The Graveyard Book

Gaiman, Neil, and Dave McKean. The Graveyard Book. New York: HarperCollins Pub, 2008.

Illustration courtesy of http://www.thegraveyardbook.com/illustrations/

Nobody is really somebody and he's about to get in a whole lot of trouble.

An international association of bad guys called the Jacks-of-All-Trades is searching for a certain boy who could spell the end of their existence. Nobody Owens has no idea he’s being hunted. He’s living a quiet, contented life in a graveyard, where’s he been every since the night as a toddler he miraculously escaped the horrible fate of his family – murder.

Nobody – Bod to his friends – is being raised by ghosts and guarded over by a mysterious caretaker named Silas, who only comes out at night. Bod’s picked up some special talents like fading and dream visiting. And, growing up he’s had his adventures with ghouls, a witch, and a thing called a Sleer. He’s perfectly happy where he is until he nears the teen-age years and begins to yearn for adventures in the world outside the graveyard.

It is adventure, and danger Bod gets when he and his human friend Scarlett come face to face with the Jack who murdered his family. Bod must battle Jack and his nasty Jack companions in a fight to the finish. Only the cleverest one will survive.

Awards
Newbery Medal Winner: 2009; ALA Notable Children’s Book; Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book; New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age; Horn Book Fanfare; Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice; 2010 Blue Hen (Delaware) Best Book for Teens nominee.

Cover and illustrations © 2008 by Dave McKean. Scanned May 14, 2009.

Gaiman, Neil, and Dave McKean. The Graveyard Book. New York: HarperCollins Pub, 2008. 978-0-0605-3092-1.