The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
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Book Reviews of The Graveyard Book
Book Review: Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
Such a disappointment.
Occasionally there would be details that filled me with delight: the Sleer, the ghoul gate, the fact that Bod finds sleeping in a tomb totally natural, the way he learnt history from ghosts and this was often considered incorrect history when he briefly went to school. And I'll give Gaiman a lot of credit for the ending. He had Bod engineering the bad guys' ends, from various things he'd encountered in earlier years. Bod actively defended the graveyard. It made the story wrap up much tighter than I'd expected -- and that worked for me -- but it didn't prevent the book, overall, from feeling too thin.
Scarlett (a regular girl) says to Bod, after he's disposed of the bad guys:
"You aren't a person. People don't behave like you. You're as bad as he was. You're a monster."
And herein lies my biggest problem with this book: Bod is quite the opposite to Scarlett's accusation. He's too normal.
Bod is raised in a graveyard by ghosts and a probably-a-vampire. The details I mentioned above are wonderful, these little hints that Bod is fundamentally different to other children. But they were just hints, little personality quirks, and my overwhelming impression was of a normal boy who just happened to live in a graveyard. I think part of the problem is the length and format of the book. It's episodic, with little adventures or events being the focus of each chapter, and it's not very long. It doesn't take the time to really delve into what it means for Bod to have his upbringing; it's more about adventure than character-study. And I really wanted the latter.
In terms of his character, well, at least he's more active than Shadow and the Neverwhere guy. He tries to be kind to Liza, he goes after the bully at school, he saves himself at the end. He's curious and kind-hearted, but he's quite... bland. Liza (a ghost witch) is the most interesting character of them all. I loved how she bitterly related what happened her; she really had a voice.
She got a personality transplant later, though, when Bod becomes a teenager and she gets moody because that's what teenaged girls do with teenaged boys, yes?
Gaiman managed to pull out several of my Big Dislikes in fiction towards the end: the bad guys reveal important information to the good guy, a prophecy is involved, and at the very end, Bod loses his magical abilities the graveyard gave him for no particular reason. (Maybe the ghosts intentionally did it, not it automatically happening because he was older, but because they thought he needed to be among live people? If so, I think that could have been brought out a little more. Magic just fading with age is dumb.)
Another annoying episode was where Bod goes to school. He adapted very quickly, despite growing up in a graveyard, and quickly pursues bullies.
Admittedly, the ghosts are pretty much regular people with funny speech patterns and some cultural differences. But that could have been played on more -- making Bod struggle to fit in with 21st C kids, when he plays with kids from throughout the centuries. Even with Silas' modernising influence, I think Bod should have been at a slight cultural disconnect.
Overall: while I enjoyed little aspects of the book, it badly failed on the too-normal character of Bod and decreasingly interesting plot.
Book Review: A Little Dark For a Children's Book, But a Really Good Read!
Summary: 4 Stars
I somehow was locked in a closet and had never even heard of this book before it won the Newbery. So yes, I hopped on the Newbery Band-wagon and checked it out from the library.
I was going to read it with my 7 year-old originally, but when I skimmed the first chapter and we open with the murder of an entire family, excluding a toddler who wanders into a graveyard, I decided this one would be a solo read. The grade level is list as 5th and up. I think that is pretty appropriate, not based on reading level, but subject matter. I was thinking about what genre this would fall into and decided the it needs to be something like "children's horror". I wasn't aware that "paranormal romance" was a genre, so children's horror, or thriller would be where this fits in.
I'm split on this book. There were parts I REALLY liked and parts that were....lackluster. I can't think of a better word. I'm glad my husband was here, I knew quickly the author was british by some of the words in the book, i.e., anarak, oh and some cockney rhyming slang, but I can't remember what it was, it was something like "up the apples and pears" (stairs) or "the trouble and strife" (wife). I'd love to go back and find it, but I am getting sleepy and my book is due back tomorrow.
I did have to look up a word, which seems uncommon when reading a children's book that was written in 2008. I did not know what apoplexy (the cause of the demise of Thackeray Porringer in 1734) was, until I looked it up. My husband didn't know what it meant until we looked it up either, which made me feel less dumb!
I wasn't a huge fan of the illustrations either. I did notice however, if you look at the cover, the negative image of the headstone, in the blue is a boy's face. I would be interested to see what the inside illustrations by Chris Riddell look like in the UK version as Gaiman himself states in his authors note that they, "both drew wonderfully and differently." I've seen the cover, but not inside the book.
