Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family. . . . Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, the graveyard book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

The Graveyard Book

cedar winslow

“But you'll alwavs he here, Silas, won't you? And I won't ever have to leave if I don't want to?"  "Everything in its season," said Silas, and he said no more that night.

Elin Hakvoort

No one even noticed that they hadn’t noticed him.

I am precisely what I am, and nothing more.

You had time. Now, you just have a deadline.

Izaac Richards

"Face your life. Its pain, its pleasure. Leave no path untaken." 

"Leave no path untaken" repeated Bod. "A difficult challenge, but I can try my best." 

"Do you know what you're going to do now?" she asked. "See the world," said Bod. "Get into trouble. Get out of trouble again. Visit jungles and volcanoes and deserts and islands. And people. I want to meet an awful lot of people.

"You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Amalie Elisabeth

“Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.”

He imagined a future in which he could read everything, in which all stories could be opened and discovered.

Avarni B

If I come back, it will be a place, but it won't be home any longer.

Hika

The Graveyard Book CD

Sarah Sammis

Neil Gaiman does an excellent job reading and voicing his own books.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (with illustrations by Dave McKean) won the Middle Grade Cybils in the Science Fiction and Fantasy category. It's the story of Nobody Owens who is adopted by the "residents" of the next door cemetery when his family is brutally murdered.

Unlike so many recent orphan stories, Bod, as he's known by his friends and adopted family, is a well loved and happy child. His childhood may be unconventional and his schooling spotty by modern standards but he is still a happy and well adjusted child.

At the back of the book Gaiman describes the history behind The Graveyard Book. He points first and foremost to The Jungle Book and yes, it does share many similarities with the two volumes that make up Kipling's best known work. There's the young boy raised by an unlikely family (ghosts and other creatures of the night instead of the animals of India), an assassin disguised as a friend (Shere Kahn vs. Jay Frost), becoming one of the group (by seeing the elephants dance vs. the danse macabre) and so forth.

If you haven't read The Jungle Book you can still enjoy The Graveyard Book. The story is engaging, charming while being creepy and sometimes down right frightening. Key points in the novel are brought to life with Dave McKean's illustrations. There is a portrait of Bod on page 294 at the start of the final chapter that is very close to the author photograph at the back of the book. Gaiman says the story was inspired by his son Mike when he was two (although it took him twenty some years to finish the book!) but it seems that there's a lot of Neil in all his male leads.

Finally, if you do read the book (and I hope you do!), take the time to read the Acknowledgments on pages 311-2. I love it when authors share the methods and stories behind their finished works. Besides learning about the connection between The Jungle Book and The Graveyard Book, you will learn about the people who inspired the book and the others who helped in any number of ways. I did not expect to see (but was delighted to) Audrey Niffenegger and Moby among the long list of friends who helped.

It takes a graveyard to raise a child. Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family.

Actual rating -◈ 4.25 STARS 

I actually have doubts while going through this book. I felt like this was not something I would really like. Sure, the beginning was interesting enough. But in the next chapter, I started to have my doubts. But fortunately, it only lasted a single chapter. 

I felt awfully empty after reading this. True, the ending would be the beginning of life for Bod. He would be starting his life outside the graveyard into the bigger parts of the world. But thinking how he lived in a small place of a graveyard all his life, having ghosts and graveyard entities as his family, being basically lonely and alone regardless of how he was surrounded by his graveyard family all his life, having no real family on his own that would support and be there for him, I am deeply sad for Bod, honestly. I felt really sorry for him. I really teared up for him as I felt like he's so lonely despite having the graveyard family, and now that he was going to get on with his life on his own, I can't imagine how would he manage to go on. And the sympathy I felt only made me realized that I actually got attached with this story. 

But Silas, he was undoubtedly the best guardian Bod could ever have. He appears to be cold and reserved but he was empathetic in his own way. And I loved how he smoothly became Bod's father figure in his lonely life. No one can replace him as Bod's guardian and protector. 

Being attached with a book means that I enjoyed reading this, even liked this in the most part. I even imagine the graveyard scenes so clearly inside my head but instead of feeling spooked or creeped out, I actually felt otherwise. I am glad that this is my first Neil Gaiman book that I've read.

chloe rae

What a remarkable story!
I randomly found this book at my local used book store and, having never heard of it but hearing lots of good things about Neil Gaiman, I decided I'd pick it up. I've always wanted to read something by Neil and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. It sat on my shelf for a while but this month seemed like the time to finally read it. And I'm so glad I did!
We follow Nobody (Bod for short) through the many twists and turns of his life as he grows up in a graveyard, which becomes his home and his own little personal world. I absolutely loved his story. I loved the adventures we get to follow Bod on and the characters he meets and loves. I loved Silas (he was my favorite character) and I loved watching Bod grow up, learn, and... live. What a wonderful book. It kind of took my breathe away at the end. Can't wait to pick up more from Neil Gaiman!

