Book Review
By: Adelia Humme
Senior English Major
Still in Halloween Mode?
Get your fix with deliciously macabre novel The Graveyard Book
Halloween may be over, but the
thrills continue in Neil Gaiman’s young adult novel The Graveyard Book, whimsically illustrated by Dave McKean. When his family is murdered by a mysterious
figure named Jack, toddler Nobody “Bod” Owens wanders into a graveyard and is
adopted by its undead inhabitants.
Raised by ghosts, Bod learns skills like Fading, creating Fear, and Dreamwalking. Although his home life is peaceful (aside
from occasional encounters with mischievous, human-eating ghouls or the sinuous
and intimidating Sleer), Bod longs for knowledge of the outside world and his
family’s past. His only contact with the
world beyond the graveyard is with Scarlett, a little girl who joins him on his
adventures. Meanwhile, a sinister secret
society seeks to end its unfinished business by killing the boy who escaped
Jack long ago. Join Bod on his quest to
learn who he is – and how he can protect himself from Jack and his colleagues –
in this surprisingly heartwarming tale that combines Gaiman’s distinctly
British humor with an innovate approach to ghosts, werewolves, and the
supernatural powers of the graveyard.
Published
by HarperCollins Children’s books in 2008
Comments
Post a Comment