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Loading... The Graveyard Book (original 2008; edition 2010)by Neil Gaiman (Author)1.I would recommend this book to upper elementary or even early middle school. 2.This book goes through the story for a kid who grew up in a graveyard raised by ghosts. He goes through many struggles and adventures. This curious kid tends to find a lot of trouble with ghouls, caves and a guy named Jack. This is an amazing book that demonstrates friendship and has a tad bit of history thrown in there. 3.I will definitely recommend this book in my classroom. It does involve a little bit of religion but not too much. This book however is a little scary to begin with and quite sad so it may be super rough for some kids. But it is such a good book. Very cute book. It reminded me of old school fairytales and it was a welcome change in my reading-list. It's a shame the drawings by Dave McKean were not really an addition to the story. The Graveyard Book has the same Gaiman-atmosphere (and loveable characters!) as some of his most precious short stories, like October in the Chair (from '[b:fragile things|16788|Fragile Things Short Fictions and Wonders|Neil Gaiman|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/413KcOdeB9L._SL75_.jpg|3262727]') If "Children's Gothic" is not a genre it should be, and this endearing little collection of short stories about a child growing up among crumbling tombstones with supernatural hosts for friends would fit right in. Influenced by the works of Rudyard Kipling and Ray Bradbury, Gaiman weaves just the right amount of whimsy and the macabre into these bedtime tales treating readers to high adventure, subterranean skullduggery, and warm familial ties (both alive and deceased) with a bittersweet ending that begs for a sequel. This is a book about Nobody. Nobody Owens in particular. It is a story about growing up, a name found, change experienced, and life yet to live. Most of the characters are dead- in fact, Nobody's parents are murdered before even page five. Bod (short for Nobody) is raised in the graveyard by the dead; a ghost couple adopts him and a vampire becomes his guardian. You would think a book so full of death would be depressing. Rather, it was very uplifting. Many of the conversations Bod has with his graveyard family were handled whimsically and honestly. Death is simply something that is inevitable, but right now the living's most important worry is to live. I've read this twice now, once on my own and once with the audiobook (which is great and narrated by the author) to prepare for my young readers club meeting. On a second reading, I understood better that this is a collection of stories about Bod's childhood and not a novel with a linear plot. I remembered lots of the characters, but I didn't remember why the man Jack was trying to kill Bod--and even on a second reading it's not totally clear. I teared up at the end of this. The writing is wonderful and evocative and the characters jump off the page, particularly Bod and Silas. It wins for being both spooky and deeply emotional at the same time. And, as usual, Gaiman's great at creating fantasy worlds with their own rules. Also, all of the seven kids in my book group liked this. Usually, they'll pick out certain things about books that they didn't enjoy, but they had only positive things to say about The Graveyard Book. Also, they often jump on the bandwagon and claim to have the same favorite part, but each kid had their own favorite chapter. One liked the Dreamwalking chapter. One liked the Danse Macabre. One liked the Ghoul Gate chapter. One liked the first chapter. One even liked the meeting of the Jacks of All Trades the best. My niece liked the chapter with Liza Hempstock the best. My favorite is chapter two where Bod is little and meets the Sleer and Scarlett. Does anyone think Gaiman will continue the story? I still hold out hope that Gaiman may one day write about Bod's adventures traveling the world. Nobody Owens is adorable, even when he’s being a brat. The characters that Gaiman surrounds him with are fun to read and each is uniquely individual, from the inhabitants of the graveyard, to the ghouls who kidnap him, to the members of the Jack society. And of course, his friend Scarlett. Even better is hearing this story read to you by Neil Gaiman himself. I re-read this for the Vampires vs. Werewolves square in 2016 Halloween Bingo. It’s more vampires AND werewolves, as It's like Harry Potter but in one volume and with ghosts instead of witches and wizards. Bod lives in the Graveyard and has a ghost couple as parents and a nonliving, not-dead guardian. He has the privilege of the graveyard -- which means he learns how to do a lot of tricks that ghosts do -- but has to stay in the graveyard in case the man who killed his family comes back to kill Bod. Each chapter is its own short story, but together they develop and tell an overarching story. It's well written, with details and ideas realistic enough that you think it could actually be true (in a suspended reality). There are some "scary" parts that may not be suitable for young children. I could of swore I wrote a review for The Graveyard Book on here previously. oh well. I recently reread (or rather listened to) The Graveyard Book for work as I am hosting an on-line