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The Graveyard Book
by
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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, First Edition, 307 pages
Published
September 30th 2008
by HarperCollins
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Recently, on a car trip with my little boy, I decided to try listening to an audiobook.
In the past this hasn't been a success. He loves to be read to in person, both picture books and chapter books. But he not a fan of listening to books in the car. At best he's indifferent, but usually he just asks me to turn them off.
Generally speaking, he'd prefer to listen to Macklemore's Thrift Shop, which he calls "The Sway Music."
But he's four now, with a vocabulary that's diverse to the point of being ...more
It takes a graveyard to raise a child
Nobody Owens (yes, that's his name) becomes orphaned at an early age when an unknown "Jack" murders his entire family.
What's surprising is that Nobody doesn't even notice - the kid is too excited that the house door is open and toddles off for adventure.
He ends up at the local graveyard. The local ghosts see Jack's intentions and decide to grant Nobody the Protection of the Graveyard.
A childless ghost couple adopts the toddler and a vampire becomes his guar ...more
Nobody Owens (yes, that's his name) becomes orphaned at an early age when an unknown "Jack" murders his entire family.
What's surprising is that Nobody doesn't even notice - the kid is too excited that the house door is open and toddles off for adventure.
He ends up at the local graveyard. The local ghosts see Jack's intentions and decide to grant Nobody the Protection of the Graveyard.
A childless ghost couple adopts the toddler and a vampire becomes his guar ...more
I read this to Celyn but the 5* are from both of us. I think I probably enjoyed it more than she did in fact.
It's a fine book. I can see why it's done so well. The story is well structured, the brutal opening providing an orphan, a mystery, and an ongoing threat. Thereafter the book slowly cycles back around to its beginning and in the mean time raises our young Bod, equipping him with the skills to deal with his problem.
Bod's life in the graveyard is very interesting, with him learning various ...more
It's a fine book. I can see why it's done so well. The story is well structured, the brutal opening providing an orphan, a mystery, and an ongoing threat. Thereafter the book slowly cycles back around to its beginning and in the mean time raises our young Bod, equipping him with the skills to deal with his problem.
Bod's life in the graveyard is very interesting, with him learning various ...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
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 ...more
(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: A bit too short, and the illustrations don’t really work. Still, it’s a fun, light and whimsical take on its macabre milieu.
Notes: A bit too short, and the illustrations don’t really work. Still, it’s a fun, light and whimsical take on its macabre milieu.
I just don't think Neil Gaiman can write something I won't enjoy. His worlds are so rich and visceral, his characters so unique and loveable. I loved this story, loved Bod with all my heart, and was proud of him as he grew up. I listened to this audiobook, narrated by Neil Gaiman, and it was top notch. Can't wait for my next
When a family is murdered by a mysterious killer, one of the intended victims is missing, a young, diapered boy, who had wandered off just before the crime took place. But the killer needed to complete the job. Fortunately for the boy, he was taken in by the late residents of a nearby graveyard. And when the spirit of his newly deceased mother asks for their help, the residents agree to raise her son. He is given to the care of the Owens couple and named “Nobody,” Bod for short, as he looks like
...more
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
May 14, 2016
°°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· ʜᴇʟᴇɴ Ροζουλί Εωσφόρος ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°° ★·.·´¯`·.·★ Ⓥⓔⓡⓝⓤⓢ Ⓟⓞⓡⓣⓘⓣⓞⓡ Ⓐⓡⓒⓐⓝⓤⓢ Ταμετούρο Αμ
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Ένα μακάβριο ανάλαφρο παραμύθι για νεκρούς ανθρώπους και ζωντανές ψυχές.
Όλη η ιστορία εκτυλίσσεται μέσα σε ένα νεκροταφείο που είναι πλέον κλειστό και φυλάσσεται ως εθνικός δρυμός.
Ένα μωράκι τη μοιραία νύχτα που δολοφονείται η οικογένεια του απο μια παράξενη αρχαία αδελφότητα καταφέρνει να σωθεί και να βρει καταφύγιο στο γειτονικό νεκροταφείο.
Τα πνεύματα, οι καλές ψυχές,αποφασίζουν να προστατέψουν το μωράκι με τη βοήθεια του Σίλα που ανήκει σε κάποιο είδος απέθαντων.
