Book Review Module 6 -- The Graveyard Book

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book (Audio). NY: Harper Children’s Audio. ISBN -- 9780061551895.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Neil Gaiman creates for readers (and listeners) a world where a toddler can escape a killer by taking refuge in a graveyard and makes the reader fully believe that a couple there adopt him as the child they never had. Not only is Nobody (Bod for short) adopted by the Owenses, but by all of the graveyard’s inhabitants.

As the tale unfolds, the ghosts seem more and more like they are the real people and the townspeople the odd ones. Bod is fed and clothed by his guardians, especially with the help of Silas, who is the only one who can actually leave the graveyard, but he is also furnished a well-rounded education by Silas, Miss Lupescu, and Mr. Pennyworth.

Gaiman fully utilizes the setting of the British graveyard but also includes the village and some of its inhabitants to teach the readers that life is not always fair, growing up is hard no matter who your parents are, most rules are established for good reasons, and good character will always have its enemies. Yet he teaches these life truths through an engaging story and admirable characters.

The audio version is read by the author whose English accent makes the story even more wonderful. Each character has a unique and suitable voice. For this listener, the entire experience was totally enjoyable.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
--Neil Gaiman is one of the true gems in the audio industry... Gaiman gives each specter a different—and wholly appropriate—voice... an absolute showstopper. A.H.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2009 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2008
Praise for the print version
--Hugo Award for Best Novel (2009)
--Newbery Medal (2009)
--Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel (2009)
--British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2009)
--Cybils Award (2008)
--Audie Award Nominee for Thriller/Suspense (2009)
--American Library Association (ALA) Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Notable Children's Book for Middle Readers (2009)
"Like a bite of dark Halloween chocolate, this novel proves rich, bittersweet and very satisfying." (Washington Post )

"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." (Horn Book (starred review) )

"The Graveyard Book is endlessly inventive, masterfully told and, like Bod himself, too clever to fit into only one place. This is a book for everyone. You will love it to death." (Holly Black, co-creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles )

"It takes a graveyard to raise a child. My favorite thing about this book was watching Bod grow up in his fine crumbly graveyard with his dead and living friends. The Graveyard Book is another surprising and terrific book from Neil Gaiman." (Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife )

"Wistful, witty, wise-and creepy. This needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child." (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) )

The Graveyard Book is everything everyone loves about Neil Gaiman, only multiplied many times over, a novel that showcases his effortless feel for narrative, his flawless instincts for suspense, and above all, his dark, almost silky sense of humor. (Joe Hill, author of Heart-Shaped Box )

"The Graveyard Book manages the remarkable feat of playing delightful jazz riffs on Kipling's classic Jungle Books. One might call this book a small jewel, but in fact it's much bigger within than it looks from the outside." (Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn )

"After finishing The Graveyard Book, I had only one thought - I hope there's more. I want to see more of the adventures of Nobody Owens, and there is no higher praise for a book." (Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels )

"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. " (Booklist (starred review) )

"This is, quite frankly, the best book Neil Gaiman has ever written. How he has managed to combine fascinating, friendly, frightening and fearsome in one fantasy I shall never know, but he has pulled it off magnificently - perfect for Halloween and any other time of the year." (Diana Wynne Jones, author of The Chronicles of Chrestomanci )

"THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form. In this novel of wonder, Neil Gaiman follows in the footsteps of long-ago storytellers, weaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment." (New York Times Book Review )

"I wish my younger self could have had the opportunity to read and re-read this wonderful book, and my older self wishes that I had written it." (Garth Nix, author of The Abhorsen Trilogy )


CONNECTIONS

*Prepare a display of other Neil Gaiman books, as readers are sure to want more
*Compare and contract The Graveyard Book with Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book
*Watch the video on Gaiman’s website (http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx?VideoID=18) and have students choose a passage to practice reading aloud