The Graveyard Book

Book title ______The Graveyard Book_______ 

Author _____Neil Gaiman___________ 

Publisher, Year ____ HarperCollins HarperAudio , 2008____

Bibliography 

Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book [Audiobook]. Retrieved from https://www.overdrive.com/media/171106/the-graveyard-book

Plot Summary 

The Graveyard Book is a young adult fantasy novel that follows the adventures of Nobody “Bod” Owens. Bod resides in the town’s graveyard where he is raised by his guardian, Silas, and the ghost that resides there. The story recounts the events that leads to Bod encountering his family’s murderer. 

Critical Analysis

Bod is a human child that has been granted permission to live in the graveyard by the Lady on the Grey and is able to communicate with the dead, move through walls, and is invisible to most humans. Though Bod can do all these amazing things, he is still mortal and can potentially be hurt and killed. The reason why Bod rarely leaves the graveyard is that his family’s murderer is still on the loose in search of Bod. The murderer, Jack, was part of an organization that wanted to kill people like Bod who can walk among the living and dead since it was prophesied that someone like Bod would cause the end of the organization. So, throughout Bod’s story, those who resided in the graveyard did everything in their power to protect Bod. Throughout the story, there are mini-adventures that Bod experiences that help him later on defeat Jack. For example, Bod is taken by ghouls and learns that each graveyard has one Ghouls Gate. Bod uses this knowledge to trap Jack’s accomplices. 

Even though he loves the graveyard, throughout the story Bod longs to be with other humans and see the world as he grows older. This is something that many of the intended readers can relate to since it has the theme of wanting to belong and find others that are like you. He does encounter humans and learns that they are both good and bad. The story has an array of supernatural beings including ghosts, ghouls, and werewolves to name a few. Though it is not outright stated in the book, it is hinted that Silas was a vampire since he was active only during the night, has the power of persuasion, can alter people's memories, and has no reflection. Silas has even stated that he is “neither living nor dead.” This is a common description when people describe vampires. 

Though having the setting of the story primarily in a graveyard is macabre, it is in line with Gaiman’s other work. For example, Gaiman’s Coraline has a similar dark setting and taps into the paranormal aspect. Both books focus on the children who feel out of place and explore the world similarly as Alice in Lewis Carrols’ Alice in Wonderland before they get into the challenges of the story. Unlike Coraline, this story feels like it takes longer to get to the main challenge and is consistent with mini-adventures until the last third of the book, where Silas is missing and Scarlet returns. Both of the books have a Tim Burton feel based on the gothic styles and how it touches on subjects that are normally is discussed in kids' movies like in The Corpse Bride. 

In this audiobook, the narrator happens to be the author Neil Gaiman himself. He tells the story of Nobody “Bod” Owens. Gaiman uses his native tongue to his advantage in this recording since the story takes place in present-day England. This helps the readers to listen to the pronunciation of common phrases and dialect in the setting. For example, Scarlet is described to have a Scottish accent since she lived in Scotland for a decade. Gaiman does his best to distinguish each character by giving them their own voice. At the start of the audiobook, the listeners are introduced to the name of the book and author. At both the start of the recording and at the end, the listeners learn that Neil Gaiman is the one who is reading the book. In the end, there are some recommendations on other books to listen to if the listeners enjoyed this book. The song that was used to segue to the next section was Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre. This is fitting since Danse Macabre translates to the “Dance of Death”. 

Review Excerpts and Awards

• Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award (Vermont)
• New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age
• Hugo Award
• ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults
• New York Public Library's “One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing”
• Horn Book Fanfare
• ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice
• Newbery Medal
• Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice
• ALA Notable Children’s Book
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book

Booklist: “This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life affirming….this is a rich story with broad appeal.”

Horn Book: “Lucid, evocative prose and dark fairy-tale motifs imbue the story with a dreamlike quality. …this ghost-story-cum-coming-of-age-novel as readable as it is accomplished.”

Connections

If you enjoy this book, please consider looking at the author’s website to see his other works at https://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/ or at http://www.mousecircus.com/books/ if you like to look for his children’s collection only. 

Also, consider looking into the following books if you enjoyed this one:

• The Princess Bride by William Goldman ISBN 9780727816740
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs ISBN 9781594744761
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ISBN 9789573329138