Bod, although named Nobody Owens, isn’t a nobody. Someone wants him dead. The Man Jack killed his parents and sister one dark night. Bod was just a toddler and narrowly escaped The Man Jack’s knife when he wandered off into the cemetery just across the way from his parent’s home. It was highly unprecedented, but Mr. and Mrs. Owens, both ghosts who have already lived in the graveyard for many years, agree to adopt Bod when the ghost of his mother begs Mrs. Owens to care for him. The graveyard as a whole did not agree to accept Bod and give him the freedom of the graveyard only after Silas also agrees to be his guardian. Silas, unlike the ghosts inhabiting the cemetery, has access to the world outside of the graveyard and can ensure that Bod is fed and educated. Thus begins Bod’s unconventional upbringing. Despite the circumstances, Bod is a typical boy and that often gets him into trouble. It is just that which teaches him what he needs to know to survive within and without the walls of the graveyard.

I had intended to read Neverwhere as my first Neil Gaiman novel, but when I found myself with a credit at Audible.com and noticed that the author himself narrated The Graveyard Book, I had to buy it. Once it was on my MP3 player, I couldn’t stop myself from listening to it. I couldn’t be more thrilled that book was my introduction. It was alive in place and character. I loved Bod, Silas, Mrs. Owens, Scarlett, and Liza. I even enjoyed the less savory characters Bod meets along the way. One of my favorite chapters was when he meets up with the ghouls. I loved the imagination that went into creating their existence, their means of transportation, and their names: The Duke of Westminster, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Lord High Mayor of London, and The 33rd President of the United States (poor President Truman – I had to look that up because I had to know). The dialog was equally delightful – not just with the ghouls, but with all of the characters. While I’m sure that the dialog would have stood out if I had read the print version of this book, Gaiman is fantastic in his narration and really brought out the interplay and poetry in his prose.

I cannot say enough about this book. I listened to it on audio as narrated by Neil Gaiman himself. I listened to Bod’s story on my way to and from work and whenever I got a chance in between. I was enthralled by the different worlds I got to explore along with Bod. It really captured my imagination. I looked forward to my time in the graveyard and was very impressed by the author’s narration. In many ways, I think that made the experience for me. To hear the accents of the ghouls, the Owens’, Silas, and Scarlett made them all come to life. I have a print version of this novel as well and I found myself going to it to reread what I had heard that day and getting excited all over again. The ending, in so many ways, was bittersweet for me. I miss Bod, all of his friends, and all of the things to see and explore in his adoptive home. I look forward to the day that my daughters are old enough to listen to this story along with me, not that I think I can wait that long to read The Graveyard Book again for myself. ( )

Reviewed by Claire E. Gross in Horn Book Magazine (Nov/Dec2008, Vol. 84 Issue 6, p703-704) Found review through HW Wilson collection http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta...

As always Mr. Gaiman takes us to an interesting, usually unique world. In this case the Jacks are bad guys, Jack Frost, Jack Ketch, every man Jack of them! Bod is the toddler that escapes an attack by one of the Jacks by toddling into the graveyard and being adopted by a couple of ghosts, and tended by various creatures including a werewolf as well as the ghost of a witch and much more.

He has his adventures within the graveyard and occasionally outside it too. He makes friends, and eventually works to defeat the Jacks. But, and in a wonderfully handled and surprising way, his actions are not without consequence.

Brilliant.

The pictures at the start of each chapter are a delight too. ( )

A great blend of the funny (the tombstones!) and the creepy (that opening sentence!) The chapters had a fairly episodic feel, but each moved the story along as well, and I was surprised to find myself all choked up at the end. I almost really liked the illustrations, since they added nicely to the mood of the book, but any time a character was depicted, the illustrations clashed with the images in my head. I would definitely recommend this to kids who can handle a little creepy. The premise is really great - a boy being raised by a graveyard - and I'm happy to say the execution lives up to the premise. ( )

I'm not going to give this a star rating because I shouldn't have picked it up in the first place. From the description, I thought it was a young adult book but, in fact, it's a children's book, which I can't finish.

There might be an additional tiny problem too - it's a children's book and yet the content seems to be a bit on the mature side -murder, ghosts, graveyards - for children.

The main character is a child, acts like a child and has a child's problems. Since I haven't been one of these for a very long time, I cannot relate to the character, his tribulations, or his "story". I also am not a big fan of ghouls and ghosts doing things just because they would be "scary" for children.

I'm sure a 12 year old would find that it's a great story. If you like suspense, action, or a plot that has events which have a purpose other than to shock or scare children (i.e. to advance the story, perhaps, or to develop a character...) then I'd recommend you find a different book.

really enjoyed this book, its pretty dark but has some great comic moments ( )

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, won the Newbery Medal for 2009, so I had high hopes. While those hopes weren't dashed by any means, they weren't lived up to. The book starts out as a murder-mystery (which makes me question its genre as Children's literature, but who am I to judge?) and I was hooked.

This is the story of Nobody "Bod" Owens, a toddler who escaped from the man who killed his family and is taken in by the occupants of the local graveyard - a hodgepodge of ghosts and spirits. Bod is well cared for and brought food by his guardian, Silas, who is not quite of the spirit world, but not of the human world, either.

