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54th out of 12,723 books
—
34,956 voters
The Graveyard Book
by
Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author),
Dave McKean
After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.
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 belon...more
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 belon...more
Hardcover, 312 pages
Published
September 30th 2008
by HarperCollins
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It takes a graveyard to raise a child.
This is a summary of this magical, sweet and imaginative story for children, which (in a good tradition of the Brothers Grimm) started with a triple homicide.
“There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.”Neil Gaiman does not waste time with unicorns and princesses and butterflies which are often considered acceptable for children. He kicks off his book with the brutal murders of a child's entire family, written in a chilling tone that made me...more
I’ve noticed that there’s been an increased interest in the macabre in children’s literature lately. Sometimes when I’ve had a glass or two of wine and I’m in a contemplative mood I try weaving together a postulation that ties the current love of violent movies into this rise in children’s literary darkness. Is the violence of the world today trickling down into our entertainment? Hogwash and poppycock and other words of scoff and denial, says sober I. But I’ve certainly seen a distinct rise in...more
166 likes · like · see review
This is the sweetest story I can think of that begins with the bloody murder of a baby boy's family. The boy is then adopted by the dead and undead denizens of a graveyard, and the stand-alone short stories that make up the novel take place at roughly two year increments throughout his life.
The best of children's stories speak to both the parents and the kids. Sometimes I think about crap like The Yearling and other I-had-to-shoot-Old-Yeller-because-it's-somehow-good-for-me stories and I wonder...more
The best of children's stories speak to both the parents and the kids. Sometimes I think about crap like The Yearling and other I-had-to-shoot-Old-Yeller-because-it's-somehow-good-for-me stories and I wonder...more
48 likes · like · see review
This is how it usually goes with me and Neil Gaiman books:
Scene: at the library.
Picks up Stardust and reads back flap... thinks, "hey, this looks like a great book. What an interesting idea for a story..." When actually reading Stardust: bored.
A couple months later. At the library.
Picks up Neverwhere... thinks, "hmmm. This looks really interesting, but that's what I thought about Stardust. Well, maybe I'll give him one last chance." When actually reading Neverwhere: stupid last chances!!!
So I wa...more
Scene: at the library.
Picks up Stardust and reads back flap... thinks, "hey, this looks like a great book. What an interesting idea for a story..." When actually reading Stardust: bored.
A couple months later. At the library.
Picks up Neverwhere... thinks, "hmmm. This looks really interesting, but that's what I thought about Stardust. Well, maybe I'll give him one last chance." When actually reading Neverwhere: stupid last chances!!!
So I wa...more
90 likes · like · see review
I always have a little trouble rating children's books. Read as a book for adults, The Graveyard Book is a solid four. There are too many things that are oversimplified for the book to earn a five. But when I step back a moment and remind myself that this book was written for children who do not know what I know and who have not experienced what I have experienced - that's where the fifth star comes into play.
My adult complaints are as follows:
1. Not every situation in the story furthered the pl...more
My adult complaints are as follows:
1. Not every situation in the story furthered the pl...more
31 likes · like · see review
I remember reading The Jungle Book in translation while in the fourth grade, and being spellbound by Kipling's gifts as a storyteller. I remember reading the original in English as a young man and still feeling the magic afresh. I had not expected it to happen a third time... but it did. Thanks to Neil Gaiman.
The Graveyard Book is a thinly disguised parody of, and a tribute to, The Jungle Book. Only, the Indian Jungle here has been translated to an English graveyard; Sher Khan has been transform...more
The Graveyard Book is a thinly disguised parody of, and a tribute to, The Jungle Book. Only, the Indian Jungle here has been translated to an English graveyard; Sher Khan has been transform...more
16 likes · like · see review
I've got a doctor's appointment scheduled for Monday. Maybe I'll ask what's wrong with me, I mean, why don't I love Neil Gaiman as much as everyone else? After all the hype surrounding him, I finally gave in and started reading his books. Aside from his collection of short stories, Fragile Things, I haven't been as impressed as I expected to be. The Graveyard Book in particular I found to be slow moving and depressing. Maybe that's inevitable being that it takes place in a graveyard with a bunch...more
29 likes · like · see review
Nov 25, 2012
Steven Harbin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
lovers of fantasy, coming of age stories, young adult fiction, adventure, supernatural tales.