I didn't think of the comparison to Kipling's The Jungle Book until I read the authors note. The Jungle Book wasn't quite as dark as this. After all, fuzzy animals vs. ghosts and spirits....a bit different.
I would recommend this 2009 Newberry Medal winner, with caution. Some children may not be ready for the dark and sometimes quite scary themes. I ended up with the 4/5 rating because I felt the good outweighed the bad.
~Jenn
Topics: death, murder, ghosts, witches, ghouls, werewolves, bullying, hauntings, graveyards, scary situations
Main Characters: Nobody (Bod) Owens, Mr. Owens, Mrs. Owens, Silas, Mrs. Lupescu, Scarlett, The Jacks of All Trades
Setting: a graveyard in modern day England
Theme: After the murder of his parents and sister by the man Jack, a toddler escapes to a graveyard where he is adopted by ghost parents and given the name Nobody Owens. Bod stuggles to find out where he fits in, in the spirit world or in the human world. With the man Jack still on the loose, Silas, his guardian, and his group of ghostly friends do everything they can to protect him.
Book Review: Neverwhere for Kids - fun book for junior readers
Summary: 3 Stars
First things first, this is a children's book. It is a book, written for 10-15 year olds that some adults will also enjoy. If you are the sort of adult who enjoyed the Harry Potter series or Gaiman's Coraline, you will enjoy this also. I make this point as Amazon and other booksellers aren't going out of their way to let casual readers know that this is not the same as American Gods, or Neverwhere or his books written primarily for adults. I think this is mostly due to marketing people who want to sell this book to as many people as they can. If they went heavy on the "its a kids book" then it wouldn't sell as well.
Also, this book is fairly short. It has a lot of great illustrations and while the length of a book doesn't equal quality, which would you rather buy -- a great short book or a great long book? Its about half the pages as American Gods.
That being said its a Neil Gaiman book & Neil is literally in a class of his own. He is not a genre author -- he is a masterful author who happens to write fantasy books. I believe if he were not writing in a genre field, he would without a doubt be perceived as some of the more renowned contemporary authors are. He is easily, the best author writing today - end of story.
The book's premise is simple, a boy whose parents are murdered under mysterious circumstances, is raised by the ghosts & denizens of a Graveyard and kept safe from those seeking to do him hard. There he learns the tricks of the graveyard such as Fade or Haunt, and to dream walk. These skills he employs to stay safely hidden from the outside world until eventually, those seeking to do him harm learn of his existence and return. There he takes matters into his own hands to protect not only himself, but his home and those he loves.
This was a charming book, but its also very safe. As a kids book, its a little grim but not too grim. Certainly far less grim than the average hour of American TV. For adults, I think some might be disappointed. Neil weaves a world of greater mystery than we see, our view being nearly entirely limited to the Graveyard and surrounding small town. I longed to see Bod's adventures outside of the Graveyard and really hope we see him in the future. Also, the book to closely followed the pattern and plot of its inspiration, the Jungle Book. I would have preferred a little more deviation.
For me, tho i enjoyed it, the book was too safe. I know its a kids book, but its also being heavily marketed to adults. And as such, there are no surprises, no one dies who does not deserve it (mostly). All's well that ends well. Good conquers evil, etc. In a kids book this is expected but in a adult book, it feels like Neil took the easy way out. The mystery surrounding why Bod's family was murdered is a bit thin.
In the end, a good solid read for kids, but I can't help feeling I'd rather have read an adult Gaiman book along the lines of Neverwhere or American Gods. I would love for Neil to have kicked this up to the adult level. Or perhaps make an adult counter story to this.
Book Review: Pleasant read, but reliant on cleverness and short on substance
Summary: 3 Stars
I can't imagine anyone saying they're not a Neil Gaiman fan. He is an exceptional storyteller, and a master at infusing the novel, the unique, and the off-skew into his stories.
The Graveyard Book has all of the elements of Gaiman's unique abilities embedded within the story. I marvel at the breadth of his originality and imagination. I found The Graveyard Book to be a great literary snack, no matter that it is essentially a children's fantasy novel. It is also, however, devoid of weight.