Έτσι το μωράκι που το ονο ...more
Όλη η ιστορία εκτυλίσσεται μέσα σε ένα νεκροταφείο που είναι πλέον κλειστό και φυλάσσεται ως εθνικός δρυμός.
Ένα μωράκι τη μοιραία νύχτα που δολοφονείται η οικογένεια του απο μια παράξενη αρχαία αδελφότητα καταφέρνει να σωθεί και να βρει καταφύγιο στο γειτονικό νεκροταφείο.
Τα πνεύματα, οι καλές ψυχές,αποφασίζουν να προστατέψουν το μωράκι με τη βοήθεια του Σίλα που ανήκει σε κάποιο είδος απέθαντων.
Έτσι το μωράκι που το ονο ...more
Jan 23, 2011
Jason Koivu
rated it
it was ok
Recommended to Jason by:
Everyone...just fucking everyone
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 most of the characters in it are dead. It' ...more
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 most of the characters in it are dead. It' ...more
Apr 06, 2017
emma
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
owned,
children-s,
beautifully-written,
dark,
recommend,
favorites-2017,
reviewed,
gorgeous-covers,
5-stars,
fantasy
Ho-ly shit. You guys!
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
I just managed to get through a book - a whole freaking book - with no blatant sexism, racism, homophobia, girl-on-girl hate, instances of the beloved not like other girls trope, love triangles, flat characters, overused archetypes, that plotline where you discover your power and it’s consuming you, gag-worthy romance, weird writing quirks, overwrought emotion, social issues used to make it seem ~profound~, apocalyptically bad characte ...more
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
I just managed to get through a book - a whole freaking book - with no blatant sexism, racism, homophobia, girl-on-girl hate, instances of the beloved not like other girls trope, love triangles, flat characters, overused archetypes, that plotline where you discover your power and it’s consuming you, gag-worthy romance, weird writing quirks, overwrought emotion, social issues used to make it seem ~profound~, apocalyptically bad characte ...more
The riproaring adventures of Huck Finn's wiser half-brother; Harry Potter's long lost second cousin. A Mowgli doppleganger, admittedly so.
When Tim Burton died*, the void was taken up, wholly, by Mr. Gaiman. When will "The Graveyard Book" become a film? Cannot wait to watch singin'/dancin' ghosts, not the usual rerecycled shit from some Disney classic. Hey, it worked like a charm with "Coraline"!
*career-wise & art-wise
When Tim Burton died*, the void was taken up, wholly, by Mr. Gaiman. When will "The Graveyard Book" become a film? Cannot wait to watch singin'/dancin' ghosts, not the usual rerecycled shit from some Disney classic. Hey, it worked like a charm with "Coraline"!
*career-wise & art-wise
**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
When first reading Neil Gaiman’s wonderfully dark but playful fantasy The Graveyard Book, I instantly discovered that I liked it a lot. When I realized that The Graveyard Book was also Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, but updated to be gothic and macabre, with a boy not raised by wolves but ghosts, I loved it.
Winner of the Hugo Award in 2009, this is a rival to Gaiman’s masterpiece American Gods. This is vintage Gaiman at his masterfully fantastic best, an heir to the Grandmaster throne of Ra ...more
Winner of the Hugo Award in 2009, this is a rival to Gaiman’s masterpiece American Gods. This is vintage Gaiman at his masterfully fantastic best, an heir to the Grandmaster throne of Ra ...more
Aug 15, 2018
Val ⚓️ Shameless, Skanky & Bitchy ⚓️
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
4-stars,
childrens-book,
cute-kid-alert,
middle-grade,
paranormal,
ya-fantasy,
in-my-library
4 Stars
Me reading has been all over the place lately. I have been reading a lot of adult fantasy, YA fantasy, and just straight up middle grade books...and very little romance. For whatever reason, this is just what I have felt like reading.
This was a cute, if creepy, little book. It was for me what I expected The Little Prince to be, but alas, wasn't. I really liked Bod and all the characters of the graveyard, especially Silas. I also enjoyed Gaiman's writing style - which is a good thing, sin ...more
Me reading has been all over the place lately. I have been reading a lot of adult fantasy, YA fantasy, and just straight up middle grade books...and very little romance. For whatever reason, this is just what I have felt like reading.