“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.”
--------------------

Absolute perfection.

I may admittedly be a little late to join the Neil Gaiman hype-train, but here I am. I am fully onboard, waving my ticket in the air while dragging everything I own in an over-sized luggage as well as several unwilling travel companions along with me. I am now the conductor of this train. Better late than never I suppose.

Between my chaotic and hesitant start with The Good Omens and my wildly successful run with Coraline, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from Gaiman. So, I wanted to give his writing one more chance to see which side of things his books landed on, with The Graveyard Book. And I am so glad I did, because wow, did I fall in love.

This charming, delightful, imaginative story about a child who runs away from a murderer that has slaughtered his whole family, and hides in a graveyard, where he gets adopted by its forever inhabitants, was simply perfect. Just dark enough to pull at my heart, and wildly charming with its lovable characters, this book has definitely become a favorite with me.

I would especially recommend the audiobook, narrated by the author himself, which was impeccably well done.

Deepika Ramesh

Gaiman didn’t disappoint in The Graveyard Book too. It took a little while for me to invest, but it was deeply satisfying at the end. Thus, I have hopelessly fallen in love with another children’s book this year after Charlotte’s Web, Coraline, and Dogsbody.Full review here: https://worncorners.wordpress.com/201...

Cody Degen

Zita Azlina

You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it. 


I can understand the appeal of what this book has towards young readers, and if I ever read it when I was around 10, or while im an even older teenager, I would probably hold this book so dear I'd do exactly what R.F. Kuang did to this book. 

You might find this book a little.... too slow for the half of the beginning, and I myself understand. It will be a lie to say I didnt have any intention on not continuing this, but Boy, do I at fault.

The last half of this book is so stupefyingly fascinating, and there is something unsettling, as if you find something unseen in yourself, as Bod outgrows his environment and he started to seek for more truth beyond the graveyard. I don't know whether this book is just a simple fantasy for a child or whether there is some kind of allegory behind the graveyard, but I kind of find it relatable in a way that I myself don't understand, and it was so peculiarly sad that I wonder where the hell does that feeling even come from. This book is charming, and beautiful, and all the heartwarming quotes are like a warm hug in a winter that most of us probably longed for.

The ending is pretty sad though, but it's quite understandable that what has to be needed to be. I know that the plot is quite... Eh, and Jack Frost character is not quite really well elaborated, but that doesn't matter anyway. The point is Nobody is a great character and we all know that.

What a lovely FUCKING book!!!

 5/5

Chris Riddell

Dave McKean

Graveyard Book

anita

Pensaba que esta historia no me gustaría tantow pero conforme fui avanzando y culminando con el último capítulo, las últimas páginas, terminó de encantarme. Ilustraciones muy lindas y personajes que se quedan conmigo para siempre. <3

Laura Mauler

Wonderful wonderful wonderful. I was completely absorbed by the story.

Aamna

Melissa Palmer

Book #109 Read in 2014
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (YA)

Nobody (or Bod) escapes from his family's murderer as a toddler by wandering into a graveyard. The graveyard residents decide that Bod can live in the graveyard and they will protect him. Also protecting him is his graveyard guardian Silas. He makes sure that the boy has food and clothes as he grows. As Bod grows though he wants to experience life outside of the graveyard....but is it safe? I enjoyed this book. It would make a good Halloween read with werewolves, vampires, ghosts and mummies in it. I enjoyed it.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Looking for a perfect atmospheric, spooky, halloween tale? Look no further! Mr. Gaiman has done it again with fun characters, silly tones, and the perfect tone of a misty graveyard. 

Lara Engle

The day I started reading this book, I told a class of high school freshmen about it. "It's a children's book," I said, "but it's really good so far. I've only read one chapter. The deal is, a man comes and kills an entire family with a large knife, but the baby gets away. He hides in a graveyard and the ghosts decide to raise him." The faces of my students looked stunned. "THAT'S A CHILDREN'S BOOK?! That's messed up, miss." I replied, "Well, it's a messed up world and stories can help us figure it out."

The Graveyard Book is a lot of fantasy and myth tied up with a bunch of reality. It takes us through Bod's life in the graveyard with a series of vignettes. Each early chapter reads like its own little short story illustrating where Bod is now in his development. As it progresses and Bod grows, we learn more about who he is and why he ended up here. It all comes together in a satisfying and poignant end that feels more like a beginning. This is a book I see myself revisiting and sharing with others.

