The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

1.     Bibliography

 Gaiman, Neil, and Dave McKean. The Graveyard Book. New York: HarperCollins Pub., 2008.

ISBN: 978-0060530945

 2.     Plot Summary

 Poor Nobody (Bod) Owens finds himself abandoned as a baby after his father, mother, and sister are murdered by a mysterious man named Jack. Baby Bod happens upon a graveyard filled with friendly ghosts who adopt him as their son. Bod is appointed a guardian named Silas who feeds him and arranges for his education. Through this story, Bod surprisingly finds love and life in the oddest of places, a graveyard.

 3.     Critical Analysis

 "It takes a graveyard..." Props to Neil Gaiman and this Newbery Medal award-winning ghost story. Gaiman manages to create a story completely set in a graveyard that is surprisingly "full of life". The story follows the adventures and life of Nobody Owens as a baby up into his adolescence. Bod's parents are murdered by a mysterious man named Jack and baby Bod toddles into a nearby graveyard where he is adopted by a ghost couple, Mr. and Mrs. Owens. They take him under their wing, assign him a guardian named Silas who can keep him fed an care for his temporal needs, and they assign him the protection of the graveyard. The protection of the graveyard allows Bod to be protected from outside forces, particularly important because the man named Jack is still wandering around trying to find Bod. 
The reader gets a peek into the supernatural world (and learns a bit of history!) Neil Gaiman creates through the many different types (ghouls, ghosts, werewolves, etc) of characters. As odd as it may sound, Bod is loved, protected, raised, and taught by the ghostly inhabitants of the graveyard. 
Throughout the story, the reader can observe that Bod desires to find his identity in the world and connect the missing pieces of the puzzle of his past. Quite ironic as a boy named "Nobody". In the end, Bod realizes just who he is, who he's grown to be, and who his true"family" is. 

 4.     Review Excerpts
Newbery Medal Winner 2009

 From The Guardian: “And yes, they are indeed a pack of terrifying murderers, but children's books have always been filled with death - you can't have an orphan without at least two dead people, after all - and Gaiman's ultimate lesson is exactly right: get to know it, make friends with it, then forget about it and live your life.”

 From GoodReads: “Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.”

 From School Library Journal: “This is not yet another silly little fantasy novel, but something with weight and depth. The fact that it just happens to be loads of fun to boot is simply a nice bonus.”
5.     Connections

 Also by Niel Gaiman 

 Coraline
By Neil Gaiman
ISBN: 978-0380807345

 Stardust 
By Neil Gaiman
ISBN: 978-0061689246

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