Revised review originally posted at :
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
In many of his books Neil Gaiman delivers a fantasy version of the type of story that is usually known as a “coming of age” work of literature. His children’s book Coraline is an obvious example, but so in a unique way are his adult works American Gods and its companion Anansi Boys. In each of those novels, the main character is initially naïve and ignorant of their own personal abilities as well as the motives and agen...more
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
In many of his books Neil Gaiman delivers a fantasy version of the type of story that is usually known as a “coming of age” work of literature. His children’s book Coraline is an obvious example, but so in a unique way are his adult works American Gods and its companion Anansi Boys. In each of those novels, the main character is initially naïve and ignorant of their own personal abilities as well as the motives and agen...more
16 likes · like · see review
Before I had picked up The Graveyard Book I was yet to find a Neil Gaiman novel I loved. His writing was always solid and interesting in Neverwhere and Stardust but I didn't love those books to death like other readers. It's rather curious that this is the case because one of my favourite recent Doctor Who episodes was written by Gaiman. However I now have to look no further. This is the kind of book I was looking for.
The Graveyard Book sounded like a macabre story. It focused on a boy named Nob...more
17 likes · like · see review
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my LOCUS Y-A list.
I think I’ll always have a soft-spot for imaginative young-adult speculative fiction and as the good people at Locus did such a grand job with picking their Sci-Fi winners, I’ll trust them to single out some special y-a books too.
There were s...more
13 likes · like · see review
**SPOILER ALERT**
This book was entirely mediocre. The plot was disjointed and very loosely woven throughout the story, and much of it didn't make any sense. Details (what few details there were) seemed to be added at the last minute to make later events in the story make sense. It's almost as if Gaiman wrote the middle first, then the beginning, and then the end. I think he had a million ideas floating around in his head and had no idea how to connect them all, so he made up some stuff on the fl...more
This book was entirely mediocre. The plot was disjointed and very loosely woven throughout the story, and much of it didn't make any sense. Details (what few details there were) seemed to be added at the last minute to make later events in the story make sense. It's almost as if Gaiman wrote the middle first, then the beginning, and then the end. I think he had a million ideas floating around in his head and had no idea how to connect them all, so he made up some stuff on the fl...more
48 likes · like · see review
Jan 26, 2009
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
for fans of faintly macabre stories, like me
Newbery Winner, 2009!!!! Woot! I am thrilled that this book won the Newbery Award! Congratulations to Neil Gaiman!
Update with spoilers: While I loved the main part of the story - Bod living in the graveyard, learning from the ghosts - I didn't find the reason for him being there well enough developed.
A vague prophecy about the boy growing up to destroy the "Jacks", and so a Jack is sent to kill the whole family? And he didn't START with the boy? It all seemed like a set up to an ongoing series,...more
Update with spoilers: While I loved the main part of the story - Bod living in the graveyard, learning from the ghosts - I didn't find the reason for him being there well enough developed.
A vague prophecy about the boy growing up to destroy the "Jacks", and so a Jack is sent to kill the whole family? And he didn't START with the boy? It all seemed like a set up to an ongoing series,...more
16 likes · like · see review
Two weeks ago, I hadn't heard of Neil Gaiman. I couldn't have picked him out of a line-up. And that's having seen Coraline this year--about which the only thing I knew was that it was a Tim Burton movie that Tim Buron had nothing to do with. But my GR friend Dini recommended The Graveyard Book and here I am, attempting to put together a review.
What I now know about Neil Gaiman...
1. The Graveyard Book is his newest novel which won The Newbery Medal and is "supposedly" geared toward 8-12 year olds...more
What I now know about Neil Gaiman...
1. The Graveyard Book is his newest novel which won The Newbery Medal and is "supposedly" geared toward 8-12 year olds...more
11 likes · like · see review
“There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.”
That is pretty much the opening sentence to Neil Gaiman’s classic story, “The Graveyard Book,” so you definitely know what kind of book you are getting yourself into! After reading so many of Neil Gaiman’s fantastic books (“Coraline,” the “Sandman” series and “American Gods”), I just had to check out one of his most beloved young adult books, “The Graveyard Book” which also had the honor of winning the Newbery Medal Award! Filled with hear...more
14 likes · like · see review
At this point, if Neil Gaiman writes it, I'm going to read it. He's just that good and while "The Graveyard Book" isn't his best novel to date, it's still an enjoyable story and well worth the time.
