false 2213661 0060530928 9780060530921 15074 4344 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2213661.The_Graveyard_Book 1221698 Neil Gaiman 282600 26167 4 8 false Sun Jun 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 21:21:13 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 03:15:42 -0700 2009 1
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

2. He also wrote Coraline which was released as a motion picture this year (awfully good and creepy)("You know, you could stay forever, if you want to. There's one tiny thing we have to do first...")

3. His other noteworthy works include American Gods, Stardust, and The Sandman series of comic books which, like The Graveyard Book, contain illustrations by Dave McKean (my reading tells me when you see his drawings, you'll just "know" they're his) (and they do actually add a LOT of character to this book)

4. He has 3 children and although he is British by birth, now resides in Minneapolis, MN, and is currently dating Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls

6. Although it is an obvious comparison, he still looks a lot like Tim Burton (but more handsome)

5. He is friends/collaborators with many notable artists including filmmaker Terry Gilliam and Tori Amos.

So besides having a much more interesting life than me and being a much, much more talented/multi-award winning person, he wrote The Graveyard Book.

Reading TGB through my mommy filter, I did not find it appropriate for my particular eight year old daughters, but you might. The good news is, if you're trying to decide, you'll know right away as the first few pages include possibly the most sinister scenario, although what occurs is actually a subtle, off-"screen" act.

I liked this book. I found it to be a different type of book for me, imaginative, original, fantastical (not having read The HP books, I was free of the burden of their similarities), compelling, multi-dimensional (boy raised in graveyard by ghosts & ghouls travels through different stages of emotional development), and very stylish. I think it's actually a good place to start if you've never read NG, because it gives you a good taste of his style, it reads quickly, and it's current.

Gaiman gives a big shout-out in his credits to Kipling's The Jungle Book, which his book (I'm told) actually parallels in some chapters. Our protagonist, Bod, is raised in a graveyard by the un-dead, and I'm guessing Mowgli is similarly raised in the jungle by wolves. So there's that to watch out for, if you're familiar with Kipling (anyone?) or even the Disney movie, which I am not with either.

One thing that I found particularly intriguing was how Gaiman wanted to bridge the gap between the living and the dead. Although Bod is technically alive, he shares some of the gifts of the dead, and although his caretaker is dead, he is able to collect food for the boy and nurture him as a parent and friend. It's like the author has found a world of his own, not overly tread in Literature, where the living and the dead can co-exist. It's a very ethereal, other-worldy setting and it sucks you in to the mood of it's unique inhabitants..."There's a magic you take from death. Something leaves the world, something else comes into it."

So, to sum up...recommended reading...it's dark, yet light...different, sinister, creative, and most likely the first in a series. Something fresh for me, and yet another reminder of how little I know about the book world.]]>