The Graveyard Book

304 pages

English language

Published Nov. 6, 2008 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

ISBN:
978-0-7475-6901-5
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4 stars (224 reviews)

I've read this book so many times! Its about a boy called Nobody Owens, and his story as he finds his family's murderer while being brought up by ghosts.

46 editions

Review of 'Graveyard Book' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

Nobody Owens ("Bod") is raised by the denizens of a graveyard after the rest of his family is killed when he's a baby. 

Bod grows from a baby into a teenager over the course of the book, and he feels distinct at each age in how he interacts with the world and what kinds of questions he asks. His world is built from his relationships with the others in the graveyard, whether they're consistent visitors or permanent residents. It's also shaped by his attempts to be around living people, most of which go poorly and all of which are complicated. Because Bod’s perspective is the main (but not quite only) one in the book, his understanding is the filter for most of the worldbuilding. There are things he’s told but lacks additional context to understand, and some things he knows intimately but which are just mentioned. 

The first two-thirds of …

Review of 'The graveyard book' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A very interesting read about a live boy growing up in a graveyard full of ghosts. Toward the end there were some descriptions of events that felt like after thoughts added in to try to patch a hole in the story. I don't want to go into more detail, as it would ruin the story. But, other than that small section, the story was very entertaining and imaginative.

Review of 'The graveyard book' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is a very well-imagined YA 'spooky' thriller. I would not recommend it for children younger than 5-6th grade. The opening might be too off-putting. For those who can complete the first chapter, this is an excellent exploration of community, honor, empathy and protection. This certainly is a good book to read and discuss during late October/ early November during Halloween and Day of the Dead 'season.'

Review of 'The graveyard book' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

Fairly close to giving this 5 stars, but something didn't quite feel right. The characters, the atmosphere, the writing and the plot were all wonderful, but I think the chapters being pretty self contained (the Danse Macabre chapter was especially unrelated to the rest of the book) meant it didn't feel as complete as I'd have liked. The incompleteness of Silas's story was maybe my biggest problem, although it makes sense not to focus on it in a book about Bod growing up.

Review of 'The graveyard book' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This is a such a cool concept! How did the book end up so boring?

It’s Harry Potter but in a cemetery and without the worldbuilding or character development. I added a star because this is a children’s book, and I might have enjoyed it more at a different age. Even if you suspend disbelief for a great many things, the disjointed plot and separate short-story chapters don’t flow and don't add much to the story.

Review of 'The graveyard book' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This "Jungle Book"-inspired young adult fantasy by Neil Gaiman was pleasant, but nothing particularly profound.

The central premise, in which an orphaned toddler is adopted by the residents of a cemetery, is an interesting one, but the details of such a living arrangement felt insufficiently explored. The quirky antagonists of the story likewise felt underdeveloped and sort of a rehash of the much more interesting Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar from "Neverwhere."

While I won't label it a flaw, per se, I did find it a bit jarring every time the Internet or other trappings of modern society were mentioned, as the book's voice has a very Edwardian feel (much like the artwork of Edward Gorey).

I didn't dislike this book, but it definitely felt like one of Gaiman's lesser works. It could be a worthwhile recommendation to boys and girls in late elementary school, but for the adult reader …

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Subjects

  • Orphans, fiction
  • Children's fiction
  • Cemeteries, fiction
  • Supernatural, fiction
  • Ghosts, fiction

Lists