Product Description

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.

He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer.

But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family. . . .

Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, the graveyard book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #232 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-01
• Released on: 2008-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Review
""The Graveyard Book manages the remarkable feat of playing delightful jazz riffs on Kipling’s classic Jungle Books. One might call this book a small jewel, but in fact it’s much bigger within than it looks from the outside." -- Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn

"After finishing The Graveyard Book, I had only one thought -- I hope there’s more. I want to see more of the adventures of Nobody Owens, and there is no higher praise for a book." -- Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels

"It takes a graveyard to raise a child. My favorite thing about this book was watching Bod grow up in his fine crumbly graveyard with his dead and living friends. The Graveyard Book is another surprising and terrific book from Neil Gaiman." -- Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife

"The Graveyard Book is endlessly inventive, masterfully told and, like Bod himself, too clever to fit into only one place. This is a book for everyone. You will love it to death." -- Holly Black, co–creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Graveyard Book is everything everyone loves about Neil Gaiman, only multiplied many times over, a novel that showcases his effortless feel for narrative, his flawless instincts for suspense, and above all, his dark, almost silky sense of humor -- Joe Hill, author of Heart–Shaped Box

About the Author

Neil Gaiman is the author of the New York Times bestselling children's book Coraline and of the picture books The Wolves in the Walls and The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, illustrated by Dave McKean. He wrote the script for the film MirrorMask and is also the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning novels and short stories for adults, as well as the Sandman series of graphic novels. Among his many awards are the World Fantasy Award, the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Bram Stoker Award. Originally from England, Gaiman now lives in the United States.

Customer Reviews

Gaiman works his usual genius
I have to start this review with a confession; Neil Gaiman holds a special place in my reading heart. His Sandman comics series was the first series I found that proved that comic books could be written on multiple levels - for kids and adults. With that said I'm going to do my best to give you an honest review of his latest novel, The Graveyard Book.

The Graveyard Book is a novel of horror. Marketed at Young Adults, but there are terror filled moments in these pages. There's also a bittersweet longing that, for lack of a better word, haunts this book. The novel begins with a woman, a man and the elder child dead in their home. The killer's name is Jack and there is one more murder to be committed. The youngest child, a toddler. But, only a teddy bear remains in his crib. The boy, while sucking on his "nummer" has already escaped down the stairs and out the door. Walking in his weeble-wobble way he's already headed up the hill towards the graveyard.

The toddler will grow to manhood in this graveyard. Protected and taught the secrets of life and death by its inhabitants. The dead, the undead, the spirits and the demons find the boy and name him Nobody or Bod for short. Bod remains in the graveyard because he knows that Jack is waiting for him should he emerge.

Gaiman does a brilliant retelling of Kipling's Jungle Books, and succeeds in making the story greater then the original. Trade the jungle for a graveyard. Trade the bear for a ghost. Trade the bloodthirsty tiger for a murderous killer. It's all there, but with something more. The premise is there, but Gaiman works his usual genius. Making the graveyard a place of magic and melancholy. Where the dead sit and talk, and you love them for it.

You will be the one left out in the cold if you pay too close of attention to the YA classification. Just like with The Sandman almost 20 years ago, Gaiman makes this novel accessible and enjoyable for ages 8 to 80. Don't do yourself the disservice of missing out on the wonderment found in The Graveyard Book. I think I may have found the first novel to read to my son in a few years. The Graveyard Book rightfully deserves 5 out of 5 tombstones.

Also, if you have a chance, please pick up a copy of the the audio book. Mr. Gaiman's reads it himself and it's truly stellar. He's one of the few author's I know of who do their own audio books, and he has an amazing reading voice. The Graveyard Book, to me, is even better than Coraline, which was his previous novel aimed at YA's and soon to be a motion picture.

Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by SunandHeir

Delightful. Vintage Gaiman.
I bought this book as a gift for a young girl, but being a huge Neil Gaiman fan I couldn't resist reading it myself. Gaiman once again weaves his magic, creating not only an entertaining story but also the mysterious world of the graveyard and beyond. Getting to know Bod Owens and his caregivers was a delight.

a modern fairtyale and a ripping good read
This is highly, HIGHLY recommended. I have been laid up in bed sick for the past two weeks and unable to focus, but I stayed up reading this to finish it. It won't take you very long, but it does not feel skimpy or short in the least - it is meaty and wonderful.

I understand that this is aimed at the young adult market, but I wish more young adults were reading this than Gossip Girl or their ilk because this is very much a story about growing up. For that reason, adults and younger readers alike can all find something in this book for them. (I don't want to give too much away and other reviewers have done a fine job of describing the plot, so I'll just say that it is a bit spooky and appropriate for a whip-smart 11 year old and beyond. Since the murderer in the story is after a specific person and not a random serial killer, I don't think a lot of kids would be kept up at night by that aspect of the book.) In fact, I'd even say that if you have a reader who is deeply afraid of ghosts, this book might go some way towards relaxing those kinds of anxieties. The ghosts here are for the most part friendly and not malevolent. It seems that the living are the most dangerous.

Just go and read this already. I am a fan of the Sandman series but think that this book is really even better in terms of storytelling.