2. Plot Summary. He was only eighteen months old when his mother, father, and older sister were brutally murdered while they slept. By by some twist of fate, the toddler had managed to leave the house before the killer reached his room at the top of the house. At the top of the hill, he squeezed through the iron bars of the fence into the graveyard and was immediately taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Owens who had inhabited the old cemetery for over a hundred years. With the help of the rest of the cemetery's residents and Silas, the guardian, Nobody Owens grew from toddler to young man. Unable to leave the graveyard due to the continuing threat to his life, Nobody, Bod as he was called, was given the Freedom of the Graveyard which allowed him access to all areas of the cemetery, as well as providing him with many skills that would protect him should he find himself in danger. As Bod grows up, he encounters gouls, the ancient Indigo Man, the Sleer, and the graveyard witch. But his only human friend Scarlett unintentionally leads him to the greatest danger he will ever encounter. Will the ghosts be able to protect him?
3. Critical Analysis. Neil Gaiman won the Newbery Award for this work of fantasy that pits a young boy and his supernatural caretakers against a very real and dangerous threat. As in many works of fiction for Young Adults, Bod does not have parents. While he has loving, caring surrogate parents in the forms of the ghosts Mr. and Mrs. Owens, he fits the orphan archetype and must in the long run take care of himself and prove his ability to make the decisions that will ultimately save his own life.
After finding out what happens to Bod's family, the story moves through a series of seemingly unrelated events as Bod grows up that provides the backdrop for Bod to learn what he will need to know when the story eventually circles back around to the danger that has been threatening him his entire life. Once Bod becomes aware of the Jacks of All Trades, he puts the education that seemed useless before to use as one after another he uses the skills he has been taught to protect himself from the fate that is determined to take him. In the end, Bod successfully defeats the enemy and the danger is finally passed, his ghost parents and his guardian send him from what has been his home for 15 years to live the life that all humans should live - a life of adventure, excitement, and experiences.
Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, the novel is 307 pages, broken into eight chapters. These long chapters might be daunting for reluctant readers. However, the illustrations by Dave McKean that are spaced throughout provide support for the story in interesting, sometimes creepy scenes. The pictures range in size from small sketches on the corner of a page to full two-page spreads. As Bod converses with the residents of the graveyard throughout the story, their years and epitaphs are provided parenthetically for many of them, adding interest for readers who have a background in cemeteries and headstones. Readers will meet characters such as Digby Pool (1785-1860, As I Am So Shall You Be) and Miss Euphemia Horsfall (1861-1883, She Sleeps, Aye, Yet She Sleeps with Angels).
My favorite line in the book happens when Bod is discussing the reason some of the ghosts who live in the cemetery died. When Bod has the realization that some have killed themselves, he asks his guardian, Silas, if they are happier once they are dead. His answer is, "Mostly no . . . . Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. If you see what I mean." Indeed, wherever we go, we take ourselves with us.
4. Review Excerpts.
Amazon.com Review: In The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood.
School Library Journal: Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.
The New York Times: “The Graveyard Book,” by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form.
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