THE
GRAVEYARD BOOK
by Neil
Gaiman with Ill. by Dave McKean
Gaiman,
Neil and Ill. by Dave McKean. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. New York: HarperCollins
Children’s Books. ISBN 9780060530921.
Plot
Summary:
The story begins with a mass murder that kills the
protagonist family when he is only a toddler, who is later known to the reader
as Nobody “Bod” Owens. This is not his actual name, but one given to him by his
adoptive parents, who live down the street from Bod’s house, in a graveyard, and
are themselves ghosts. Now, if you think that this is strange, it is but it is
only the beginning of this fantastical tale of love, growing up, making
friends, and facing one’s fears. Author Neil Gaiman is the master at weaving fantastical
tales and delivering them in such a way that the reader can almost believe they
could actually happen. This book is written for elementary and middle school
aged children and deals with some rather dark subjects of murder, death, ghosts
and ghouls, but in a light-hearted and whimsical manner that children and their
parents will feel comfort in reading. The black and grey illustrations by Dave
McKean also give the reader a glimpse of the surroundings as the main character
Bod see them. This is an excellent fantastical story written by one of the best
fantastical storytellers of our time.
Critical
Analysis:
In the
story the toddler protagonist is the only survivor of a mass murder, who finds
his way to a nearby graveyard. He is taken in and raised by the inhabitants of
the graveyard which include the ghosts of the individuals buried there; Silas,
a guardian of the borders between life and death, a ghost witch by the name
Liza Hempstock; a living girl, who becomes Bod’s friend named Scarlett Perkins;
and the man named Jack Frost who wants Bod dead. All these characters are intricately
weaved in and out of the story as Bod grows from a toddler to a young man of
sixteen.
The
setting is predominately the graveyard where Bod lives and learns as he grows
up. The scene does change on occasion from the dark underworld of the ghouls, a
school classroom, and the home of the man Jack named Jack Frost. Most of Bod’s
adventures take place within the confines of the graveyard with the many ghost
inhabitants that haunt there. Most of the setting is dark and gloomy because much
of the story is told when Bod is exploring the graveyard at night.
The main theme
of the story is about good triumphing over evil. Since young Bod was the
intended target of the murders that killed his family, the antagonist, Jack
Frost, is always searching for the toddler that got away. The ghosts of the
graveyard love and nurture young Bod, but in the end they teach him that he
must live his life among the living.
The author
is so descriptive in the graveyard scene and those of the underworld that the
reader is entranced by the setting and taken into the story wholeheartedly. In
this children’s fantasy novel, the fantastical events are thoroughly explained
and the reader takes them to be the true setting of this fantastical world and
dives deeper into the imaginative tale. The story is narrated from the point of
view of someone viewing the scenes from the outside in order to give the reader
a broad sense of the surroundings and the actions that take place outside the
protagonist own actions.
Review
Excerpt:
The book has received numerous awards including winning the 2009 Newbery
Award, the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the 2009 Locus Award for Best Young
Adult Novel and the 2010 Carnegie Medal.
Holly Koelling wrote in her Booklist Starred Review, “This is an utterly captivating tale that
is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is
plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life
affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with
broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages.”
Connections:
Neil
Gaiman has many highly acclaimed works such as CORALINE, STARDUST, NEVERWHERE,
ANANSI BOYS, and AMERICAN GODS to name just a few. He has also written the late
1980’s to mid-1990’s comic book series called THE SANDMAN, which was about the
Dream King. Most of these works are fantasy novels and all are excellently
written and expressed.
Personal
Response:
I really
enjoyed reading this book and was very excited to read it because Neil Gaiman
was its author. Being a comic book junkie, my first experience with Neil Gaiman
came from reading his fantastical DC Vertigo comic book series entitled, THE
SANDMAN, written from 1988 to 1996. These comic books were written as a series
of monthly comic books, which compiled ten trade paperback novels. The main
character is the Lord of Dreams, also known as Morpheus who one of the
immortals. This fantasy series is a truly amazing and complex read and I highly
recommend it to those who love story that are fantastical, surreal and bazaar.
References:
IndieBound. (2008). Book cover. THE
GRAVEYARD BOOK. Retrieved from http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780060530945
Wikipedia.org. (2013). Awards. THE
GRAVEYARD BOOK. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Graveyard_Book
Wikipedia.org. (2013) THE SANDMAN
(VERTIGO). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_(Vertigo)