It's a dark sort of fairy tale, the kind of thing Gaiman has excelled at telling since his days working on "The Sandman." The story follows Nobody Owens, or Bod for short. When his family is killed by the mysterious Jack, Bod escapes into a cemetary where he's adopted by the local residents and raised...more
It's a dark sort of fairy tale, the kind of thing Gaiman has excelled at telling since his days working on "The Sandman." The story follows Nobody Owens, or Bod for short. When his family is killed by the mysterious Jack, Bod escapes into a cemetary where he's adopted by the local residents and raised...more
If I had to sum up my feelings on The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman in a short phrase, I would say, "Future children's classic." Seriously, ya'll this book deserves to be shelved beside The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster and The Neverending Story by Micheal Ende. I loved this book, and I can see how it would really resonate with children.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
8 likes · like · see review
I will be referencing a few comments on Montambo's review thread as I review this book, so you might want to read that thread before I start. Here's a link. I'll wait.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Are you back? Good. I should start by saying I'm a Gaiman fan and pick up his books with high and perhaps unrealistic expectations that he'll knock it out of the park every time. I worry that he's lost his way the last few years. Both The Anasi Boys and Coraline were servicable but unremarkab...more
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Are you back? Good. I should start by saying I'm a Gaiman fan and pick up his books with high and perhaps unrealistic expectations that he'll knock it out of the park every time. I worry that he's lost his way the last few years. Both The Anasi Boys and Coraline were servicable but unremarkab...more
21 likes · like · see review
and thats me finishing my last book for this class. and i managed to read it the same day i watched coraline, so im a little gaimaned out right now. this book was enjoyable - it is a little episodic-with-overarching- storyline number about a child living in a graveyard with the dead after a man slaughters his family with a knife. typical newbery fare. there are a few very memorable scenes, and i think i developed a crush on silas, but i have too much of a headache now for anything else. maybe mo...more
46 likes · like · see review
“Face your life, its pain, its pleasure, leave no path untaken.”
The Graveyard Book is a really delightful, darkly story that delves further than the amusing tales of intriguing characters and surreal elements. It's almost a beautiful parable about the follies of youth and the growth to adulthood, commingled with dire fantastical circumstances.
Nobody Owens (Bod) is granted 'freedom of the graveyard' after escaping the hands of a murderer who has brutally slaughtered his family when he was a tod...more
The Graveyard Book is a really delightful, darkly story that delves further than the amusing tales of intriguing characters and surreal elements. It's almost a beautiful parable about the follies of youth and the growth to adulthood, commingled with dire fantastical circumstances.
Nobody Owens (Bod) is granted 'freedom of the graveyard' after escaping the hands of a murderer who has brutally slaughtered his family when he was a tod...more
Apr 17, 2013
Kirstine
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
supernaturality-and-magic
Do you have children?
If yes, go buy this book and read it to them.
If no, go buy this book and read it to yourself so that you’re prepared for when the day comes when you either have children of your own or find yourself in close proximity to one.
It will give you great insight into how these small, devilish masterminds work.
… Okay, perhaps a slight exaggeration, but I actually do think it describes in a very simple and relatable way how children think, and how they see the world – even if that...more
13 likes · like · see review
"The Graveyard Book" a novel that reads like a collection of interconnected, chronologically-ordered short stories. The scariest parts aren't the ghosts and ghouls in the graveyard, but the dangers that lurk outside the gates. I hesitate to recommend this for anyone younger than middle-school age. It is an easy read that most children over 8 or 9 could easily comprehend, but the first chapter is very disturbing. It starts out with the murdering of a father, mother and child as they sleep. The se...more
8 likes · like · see review
"Scarlett said to Bod, 'You're brave. You are the bravest person I know, and you are my friend. I don't care if you are imaginary.' Then she fled down the path back the way they had come, to her parents and the world."
Nobody Owens, Bod for short, first comes to the graveyard as a toddler, having escaped his house after his entire family was brutally and (for the moment) inexplicably murdered. A ghost couple, the Owens, take him in and raise him, along with a guardian named Silas (who isn't a gho...more
Nobody Owens, Bod for short, first comes to the graveyard as a toddler, having escaped his house after his entire family was brutally and (for the moment) inexplicably murdered. A ghost couple, the Owens, take him in and raise him, along with a guardian named Silas (who isn't a gho...more
13 likes · like · see review
I've been intending to read The Graveyard Book for a while. After, I flipped the last page of the Graveyard book, I was undeniably glad that I had.
What is The Graveyard book about?
The story follows an unfortunate little boy whose family had been murdered by an assassin named Jack. Nobody Owens (his adopted name) is taken and raised by the cemetery of ghosts. All of the ghosts guard him from Jack who had not given up his quest to kill him. The story follows the frights and humours as the boy gro...more
What is The Graveyard book about?