book discussion about it. And it was just as wonderful the second time through. The Graveyard Book is one of my all time favorite novels. It is one of these rarities that exist in literature: It's a perfect book and one the imparts wisdom upon each reading. The critics obviously agree: The Graveyard Book won a top literary honor the Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature. And yes, Gaiman is an incredibly popular author but the book absolutely deserved the medal. “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” The night a killer murders his family, a child escapes off into a graveyard, where he's adopted by a loving, even-keeled ghost couple, who names him Bod Owens (sort for Nobody). The premise for The Graveyard Book is macabre, but author Neil Gaiman has a strange ability to make otherworldly characters charming and somewhat old-fashioned — loveable, even — and the story is anything but grave. For having such a sinister beginning and heavy life-and-death themes (it's the Jungle Book set in a graveyard), this book is a real joy to read. The graveyard magic is fantastic and grows in fun ways throughout the story, and the ghosts and creatures that inhabit this world make for a delightful cast of characters. And Bod is such a charming protagonist. He goes on many adventures, makes friends (not all of them dead), and begins to learn about his past and consider his future. Along the way, he encounters hideous ghouls, a witch, middle school bullies and an otherworldly fraternal order that holds the secret to his family’s murder. When he is 12 things change, and the novel’s momentum and tension pick up as he learns why he’s been in the graveyard all this time and what he needs to do to leave. You can't always stay in the Jungle with your animal pals and you can't spend the rest of your days in a Graveyard if you're living either. While essentially a children's book, this is truly a novel for all ages. This is an instant classic and a timeless novel that is along the likes of Dickens, Lewis, Tolkien, and Kipling in its appeal. It's about the joys and terror of growing up, it's about being orphaned, and it's about the empathy of a community of graveyard inhabitants. It truly does take a graveyard to raise a child. “You're alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you can change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you're dead, it's gone. Over. You've made what you've made, dreamed your dream, written your name. You may be buried here, you may even walk. But that potential is finished.” ― Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book This was a great read. Kept my interest and I was quite invested in the main character. This would have been a favorite of mine as a kid. Adventure, intrigue, fun (I mean who doesn't want to be raised by ghosts?), suspense. The ending felt a bit off to me ... I'm not sure "rushed" is the right word. A charming, somewhat dark and decidedly fairytale-esque tale, The Graveyard Book, tells the story of Nobody Owens - a living boy who is adopted by a graveyard. Reading like a collection of short stories with a recurring cast of characters and an overarching plot, each chapter tackles a different part of Nobody's life as he grows up. This was great. Nobody was brave, bold and kind and I liked how the ghosts of the graveyard embraced him. I would've liked to know a bit more detail about his family though, particularly what Nobody's An enjoyable fantasy with ghosts, adventure, danger and friendships. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars. Read by the author (I got the audiobook), this is the story of Nobody (or "Bod"). His family are murdered when Bod is a toddler, and he manages to escape to the local graveyard.[return][return]The inhabitants bring up Bod as best as they can, considering they are a mixture of ghosts, ghouls and in one instance a vampire (the only one who can leave the graveyard). [return][return]Bod grows up, learns about the "real" people outside, especially girls, and that no matter how safe people think he is, there is always the theat from the people who killed his parents..... One upside to being sick is that it gave me an excuse to finish this odd little book. Reading Gaiman's prose is like being led through a playful maze - or perhaps a "goony golf" course is more apt. I just loved the way the story spilled out onto the page. And the delight of the tale is not at all burdened by Gaiman's expert application of thematic subtext and other oft-neglected writer's tricks once discussed in language arts classrooms. This one definitely goes down as a Favorite. If you've read one Neil Gaiman book and loved it, don't expect the same formula in his other works but do expect to be drawn into the world between the pages and get lost in the world-building of each one. The same is true for this book. There is a very Gaimanesque way in which he brings elements of a story together. There have been a few authors who have mimicked this but not quite right. It's rather hard to explain. What I will say is this - this is a story about a boy and his adopted family in the middle of a graveyard that is surprisingly the most heartwarming place in the whole book. This book is tender, gentle, magical and enduring. |
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