Eventually, of course, Bod must come face to face with his family's murderer, and I have to say there was an unexpected and greatly appreciated twist concerning that. But I found the middle part of the book was a bit boring. It seemed like Gaiman was trying to pass the time between Bod's toddler years until he was old enough to face off against his nemesis. There were a few bits of information or experiences that were important later on, but as a whole I thought it could have been a bit more exciting. The climax, however, was great, and the ending was emotional, so that definitely brought it back up to the expectations I had in the beginning.

Maybe I'm being overly critical. It has been awhile since I've read Children's literature, and I'm guessing this book is just right for a lot of kids - mystery, suspense, a coming-of-age tale where the main character feels what kids his age feel - but for me, it wasn't my favorite. Good, but not great.

3.5 out of 5 stars ( )

This book is a fantasy book. It tells the story of Bod, whose family is killed when he is just a little baby. He is taken in by a graveyard full of ghosts and raised to be an intelligent young man. He must face the man who killed his family and then live amongst the living, but is he ready? A great book that keeps you interested throughout the entire story.

This is about a boy whos family was murdered and so he is raised in a graveyard. It tell his adventures and the line between death and human life. I wouldn't use this in my classroom. If i was I was leave this as an optional read. Students would be asked to write a book report on it.

Harry Potteresque. ( )

Creepy, touching, and thoroughly enjoyable! ( )

Intriguing ( )

thoroughly enjoyable also for adults! ( )

Nobody Owens, Bod for short, is a very alive boy who happens to call a graveyard home. After his family was murdered when his was only a baby, Bod found himself adopted by ghosts and given the freedom of the graveyard. This freedom not only lets him explore things the living never could but also keeps him safe from the man who killed his family and still looks to finish his job—murdering Bod! But this is only inside the gates of the graveyard, outside is a whole alive world where Bod cannot be protected.

The 2009 Newberry Medal. Suggested ages are from 8-12 but this book could easily be enjoyed by teens either on their own or read to them. ( )

Surprising story. Seems to start out like Harry Potter and takes the reader a totally different place. ( )

When his entire family is murdered, a toddler wanders into a graveyard. Adopted by the ghosts there, he grows up as Nobody "Bod" Owens. The dead, undead and otherwise who frequent the graveyard do their best to protect him, but as Bod grows, he is endangered by his own curiosity and independence as well as by the continuing menace of the man who killed his family… and is still looking for him.

The premise sounds quite interesting, and I bought a copy of the book for my middle school class library. I loved "Stardust" and was disappointed by this book. Although there are some interesting moments (as when Bod's ghost friends have to explain to him that it is preferable to be alive) and some of the characters are intriguing, something was missing. The mystery of who wants to kill Bod and why turns out to be rather flat. Bod's friendship with Scarlet, a girl who visits the graveyard, lacks real emotion. Not much comes of Bod's time at school. In short, it was rather dull to read. ( )

Personally, I believe this is Neil Gaiman's best book ever! Although it can be very vague at times, if you reflect on the plot, it will become easier to understand. I couldn't stop reading.... a true masterpiece of the 21st century. ( )

Perhaps this book would make a better film than a book. The writing style is too slow and heavy for my taste, but the plot, a child raised by ghosts, is interesting. Fans of "The Jungle Book" might like this one. ( )

This book is a ecxelent book. It is my all time favorite, it is a murder mistery. i recomend reading this book if you like suspence. ( )

Good as always ( )

Appeal to anyone who wants a good ghost story. Magical, scarry adventure.

This was a fun coming-of-age read. I loved Bod, Silas, and all the others who helped Bod mature. I look forward to more from Gaiman. ( )

The beginning of this book, when a baby is the only family member left alive, caught me right away. But after the first 30 pages, the pace slowed for me.

Gaiman's language didn't seem accessible for children at all, and I doubt that it would grab the attention of older readers. It seems like it would be best as a read-aloud.

I expected too much. ( )

Reviewed by Breia "The Brain" Brickey for TeensReadToo.com

To start, I have to say that even though I have been reviewing young adult books, I have only been reviewing them from an adult point of view. I enjoyed reading this book so much and feel that, like his other book that I recently read, CORALINE, this is also a metaphor for growing up. That said, I shall revert to my young adult point of view.

I don't know that I knew much about metaphors and the like when I was younger, but overlooking any of that this was an awesome book to read. I enjoyed the characters throughout the book, especially the people who took care of Bod on a daily basis, like Miss Lupescu and Liza. The ending was kind of sad for me, though I knew it had to happen that way for the story to come to an end.

The story itself was very descriptive and I felt as if I was growing up along with Bod. The only thing that I would have changed is that I wanted to know more about The Jacks and the prophecy that they spoke of. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is filled with wondrous creatures and I liked the few pictures that there were - they were very well-drawn and I would have liked to have seen more of them.

Overall, I rate this a fantastic read and give it 5 Stars. ( )

D: This is probably my favorite thing that Neil Gaiman has written, which is saying quite a lot. It has a wonderful "Ray Bradbury" quality while still retaining Gaiman's own voice. ( )