The story follows an unfortunate little boy whose family had been murdered by an assassin named Jack. Nobody Owens (his adopted name) is taken and raised by the cemetery of ghosts. All of the ghosts guard him from Jack who had not given up his quest to kill him. The story follows the frights and humours as the boy gro...more
6 likes · like · see review
Gaiman, famous for his creepy and often scary tales, Coraline and The Wolves in the Wall, has created in his new novel something that is neither despite its chilling first chapter and spectral cast of characters. This is a story about the power of family -whatever form it comes in - and the potential of a child who is raised with love and a sense of duty. Nobody Owens (Bod) is adopted by a couple of ghosts after narrowly escaping death at the hands of the mysterious man who murdered the rest of...more
9 likes · like · see review
The book opens with a horrifying scene - an assassin systematically murders three member of a sleeping family, including a young child. His true target, an infant, wakened by noise, climbs out of his crib and toddles out of the house and up the hill to the local cemetary, eluding the man named Jack. Two residents of the graveyard find the sleeping child and take him to raise and protect. The Owens name their living son Nobody Owens. It takes a graveyard to raise a child and the denizens of this...more
8 likes · like · see review
I came across an audio-book copy of this and, though I'd planned on reading it, decided to listen instead. The author reads it himself and does a great job and his voice and inflection and occasional accents add to the story significantly. However, I still chafed at the enforced pacing at times and wanted to go back and reread something that had sent my mind on a tangent.
As far as the story goes, this tale has exactly the right mix of the macabre and ordinary to capture the fancy of most childr...more
As far as the story goes, this tale has exactly the right mix of the macabre and ordinary to capture the fancy of most childr...more
First, a poorly devised Haiku Review:
Ghosts are fantasy
Carved deep from wishful thinking.
More real than the real.
___________________
Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is new favourite of mine. The story is brisk, the writing whimsical, and the characters well-rendered. Gaiman's work here is a slow-build, with more and more pieces being gradually revealed through seemingly little-related chapters. The Graveyard book comprises a series of small stories about Bod Owen (orphan-by-murder) as he grows to his...more
Ghosts are fantasy
Carved deep from wishful thinking.
More real than the real.
___________________
Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is new favourite of mine. The story is brisk, the writing whimsical, and the characters well-rendered. Gaiman's work here is a slow-build, with more and more pieces being gradually revealed through seemingly little-related chapters. The Graveyard book comprises a series of small stories about Bod Owen (orphan-by-murder) as he grows to his...more
4.5 Stars
It's only natural for kids to be afraid of the unknown; at one point, the boundaries were sprawled no more twenty feet from your own property. And while fear and hard truths are important to bestow in that process, so is an unbiased perception of the world.
The Graveyard Book is often astringent, and creepy but concurrently hopeful and blithe. And it may seem that all of this dark subject matter is due to the fact that the novel is set in a graveyard, but that's this novel's underlying...more
It's only natural for kids to be afraid of the unknown; at one point, the boundaries were sprawled no more twenty feet from your own property. And while fear and hard truths are important to bestow in that process, so is an unbiased perception of the world.
The Graveyard Book is often astringent, and creepy but concurrently hopeful and blithe. And it may seem that all of this dark subject matter is due to the fact that the novel is set in a graveyard, but that's this novel's underlying...more
4 likes · like · see review
Sep 28, 2011
BoekenTrol
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to BoekenTrol by:
Hakkalina
I got this book through book crossing from a friend, who started a book ring.
There are not many books that give me a hard time reading right from the beginning, but this one definitely did.
I know it is fiction, that it is not real, but this was just too much. A todler (about 18 months) getting out of bed, going down the stairs and finding his way to a nearby graveyard. He is followed by a man 'the man Jack' who sniffs where he has gone. That man killed his parents and older sister, but he escape...more
There are not many books that give me a hard time reading right from the beginning, but this one definitely did.
I know it is fiction, that it is not real, but this was just too much. A todler (about 18 months) getting out of bed, going down the stairs and finding his way to a nearby graveyard. He is followed by a man 'the man Jack' who sniffs where he has gone. That man killed his parents and older sister, but he escape...more
7 likes · like · see review
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shut Up & Read: The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman | 11 | 18 | May 17, 2013 06:34am | |
| Anyone know the status of the movie? | 12 | 267 | May 16, 2013 07:18am | |
| Friends of The Ph...: The Graveyard Book | 5 | 7 | Apr 04, 2013 06:41am | |
| YA Rewind: The Graveyard Book Discussion Page | 1 | 5 | Apr 02, 2013 03:29pm | |
| One quick question - Is this a graphic novel? | 26 | 210 | Mar 18, 2013 09:09am | |
| Popularity Contest: February '13 Read: The Graveyard Book (2008) | 15 | 21 | Mar 08, 2013 04:32am | |
| Which Neil Gaiman book should I start with? | 85 | 436 | Feb 20, 2013 10:46am |
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“You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it.”
—
822 people liked it
“Face your life, its pain, its pleasure, leave no path untaken.”
—
595 people liked it
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