This was a cute, if creepy, little book. It was for me what I expected The Little Prince to be, but alas, wasn't. I really liked Bod and all the characters of the graveyard, especially Silas. I also enjoyed Gaiman's writing style - which is a good thing, sin ...more
Once there was a little girl who lived in a big house in a strange and wonderful city in the North. Her name: Dove Black*. An unusual name for an unusual girl. Her equally unusual mother took her away for the summer, across the sea. I came to that strange and wonderful city and stayed in that big house. In the house was a book. The Graveyard Book! I fell prey to an odd illness during my visit; while my companions made merry in the streets and taverns of that city, I recovered on the wide and sun
...more
A friend of mine had an extra ticket to see Neil Gaiman's sold-out lecture in Denver last week, so we rode the bus downtown, walked a block or two, then turned a street corner, only to be startled by some 2,000 fervent fans wrapped around and around the building, shivering and salivating at the prospect of entering the doors.
I was in awe of their devotion, and I felt like an imposter, too. I'd never read anything of Neil's, other than an illustrated picture book for kids, and if these thirty-som ...more
I was in awe of their devotion, and I felt like an imposter, too. I'd never read anything of Neil's, other than an illustrated picture book for kids, and if these thirty-som ...more
This is my third Gaiman novel. It's a spectacular masterpiece that delightfully blends the macabre with the grave (no pun intended) and the whimsical creating a haunting, mesmerizing allegorical tale about the ephemeral joys of childhood, the gradual transition to adulthood, and the philosophical dichotomy of life and death.
"It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. It will take a graveyard."The Graveyard (a nature reserve), Old Town, England — Thre ...more
You can find this review and more on Booknest.
I’ve now officially read every novel and short story and piece of nonfiction that Gaiman has published, outside of his graphic novels. And this particular book was probably one of my favorites. It was an adorable adventure, a dark version of The Jungle Book if Mowgli had been raised by ghosts instead of jungle predators.
Gaiman writes wonderful children’s books. Sometimes kids want to read something that scares them just a little, and Gaiman does tha ...more
I’ve now officially read every novel and short story and piece of nonfiction that Gaiman has published, outside of his graphic novels. And this particular book was probably one of my favorites. It was an adorable adventure, a dark version of The Jungle Book if Mowgli had been raised by ghosts instead of jungle predators.
Gaiman writes wonderful children’s books. Sometimes kids want to read something that scares them just a little, and Gaiman does tha ...more
I read the first chapter with a massive grin on my face because it was so obvious where this book was going, and it sounded marvellous.
“I do. For good or for ill- and I firmly believe that it is for the good – Mrs Owens and her husband have taken this child under their protection. It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. “It will”, said Silas, “take a graveyard”
Nobody’s, or Bod to his friends, has just had his parents murdered by “The Man named Jack ...more
“I do. For good or for ill- and I firmly believe that it is for the good – Mrs Owens and her husband have taken this child under their protection. It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. “It will”, said Silas, “take a graveyard”
Nobody’s, or Bod to his friends, has just had his parents murdered by “The Man named Jack ...more
I can't possibly tell if I'd love this book as much if I hadn't read it under such special circumstances, so this review will serve as proof that context matters!
It all started a couple of years ago in August, one of the first days of school. I had a literature lesson with Grade 8, and the topic was:
"What shall we read together?"
I made several suggestions, and they turned them down. They made several others, and I turned them down, mostly because I didn't think the books were appropriate for gr ...more
It all started a couple of years ago in August, one of the first days of school. I had a literature lesson with Grade 8, and the topic was:
"What shall we read together?"
I made several suggestions, and they turned them down. They made several others, and I turned them down, mostly because I didn't think the books were appropriate for gr ...more
Rating a 4.5
What is a Halloween read without a story by Neil Gaiman. I think I have made it known quite a few times of my love for Mr. Gaiman. This is a story I read a number of years ago, I believe when it first came out. Before I started writing reviews on GR. But I found the story so enchanting that I knew I would read it again some day. But this time, I *listened* to the audio read by Neil Gaiman himself.