As the story of the novel's genesis goes, the idea that inspired Gaiman to write the book was one long in incubation. The actual writing, however, began in Chapter 4, according to the author, and the book reads exactly so - like it was begun in the middle, with numerous clever novelties sewn together by a master storyteller, but at the end of the day lacking in the sort of coherent gravity that makes a book great - and in my case, that garners a 5 star rating.
I would encourage anyone to read the book. It is, as I said, a great snack. Gaiman's imagination and imagery are worth a look every time, but this book is a sitcom. It's a neatly packaged riff. But even children's books can have gravity, and in fact one might argue that they, more than any other, should.
The Jacks of All Trades, as they are described in the book, have no apparent reason for being. They're a serviceable boogeyman, but no more. The convenience of a certain ritualistic trio of artifacts at the end of the book goes unexplained. The whim of the Sleer at the end is a bit like having a Mack truck take out the bad-guy at the end of a story rather than the creativity, ingenuity, effort, or sacrifice of the hero. The artifice of the Sleer is too apparent, its convenience too great to create a compelling conclusion.
Short of the novelty of a vampire, werewolf, and mummy, what is the nature of this Order counter to the Jack of All Trades? What is its purpose?
The relationships between all the moving parts are just a little too tenuous to build the suspense, drama or caring that could take a novel idea, and a great character in Bod, to the next level.
By the end of the book, most everything that Bod needed to do was done for him by others. What are his great lessons? What is he carrying into the next phase of his life except a novel childhood? "The girl" will have no memories of him. He no longer seems to have any of the attributes his "Run of the Graveyard" gave him. His enemies were defeated for him so he no longer has that purpose. It doesn't seem like much. Thus, it doesn't leave the reader with much either.
I liked the book. It was fun. The imagery, dialogue, and characters amused. I might even read it again. But even this novel has the potential to be so much more - to mean¬ so much more. For those books that do, I offer 5 stores. Neil just wasn't trying that hard this time. Due to the opportunity missed, I grant 3. Still, heartily recommend the read.
Book Review: Creepy, Well Written, and Incredibly Engaging
Summary: 5 Stars
Bod is an unusual boy who was raised in an unusual place.
As a baby, Bod miraculously escapes from a brutal murderer and makes his way to a graveyard. With his parents and older sister dead, the residents of the graveyard - the ghosts - take him in and vow to protect him. Named Nobody Owens, the boy learns practical things, like reading and writing, as well as otherworldly talents, such as fading and moving through bars and coffins. With a pale complexion and the ability to blend in with his gray surroundings, Bod feels comfortable within his shadowy home. That is, until he wishes to make friends, see the world, go to school.
In short scenes, the book follows Bod as he ages from baby to teen, growing up in contemporary Britain in and outside the graveyard. He learns that ghouls aren't always friendly and the undead still have a lot to teach as he learns his limitations and ages beyond his years. In Gaiman's chilling young adult novel, Bod finds new dangers and new strengths around every corner...and tombstone.
The Graveyard Book is not as scary as it sounds, but it is pretty chilling at times. The book is full of amazingly crafted characters and plots that all weave together in the final climactic moments. From witches to guardians that are dead, but not quite dead, the book has everything to provoke an active imagination. What I love most about Gaiman's writing is that he doesn't change is verbiage even though he's writing for young adults. Instead, he challenges his readers to keep up, giving them far more credit than many other authors would. I find that refreshing.
The Newberry award winning book is a fun journey through the streets of "Old Town" Britain. Although the book does start with a horrific murder, it's not shown, just hinted at and even in the end, the battle isn't too brutal for children to read about. The book, in it's Jungle Book way of a child being raised by ghosts, shows how to learn from mistakes, how to grow and how to follow your instincts. It shows the beauty in learning and the need for connections.
I really enjoyed The Graveyard Book. I loved the characters. Bod was adorable, but it was Silas who I liked most - his mysterious guardian who cared more than one would imagine. I loved Bod's ghost parents, Mr. And Mrs. Owens who I imagined to be happily plump and constantly baking deserts (that is, if they were alive). I loved the graveyard too, as a setting. Gaiman made it just haunting enough to be realistic, but friendly and comfortable enough so you didn't worry about Bod.
The book was a journey - a fun one that illustrated Bod growing up scene by scene. It wrapped you up and kept you interested up to the very last page, with characters and plot lines that are hard to forget. It was incredibly well done and a remarkable edition to Gaiman's already favorable list of publications. And as it's on it's 53rd week on the NY Times best seller list, I'm clearly not the only one to think so.