Charlsy Sekyere

⭐️3-3.5

The audiobook was excellent, and the book overall was fine, not a bad read. However, my love of the book would probably have been greater if I had read it when I was a kid.

Kamu Pancholi

I would read this book over and over again. holy moly. Neil Gaiman's books that I've read so far (this and Coraline) are similar in that they make me want to LIVE. And not in a rushed, almost guilty persuasion like in Midnight Library but just living for the sake of everything life could be. Such a beautiful ending, with amazing characters and, of course, stellar writing. The way he writes keeps every single second engaging and entertaining, even when he's just setting up for something that happens later. No wonder Margaret Atwood was fawning over this book in the foreword. It's just beautiful. It deserves every award it gets. Neil Gaiman's protagonists are everything good in the world, even when they're flawed. They're so sure of themselves and who they are and how they see the world, in a way that's achingly nostalgic but familiar. I am going to be thinking about this book for a very, very long time.

Cheri Fuller

I've not been disappointed by any book I've read by Neil Gaiman and this one is no exception. The full-cast production I bought from Audible made it even better. I've decided that all Gaiman books should be read with the ears.

The Graveyard book has several stories covering Nobody Owens as he grows from a toddler into a capable young man. Each episode covered is entertaining and kept me completely engrossed. The actors made Gaiman's fantastic descriptions and dialogue really come to life. I couldn't help but feel like I was right there with them.

The individual stories were interesting but they all brought us closer to the over-arching story line - finding out who killed Bod's family and why. Along the way, we got to meet so many wonderful residents of the graveyard, as well as some very interesting visitors.

I obviously recommend reading this one. And if you've got a young person in your life, it's safe to read it together. No sex or gory bits at all.

Colleen

4.5 Stars

I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately where most of the books I've read have disappointed me. Particularly not wanting to read something disappointing on my birthday, I decided another Neil Gaiman book was the way to go. And I was right!

Although I only started reading Gaiman's works last year and he mainly writes Young Adult, he is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I also do not know if I'll ever read one of his books in print, because hearing him narrate his own audio books is absolutely delightful. I'd say he is tied for first with Jim Dale reading Harry Potter as far as rankings of narrators I most enjoy. 

The Graveyard Book, not surprisingly, is set in a graveyard. I have always been intrigued by graveyards - not in a creepy way (or at least, not creepy to me), but rather fascinated that they can be beautiful, mysterious places and links to forgotten pasts. So of course a book by Gaiman set in a graveyard peeked my interest. This is the story of a young boy who, after his family is murdered, wanders into a graveyard and is protected and raised by its inhabitants. 

True to Gaiman's style, the story is unique where so many other fantasy stories are repetitive and clichéd. I absolutely love his writing style. There is an enchanting, old-world cadence to his writing. He weaves the perfect balance of mysteriousness, mystic, and magic. He is also not afraid of throwing in a few good vocabulary words. (So many YA writers or even adult writers seem to think the world will end if their readers have to look up a word!) His characters are interesting and memorable. The story sucks you in the way a book is supposed to. And beneath it all is that little bit of snark that makes it fun to read.

This story is a little dark and more than a little macabre. It is just creepy enough, just eerie enough to cause a few chills but not to frighten younger readers away. This is a slower story that covers about fifteen years. At times it meanders around a bit and makes you guess where it is going. (view spoiler)[The ending was melancholy which I'm starting to expect from Gaiman. An obliviously happy ending would not fit with his style. Still, I felt that pang of glumness - the one I always felt at the end of The Chronicles of Narnia - because it seems like all the stories tell you that magical, fun adventures are for children and that eventually you will grow up to be a boring adult and have to leave all of that exquisite adventure behind. As a boring adult, that message is all the more heartrending. So when Bod has to leave his supernatural home and family behind to live in the real world it really was a shame, and the prospect of real world exploration was not enough to make up for the despondency of watching him be permanently severed from his previous life. (hide spoiler)] Still, it was a captivating and atmospheric read. 
"There was a smile dancing on his lips, although it was a wary smile, for the world is a bigger place than a little graveyard on a hill; and there would be dangers in it and mysteries, new friends to make, old friends to rediscover, mistakes to be made and many paths to be walked before he would, finally, return to the graveyard or ride with the Lady on the broad back of her great grey stallion. 

But between now and then, there was Life; and Bod walked into it with his eyes and his heart wide open." RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Anthony

I enjoyed the book. In fact I preferred it over American Gods. I liked American Gods but felt this book to be more playful and interesting to me.

Vilandra

I enjoyed reading this, though I haven’t loved other of Gaiman’s books. The story is interesting, and I liked the characters. I definitely wanted to keep reading and find out what happened.

