At first, I wasn't sure if I would like this book, but it turned out to be one of the most unique and fascinating books that I've read recently. It starts out with a bit of a jolt, following a murderer who is hunting for a child in order to complete the elimination of a certain family. However, Nobody, or "Bod" Owens escapes death that night and is protected and taken in by the ghosts of the graveyard he wandered into. It is great fun following Bod as he grows up here and has various adventures meeting ghostly characters from all different places and eras who are buried in the graveyard. He also meets a witch, some goblins, a werewolf, and the mysterious "sleer." I especially liked the mysteriousness that surrounds Silas, Bod's guardian, and the way the author gradually gives us clues to who he is yet never comes right out and tells us. Although the setting is unconventional, Bod faces many familiar issues such as trying to fit in, and wondering who he is and where he belongs. He deals with bullies at school, finds joy in making friends, and experiences the hurt and sadness of friendship lost. The end of the story is satisfying in that we finally learn who murdered Bod's family and why they have been hunting him, but it is also a bittersweet end as growing up and accepting change tend to be. ( )

Everything I’ve read by Neal Gaiman lately has been fabulous and The Graveyard Book was no exception. His latest work has that wonderful mix of elements – love, loss, humor, fear and above all, that understated quality of things left unsaid that is just SO compelling. We first meet young Bod (short for Nobody Owens) the night his parents were killed. Toddling about with his family’s killer hot on his trail, Bod happens across a local graveyard where a couple of ghosts decide to raise him as their own with the aid of the mysterious Silas who becomes his guardian. So Nobody Owens is raised in a graveyard and like any little boy must learn through school and his mistakes and as readers we are witnesses to both. More often than not, Bod’s mistakes are quite serious and require some major rescuing by various graveyard inhabitants in order to fix. Each instance brings new information, skills and truths to light while morals are discovered and friends are made without being sugar-sweet or forced upon the reader. His formal education is overseen by various ghosts who recount firsthand life in times long past which give Bod a unique understanding of history but provide little help in dealing with the technology or challenges of the present day. Perhaps it is because he was raised by ghosts but Bod is fearless and fearless kids are always wonderful to read about. They have an innate understanding that the whole world is completely open to them to do or be anything they want. Bod embodies this spirit of discovery and I am so glad a book such as this won the Newbery Award. I hope it will encourage children to venture out into the world to make mistakes, love others, learn new things and above all experience every bit of life they can. ( )

I originally bought this book to read with my ten year old. After some thought I decided he may be a little squeamish about the subject matter so I read it myself. I know the story is inspired by Kipling's Jungle Book, even so, I thought it was original. I am excited to have discovered Neil Gaiman and will be sharing Odd and the Frost Giant with my ten year old instead. ( )

2009 Newberry Medal Winner
The Graveyard Book is a story of Bod, short for Nobody, Owens who is raised in a graveyard. His family is murdered when he is young. He wanders off while the murderer is still in the house. While the murderer is looking for him he wanders to a graveyard that is no longer used. His recently murdered mother pleads with one of the ghosts in the graveyard to keep her son safe. The ghosts hold a meeting and finally come to the decision that they will care for the child. He is given “Freedom of the Graveyard” and is adopted by Mr and Mrs Owens. He is also appointed a guardian, Silas. Most of the ghosts in the graveyard participate in his upbringing and teaching. This is about the adventures he has as he grows up in the graveyard with friends, both ghosts and living people.
The idea of a living child living in graveyard, being raised by ghost did not seen like it could be wound into a good story. I have obviously never read any of Neil Gaimean. I absolutely loved this book. It was nothing like I expected. It was so unexpectedly intriguing that once I started reading I could not put it down (literally). Bod’s adventure from when he is a young boy, all the way through his reaching an age where he can go out in the real world, are wonderfully woven and however unrealistic they may be, are no less intriguing. Silas, as his guardian, is such a mystery that you can’t wait to find out more about him. The ghosts that live in the graveyard (and Potters Field) have all lived in different era’s. This makes Bod’s learning more difficult as speech, technology and many other things change throughout the members of the graveyard. It is illustrated by Dave McKean. He used black and white depictions that fit in fantastic with the whole idea of the story.
This is not a book that I would normally pick up and read. I am so pleased that I had it on hand to read in a crunch because I cannot say enough good things about it. I would recommend this book to anyone. Even though some of the themes-adventures in this book are a little scary, the language that Neil Gaiman uses to describe them would make it appropriate for just about any age. This would be a great book to read to kids ( )

I love Neil Gaiman's way of telling stories. They are dark, but always have a great message to them. This would be a great young reader.