the graveyard book
I am not a devout follower of Neil Gaiman but I ended up reading The Graveyard Book yesterday. It's based off of Kipling's The Jungle Book; instead of a jungle, the main character grows up in a graveyard. As a baby, Nobody Owens escaped the murder of his entire family and is adopted by the ghosts of a local graveyard. He meets many types of people - ghouls, vampires, witches, villians - and learns lessons from these interactions.

While marketed towards young adults, I found it to be a good read. When I finished, I felt somewhat disappointed, but only because Gaiman could have easily written several more stories concerning Bod. I wouldn't mind a followup book either.

Yes, the premise of the book does begin with horrific murder, but Gaiman doesn't go into detail.  If you've ever read John Bellairs' books, you would recognize the tone. Although not many people have read his works. I like that macabre tone for these types of books, yet Gaiman infuses this book with genuine feelings.

Funnily enough, it reads like a fan fic to me. The style of writing reminded me of copperbadge for some reason. And I could see this as a movie; does that cheapen the experience? I know Gaiman has had many of his works translated to the big screen so was this also a project he was envisioning for movie material as well?




There are some illustrations in this book, which are reminiscent of a style from the mid 1900s. They're perfect though, as they contribute to the book's tone.

The final confrontation with the antagonist feels weak, and the development of Scarlett is disappointing and unexpectedly confusing - she goes from fearless to shallowly annoying. I know it's supposed to serve as lessons for Bod, but does it have to be at the expense of a potentially solid female character?

Overall, I recommend this as an engaging summer read.