The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: Book Review

Neil Gaiman does it again! Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens; or "Bod" for short, who is raised in a graveyard. His parents, ghosts from centuries gone by, raise him along with a guardian who is a mysteriously dark, "vampire" like man. Bod is 'haunted' by events that have plagued him since he was only an infant, but they only come to head at the end. Everything else shows how our protagonist develops to the point where he can handle things at the end. This is a children's book, but don't be fooled. This book is a perfect example of how Mr. Gaiman has mastered the smooth descriptive narrative alongside of multiple points of view and interludes. He slips between points of view seamlessly, and puts a perfect picture of the characters in your head. You may even forget you're reading at some points. His use of British history and unique spin on classic fiction elements such as the different types of monsters, Danse of the Macabre, good cop/bad cop, and Jack of all Trades. However, my criticism lies within the development. About sixty percent of the way through I was left wondering, "is this a chronicle? Or is this going anywhere?" But yes, everything you read in the book has a point in the end. This book will read like a collection of short stories about the character, with short interludes throughout. Each one ending with enough suspense to make it a page turner. At the end, you may be totally attached to the character, and will hate for it to end. I could have cared less if there was a sequel to any of the Harry Potter books, but this my friend, is deserving of a slew of sequels, prequels, and spin offs. I highly recommend this, along with his other novels, for fun reading. His more adult novel, American Gods, is another great intruduction to the author, but this is great for the kids. Foul language is nil, violence is minimal after the first few pages (which is only implied there), and sex and drugs is absent from completely from the novel. A younger child may have slight trouble with the cultural differences in British English and American English, but they have to start somewhere. Read it, or even watch it on Neil's website under the Mouse Circus tab as a recorded video of Neil Gaiman reading it live at an assembly.