I don't know if I would have been okay with reading it as a very sensitive child but as an adult it was no problem. It's perfectly acceptable for children to read but I think it would be great to read to a child just in case as it is a little on the dark side of things. ( )

Beautifully written reinterpretation of Kipling's 'The Jungle Books.' Gaiman rocks. ( )

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. ( )