Walk the Line Between the Living and the Dead in The Graveyard Book

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. Ill. by Dave McKean. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-053092-1

PLOT SUMMARY

This story opens, rather morbidly, with the murder of a man, woman, and their young daughter.  Their toddler son, however, climbs out of his crib and sneaks out the open door of his house.  He manages to evade the murderer by entering a nearby graveyard.  The ghostly inhabitants of the graveyard agree to care for him and keep him safe, and thus, the story of Nobody Owens begins.

Nobody, or Bod, as his new family calls him, is given the Freedom of the Graveyard.  This means he can move about as if he were a ghost, pass through headstones into the tombs, see in the dark, be unaffected by the cold, and even learn to Fade, so as not to be noticed by other living people.

As time passes, Bod has many adventures and encounters many people, some living, some dead, and some neither.  When he is five, he befriends a little girl named Scarlett who's parents allow her to play in the graveyard.  When he is six, he is taken by some ghouls through a gate to a terrifying place called  Ghulheim.  He has lessons with some of the graveyard's residents who were former teachers.  He spends an abundance of time with his guardian, Silas, and is loved dearly by his two ghost parents, Mr. and Mrs. Owens.  Bod even attends an actual school for a short while, until his presence there attracts too much attention and it becomes unsafe for him.

The years pass, but his family's murderer, Jack, is still out there, and he is still looking for Bod.  The interlude reveals that this man, Jack, is part of a larger organization that wants Bod dead.

As Bod nears his fifteenth birthday, his old friend Scarlett returns.  This triggers a series of events that lead to Jack and his associates locating Bod and attempting to finish what was started all those years ago.  The tension is high as the reader wonders whether Bod and Scarlett will make it out alive.  Fortunately, Bod is able to use his intimate knowledge of the graveyard to outsmart the men and ensure they will no longer be a threat to him.

The story concludes with fifteen year old Bod leaving the graveyard to head out into the world of the living, so he can finally begin his life. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Gaiman has written a story unlike any I've ever read.  He has created this fantastical character who lives in a graveyard with the dead and shares their magical abilities.  But despite the unusual circumstances of his life, Bod is really just a regular boy.  He wants to make friends like any other child.  He is eager to learn about the world around him.  He doesn't want to eat the healthy food Miss Lupescu makes for him.  He even wants to go watch a football game.  Gaiman has made Bod a character that young readers will relate to and care about what happens to him.  

Amid the many grotesque topics in this book, such as death, murder, witch hunts, and flesh-eating ghouls, Gaiman's tone is light and, at times, quite humorous.  Some of his ghouls include the Lord Mayor of London and the 33rd President of the United States.  Gaiman often times introduces new ghosts by sharing the epitaph from their tombstones.  For example, "Miss Letitia Borrows, Spinster of this Parish (Who Did No Harm to No Man all the Dais of Her Life.  Reader, Can You Say Lykewise?)."  He names his league of villains the Jacks of All Trades - can you guess what each murderer's first name is?  His unique writing style helps to make this book stand out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  At times, it reminded me of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.  Gaiman even gave thanks to this classic in his acknowledgements.  Just as Mowgli was not raised by people, neither was Bod.  The two characters each grew up among bizarre circumstances, surrounded by others who were vastly different than they were.  While this was the first novel by Gaiman that I've read, it certainly won't be the last.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

2009 Newbery Medal

2010 Carnegie Medal

2009 Hugo Award for Best Novel

2008 Cybils Award for Fantasy & Science Fiction - Middle Grade Fiction

2009 Locus Award for Best Young-Adult Book

From KIRKUS REVIEWS - "Wistful, witty, wise - and creepy.  Gaiman's riff on Kipling's Mowgli stories never falters, from the truly spine-tingling opening, in which a toddler accidentally escapes his family's murderer, to the melancholy, life-affirming ending...this needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child."

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "Gaiman has a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family."

From BOOKLIST - "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

If your students enjoyed Neil Gaiman's writing, have them read some of his other novels.

• Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. ISBN 978-0380807345
• Gaiman, Neil. M is for Magic. ISBN 978-0061186479

Have your students read The Jungle Book.  Discuss similarities and differences.

• Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Book. ISBN 978-1503332546

Have your students imagine what Bod's life is like after he leaves the graveyard.  Have them write an epilogue to the story, detailing where Bod goes and what he does.

Bod receives his name because he looks like Nobody but himself.  Have your students think about what they've learned about his character.  How else is his name significant?  How is it a fitting name for him?

The bulk of this novel takes place in a cemetery.  Show your students some pictures of a cemetery, or find an appropriate video of one on Youtube.  Ask your students to write about what it might be like to walk through a cemetery during the day?  What would it be like at night?