The Graveyard Book

His name is Nobody, Nobody Owens, the boy from the graveyard on the hill.  In The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, the graveyard child Nobody Owens’ parents and sister were killed by the elusive “The Man Jack”. Nobody, Bod for short, had lived in the tomb of Mrs. and Mr. Owens, Nobody’s adopted ghost parents.  As Bod grows older, he starts to discover the secrets and tricks of the graveyard with the help of his odd guardian Silas, and many other ghosts from the graveyard.  Bod travels through Ghoul gates, learns to fade into nothingness, explores the tomb of the oldest being in the graveyard, and even meets a human girl from the town named Scarlett Amber Perkins.  After Scarlett leaves for Scotland, Bod then meets a ghost, who was accused of being a witch. He travels past the gates to buy a headstone for his new ghost friend, Liza Hempstock, but that means leaving the graveyard.  Bod defies Silas’ orders and journeys into the real world to buy a headstone.  But, he soon finds that The Man Jack is still looking for him, and that he isn’t safe outside the graveyard.  He continues on many other adventures in the real world, such as living the life of a schoolboy, and dancing the “Macabray.”  But this all stops when he meets a mysterious man who goes by the name of Mr. Frost.  The graveyard is the only place where Bod is safe, but is he really safe when someone knows where he is, and can break into his home.  Is Bod actually safe in the graveyard, or will he be caught in the trap of the vindictive The Man Jack?

Join Bod on his journey through childhood, and how he faces challenges many other regular children go through in this thrilling fictional biography of Nobody Owens.  Author Neil Gaiman illustrates the exciting and bright experience of living in an old and dark graveyard, and turns it into a fantastic journey relating to everyday problems normal children face.  Inspired by his many trips to graveyards, Gaiman combines the creativity of fantasy, the activities and everyday challenges in realistic fiction, and the emotion and journey of a biography into one massive book full of vivid details and many cliffhangers.  The Graveyard Book is a great book to read if you are into suspense, mystery, adventure, and anybody who has a love for dark stories.  Most people will judge the book by it’s cover, but those who thirst for surprises and cliffhangers, will end up living the life of the boy in the graveyard on the hill.

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy/Suspense