Lynn

Absolutely adored this. Perfect spooky middlegrade, really enjoyed the narration by Gaiman himself as well. A spooky twist and beautiful descriptions of the sweet magical story of the boy who grew up in the graveyard. Personally think I’d enjoy seeing this as a movie in classic Neil Gaiman “coraline”-style. Would recommend this for any spooky-Halloween/october TBRs.

Beau

Gaiman goodness as always. An author has done his story justice when the masses title it a book for 'Young Adults' or 'Children' yet the story captivates the stone-hearted of adults. Follow the story of Nobody Owens, or Bod for short, as he is raised, cared for, and guarded over (by the elusive Silas) in the graveyard on the hill. Friendships are woven, and adventures are embarked upon as Bod slowly learns of his troublesome past - and goes to risqué lengths to learn of his once living family, and the supernatural assassin who disposes of them. This is an entertaining read and a great start for newbies to Gaiman's mind.

Prashanth Srivatsa

Gaiman is limitless in his wealth of imagination. Inspired by the Jungle Book, he has created here a world that is unforgettable in its imagery, talking of an orphaned boy raised by the supernatural elements of a graveyard. There is a poignancy about human longing in these pages, and when it ends, you're once again reminded of the unparalleled joys of reading.

Savindi Jinasena

I personally don’t remember when I became familiar with Neil Gaiman, but I do remember one of my friends mentioning The Graveyard Book as one of the books she was planning on reading. I forgot about it for a while and then when I was on vacation in Sri Lanka last summer, I saw it in a bookstore, however the version that I saw was this one which was published by Bloomsbury. I find the cover of the Bloomsbury version much more appealing; there’s a darkness to it which I find lacking in the American publication. I’ll move on from my usual cover gushing now!

The book takes place somewhere in England and follows the adventures of Nobody Owens, a.k.a. Bod to the Graveyard Folk as he walks between the living and the dead. The story begins when Bod is a baby and his family are murdered by the mysterious man called Jack and continues till he is about 14/15 years old. Jacks always seem to get a bad name don’t they? You’ve got Jack in The Graveyard Book, Jack The Ripper, the list can go on and on. In his time growing up in the Graveyard, Bod encounters strange and fantastical people and creatures. To name a few they are: the Indigo Man, the Sleer, the ghouls, Ms. Lupescu, Liza the witch and the human girl Scarlett.

Plot wise, I enjoyed the story. I liked the darkness of the opening sequence in the book and the illustrations by Dave McKean add to the drama. Some chapters of the book were definitely fillers and sometimes it did feel like they were unnecessary, but regardless they did add a certain charm to the story. The ending of the story caught me by surprise. I didn’t expect a larger scheme of things to be occurring on the sidelines, but the story behind the scenes definitely helps to understand the connection between Jack and Bod. However it felt rushed to me; everything happened in a matter of hours. I also enjoyed the magical concepts Gaiman incorporated into the story such as ‘Fading’ and ‘Dreamwalking’ and I thought they were used well within the situations Bod found himself in.

Character wise, my only complaint is that there was a lack of character development. But then again this is a Children’s book and I suppose character development is not a requirement. I liked Bod’s character, he was sweet, genuine and likable. His parents; the Owens family were also likable characters, but I felt that they didn’t appear enough and I would have liked to see more of them. Bod’s guardian Silas was one of my favourite characters because he was so mysterious. At first I wasn’t too fond of Ms. Lupescu because she was giving Bod horrible food and didn’t seem to like him all that much, however when she appeared in Bod’s hour of need as a ’Hound of God’ I thought she was awesome.

I personally didn’t like Scarlett’s teenage version. I liked her as a child, but she grew up to be an angsty teenager and I felt that there had been too much time lost between Bod and her that she didn’t quite understand him. I suppose who would teenagers be if they weren’t angsty and driven by hormones? The character Jack was well written; he was dark and scary and everything you want in a villain. The illustrations of Jack were also great because having him appear in front of you visually gave me goosebumps and I felt scared every time he appeared in the story.

Overall, The Graveyard Book was an enjoyable read. The concept of the book is unique and it’s different from my own reading experiences as a child. I personally don’t think I would have read this book as a child because it’s quite dark, but that’s my personal opinion. The book had some great quotes such as “Of all the organs, ‘the tongue is the most remarkable. For we use it both to taste our sweet wine and bitter poison, thus also do we utter words both sweet and sour with the same tongue” and “A graveyard is not normally a democracy, and yet death is a great democracy.” However there was something about the book that fell short for me. I don’t know how to explain it, but maybe I had too many expectations for it.

My Rating: 4/5

Would I recommend it? Yes

The Graveyard Book

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