Module 4: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Summary

Nobody Owens' family is killed within the first few pages of this story. Only a little baby, he crawls away from the scene and into a graveyard. The inhabitants of the graveyard, ghostly beings, decide to become Nobody (Bod's) caretakers. The variety and ages of the characters in the graveyard lead Bod on several adventures which makes this story a delight.

Bibliographic Citation

Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book. New York: Harper Collins.

Impressions

I liked this story a great deal. The idea that ghosts in a graveyard are caretakers of a young boy is and interesting one. The characters and storyline are memorable. I have enjoyed reading other books by Neil Gaiman, but was really delighted with this one.

Reviews

While a highly motivated killer murders his family, a baby, ignorant of the horrific goings-on but bent on independence, pulls himself out of his crib and toddles out of the house and into the night. This is most unfortunate for the killer, since the baby was his prime target. Finding his way through the barred fence of an ancient graveyard, the baby is discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a stable and caring couple with no children of their own—and who just happen to be dead. After much debate with the graveyard’s rather opinionated denizens, it is decided that the Owenses will take in the child. Under their care and the sponsorship of the mysterious Silas, the baby is named “Nobody” and raised among the dead to protect him from the killer, who relentlessly pursues him. 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. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages.— Holly Koelling

Reviewed September 15, 2008-Booklist

Gr 5- 8 Somewhere in contemporary Britain, "the man Jack" uses his razor-sharp knife to murder a family, but the youngest, a toddler, slips away. The boy ends up in a graveyard, where the ghostly inhabitants adopt him to keep him safe. Nobody Owens, so named because he "looks like nobody but himself," grows up among a multigenerational cast of characters from different historical periods that includes matronly Mistress Owens; ancient Roman Caius Pompeius; an opinionated young witch; a melodramatic hack poet; and Bod's beloved mentor and guardian, Silas, who is neither living nor dead and has secrets of his own. As he grows up, Bod has a series of adventures, both in and out of the graveyard, and the threat of the man Jack who continues to hunt for him is ever present. Bod's love for his graveyard family and vice versa provide the emotional center, amid suspense, spot-on humor, and delightful scene-setting. The child Bod's behavior is occasionally too precocious to be believed, and a series of puns on the name Jack render the villain a bit less frightening than he should be, though only momentarily. Aside from these small flaws, however, Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family."Megan Honig, New York Public Library"
Reviewed October 1, 2008-School Library Journal

Library Settings

This book could be placed in a Halloween book display. It could be also used in a book talk program about ghosts and ghouls.