The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Source: www.barnesandnoble.com

The Graveyard Book is a retelling of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book but set in a graveyard instead. Having escaped the murder who killed his family, Nobody "Bod" Owens seeks shelter in a disused graveyard and is brought up and sheltered by the community of the dead. He is given the "Freedom of the Graveyard", allowing him to learn ghost tricks including the ability to appear invisible when someone is looking at him. This book follows Bod's experiences and adventures growing up in the graveyard and the delightful array of characters who help bring him up. We also see his attempt at making friends with a human girl, Scarlett. At the end of the story, Bod also discovers why his family was killed and why he is being hunted.

The Graveyard Book is a highly imaginative, exhilarating fantasy adventure and is told captivatingly. Neil Gaiman is a lively and dramatic storyteller who is sure to enchant readers of all ages. Readers who are interested in the supernatural will be especially delighted as vampires, ghouls and other spirits of the dead run rampant in this story.

The classic good vs evil theme has also been given a fun twist here. Mummies and vampires who are traditionally given evil roles are portrayed as good characters while the villains are human. Many characters are also not clearly good or evil but face choices which will lead them to be either.

An interesting question for children to ponder while reading this book is: how can the dead raise a human boy? Bod faces the question of identity since is not dead yet he has no experience interacting with the living. Even though Bod is a living human being, the community in the graveyard take good care of him and we see their undying (pun intended) love for Bod throughout the story. The coming-of-age theme makes an appearance in this book as well and can be seen when it is time for Bod to leave the graveyard, which he has come to associate with the safety and comfort of home. We see him leaving with a sense of uncertainty. Is he prepared for the real world? Can he assimilate into the society of the living?

This book is not only great for young adults but also a good book for parents and educators to read aloud to younger children. Children who have enjoyed this book should also be encouraged to read Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.