Citizen Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Posted by Bianca Schulze on April 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Citizen Review: A place for moms, dads, grandparents, or any lover of children’s literature to gush about their favorite finds.*
By Kathleen Fransen
Published: April 14, 2009
by Neil Gaiman (author), Dave McKean (illustrator)
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; Later printing edition (September 30, 2008)
What to Expect: Ghosts, Mystery, Magic
Nobody Owens has an interesting routine: he takes lessons from werewolves, talks to ghosts and runs from ghouls. He does all this from the comfort of his own yard, or graveyard, as the case may be. In The Graveyard Book by fantasy author Neil Gaiman, young Bod is raised by a community of ghosts after his parents are murdered by a secret society. While learning the mysteries of living between the world of the dead and the living, Bod tries to find out what happened to his parents, and if their killer is still looking for him.
In this tale for older middle school readers Gaiman creates a fantastic world in which you never know what Bod is going to discover next. Gaiman employs his traditional dry British wit, making this an adventurous read for young and old. Dave McKean’s black and white illustrations add to the allure of the text.
All readers will enjoy this tale of a strange world. A perfect read for any rainy day!
*Titles featured in the Citizen Review category have not been reviewed by The Children’s Book Review, and reflect the thoughts of moms, dads, grandparents, or lovers of children’s literature.