The story is of Nobody "Bod" Owens who grows up in a graveyard after his parents are mu ...more
What is a Halloween read without a story by Neil Gaiman. I think I have made it known quite a few times of my love for Mr. Gaiman. This is a story I read a number of years ago, I believe when it first came out. Before I started writing reviews on GR. But I found the story so enchanting that I knew I would read it again some day. But this time, I *listened* to the audio read by Neil Gaiman himself.
The story is of Nobody "Bod" Owens who grows up in a graveyard after his parents are mu ...more
I have just this moment closed the cover of THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, after loitering rather longingly over the acknowledgments and possibly the back jacket flap as well.
I don't think I can manage a proper synopsis or review of this book -- about an orphaned boy who is raised by a graveyard of ghosts -- so I think I will just have to say that I love it very, very deeply. For so long I refused to pick it up because I thought it sounded quaint and possibly twee, but it was neither. It pushed all the but ...more
I don't think I can manage a proper synopsis or review of this book -- about an orphaned boy who is raised by a graveyard of ghosts -- so I think I will just have to say that I love it very, very deeply. For so long I refused to pick it up because I thought it sounded quaint and possibly twee, but it was neither. It pushed all the but ...more
This is the first book I ever read by Neil Gaiman and it is my favorite of his books. I saw this book while volunteering in the library at my son's elementary school. I decided why not? It was a book for kids or so I thought...after all it had won the American Newbery Medal and the HUGO award for children's fantasy book. I checked it out using my son's library card thinking I would read it to him at bedtime. It proved to be too dark for him but I was hooked. Most of the book takes place in a gra
...more
You can say what you want about Neil Gaiman, but he certainly knows how to write engaging stories.
The Graveyard Book introduces us to Nobody Owens, nicknamed Bod, who survives as a toddler while his family is murdered in a gruesome act of violence. Bod escapes to a nearby graveyard and is taken in by the ghosts who are condemned to remain forever at the place their bodies were buried. The weird plot requires some time getting used to, which the author doesn't really allow us because the story so ...more
The Graveyard Book introduces us to Nobody Owens, nicknamed Bod, who survives as a toddler while his family is murdered in a gruesome act of violence. Bod escapes to a nearby graveyard and is taken in by the ghosts who are condemned to remain forever at the place their bodies were buried. The weird plot requires some time getting used to, which the author doesn't really allow us because the story so ...more
2009 Newbery Medal winner.
I'm probably not the only person that would like to know the next chapter in Bod's life. Even Neil Gaiman may not know, but then again, maybe he does. But that's the nature of books, they end, and many times we are not satisfied, not completely. What a wonderful story, what imagination Gaiman has. Five stars and deserving. Children's literature at it's finest.
I'm probably not the only person that would like to know the next chapter in Bod's life. Even Neil Gaiman may not know, but then again, maybe he does. But that's the nature of books, they end, and many times we are not satisfied, not completely. What a wonderful story, what imagination Gaiman has. Five stars and deserving. Children's literature at it's finest.
The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
The Graveyard Book is a children's fantasy novel by the English author Neil Gaiman, simultaneously published in Britain and America during 2008. The Graveyard Book traces the story of the boy Nobody "Bod" Owens who is adopted and raised by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard after his family is brutally murdered. The story begins as Jack (usually referred to in the novel as "the man Jack") murders most of the members of a family (later revealed to be the Dori ...more
The Graveyard Book is a children's fantasy novel by the English author Neil Gaiman, simultaneously published in Britain and America during 2008. The Graveyard Book traces the story of the boy Nobody "Bod" Owens who is adopted and raised by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard after his family is brutally murdered. The story begins as Jack (usually referred to in the novel as "the man Jack") murders most of the members of a family (later revealed to be the Dori ...more
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
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
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What is Silas? | 88 | 1912 | Mar 20, 2019 10:57AM | |
| 12YOBookClub: October 2018 Discussion: The Graveyard Book | 5 | 2 | Feb 25, 2019 05:55PM | |
| Penis Enlargement | 1 | 6 | Feb 10, 2019 03:29AM | |
| The Hugo Awards B...: January 2019: The Graveyard Book (nonspoilers) | 2 | 3 | Jan 04, 2019 10:50AM | |
| Sometimes Two-factor authentication fails in Gdax | 1 | 5 | Dec 21, 2018 01:09AM |
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