Young Adult Fantasy #2

Book Review For:

 

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. 1^st ed. New York: HarperCollins
        Publishers. ISBN 9780060530921

Baby Bod takes refuge from his family’s murderer in the local graveyard, where he is raised by ghosts and those who walk in between the living and the dead. Bod struggles with growing up and becoming more independent just like any ordinary child, but his environment and interactions with other beings are anything but ordinary. Bod makes many mistakes and is an endearing character, one that adolescents can relate to. But, will Bod be able to stretch his wings, have human friends, and experience the world, or will he have to forever hide from his family’s murderer?

Gaiman uses clever wording to create an eerie atmosphere. For example, at one point in the story, one of Bod’s teachers is described as “the grey wolf that was Miss Lupescu”, and “Now he could see the Milky Way, see it as he had never seen it before, a glimmering shroud across the arch of the sky (Gaiman, 2008, p. 95).” Gaiman also makes use of interesting, somewhat distorted, black and white sketches that are interspersed among the pages. This tale is artfully arranged from the beginning to the end.

Educators could present this story around Halloween time. Teenagers could be divided in half for two teams to answer questions about the story in a friendly competition. Rules might include that the same person could not answer two questions in a row, etc., to prevent one individual from hogging all the questions. Gaiman’s book CORALINE could also be read, and the two stories could be compared. How the author has achieved his particular style of writing could additionally be discussed.

 

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK has won awards such as the 2009 Newbery Medal Winner, the 2009 Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel, and the 2010 Carnegie Medal Winner ("Barnes & Noble: The Graveyard Book", n.d.). A BOOKLIST review also praises this novel, stating “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 (“Barnes & Noble: “The Graveyard Book”, n.d.).” Likewise, a HORN BOOK review claims, ““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 (“Barnes & Noble: “The Graveyard Book”, n.d.).”

 

References

"Barnes & Noble: The Graveyard Book." Barnes & Noble, accessed November 30, 2013, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/graveyard-book-neil-gaiman/1100258468?ean=9780060530945

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. 1^st ed. New York: HarperCollins
        Publishers.