There are few writers out there today who have the ability to keep me totally spellbound. David Almond, for sure. A handful of adult novelists. One author who gets my undivided attention every time with his mastery of language and devotion to limitless imagination is Neil Gaiman. Whether he's writing graphic novels, short stories, sci-fi novels or fiction for young adults, he always brings his "A" game to the table. His most recent work, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, takes his standard "A" game to a whole new level of measured storytelling.

Drawing inspiration from Rudyard Kipling's classic THE JUNGLE BOOK, Gaiman tells the story of an orphaned boy, raised not in a jungle by animals but in a graveyard by ghosts. Bod, short for Nobody, wanders into the graveyard as an infant as his family is dispatched by "the man Jack." In the graveyard, Bod is discovered by the kindly ghosts of Mr. and Mrs. Owens, who entice the other local spirits to take the boy in and grant him the "Freedom of the Graveyard" (a special charm that gives Bod sanctuary within the graveyard's boundaries). A being called Silas --- who is neither fully dead nor alive (and may actually be a vampire) --- is charged with being the boy's guardian and seeing that he's educated.

Bod's childhood is filled with the varied lessons taught to him from the graveyard's residents. His teachers include Miss Lupescu, a strict but sympathetic werewolf, and a witch named Liza Hempstock, who skulks about the graveyard's unsanctified ground. But, as you'd expect, the graveyard is also full of dangers, such as the set of devious ghouls Bod encounters who go by names like the Duke of Westminster and the Thirty-Third President of the United States. But little prepares him for the day when the man Jack returns to finish the job he started years ago.

Although he tips his hat to Kipling, Gaiman skillfully makes the story his own with his boundlessly creative imagery and energetic prose. In crafting the tale of Bod, Gaiman revisits the occasionally dark and funny, and always enthralling, ground he covered in CORALINE. Many of the chapters stand alone as short stories, but every small adventure adds up to form a complete tale that feels timeless and important. And the climactic scene towards the end is not to be missed. Fans of his other works will not be disappointed, and there's a very good chance he'll amass an entirely new armada of admirers once word spreads about how phenomenal this book is.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is, in a word, exceptional. Gaiman remains a force to be reckoned with, no matter the intended audience, regardless of the subject matter.

--- Reviewed by Brian Farrey

Neil Gaiman writes with a light touch, tenderly drawing back the curtains on his stories. "The Graveyard Book" is an eerie tale of a boy who grows up in a graveyard, but the eerieness is not where you would expect it to be. His adoptive ghostly parents and the other residents of graveyard are normal to the boy. Outside the graveyard (both in the world of the living and in the supernatural world), though, the adventures are frightening. The boy tackles these adventures, as well as his own advancement towards adulthood, and finally leaves the graveyard to learn more about the world and his place in it.

Any weaknesses in the story are where the curtains were left firmly in place. The murders that start the story are never explained. The inscrutable Silas, the boy's primary protector, is allowed in the graveyard but for unknown reasons. There is a bigger story to be told, but it is unclear whether Gaiman is going tell it. I enjoyed every second of the book, and would love to know more about what happens to him.

There is a moment in Gaiman's opus Sandman which stands out to this day. As punishment to a writer, a power curses him with an endless flow of ideas which he can neither control nor even pause to write (the two that I remember were about a "were-goldfish" and a man who inherits a library card to the great library at Alexandria). What stood out was how each of the ideas was intriguing as it was bizarre. Reading the Grave Yard Book I am reminded of the question that occurred to me at the time - how close is that character's experience to Neil Gaiman's real life?

Long recognized by those readers who appreciate his extraordinary imagination and his gift for prose, The Grave Yard book serves as a case in point; how does Gaiman come up with these ideas? A series of linked short stories, the novel features the protagonist of "Nobody Owens," who as a toddler after the murder of his family wonders into a grave yard where the Ghosts in residence adopt him agreeing to raise him as there own. What follows are a series of linked short stories, each bearing the author's trademarks of dark humor, a deep understanding of a variety of topics mundane and arcane, and an ability to take common myths in uncommon new directions.

No one would be surprised at the gallows humor which run through this work, yet it is Gaiman's sensitivity to his characters which marks this work with a tenderness not found in much of his other work (Sandman standing out for me as a notable exception). In his treatment of Nobody's struggles Gaiman show's a tenderness for his circumstance, while at the same time tapping into a number of universal themes of the challenges of childhood. Gaiman famously composed his Stardust as a sort of homage to a time when distinctions of genre were far less severe and high fiction fantasy was noted more for the former description than the latter (such as Tolkien's day). In the same way, the Grave Yard Book shows flashes for Gaiman's appreciation of the Brother's Grimm.

In the end, the highest two points of praise I can give this book are that not only could I not put it down, but also that I seem unable to stop recommending it to near everyone I see. As is so often the case in his work, Gaiman has crafted a world at once unique, familiar, scary, and wholly mesmerizing.

I find it fascinating that so many reviewers think that darkness and grim plot devices are anything new in children's literature. L. Frank Baum, who gave us The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 100th Anniversary Edition (Books of Wonder), was especially fond of decapitations, and no one can say that the Brothers Grimm shied away from blood or gore in telling their "happily-ever-after" ditties.

But a well-told story is not as common as a merely scary one -- and the story of Nobody Owens, raised by ghosts and a benevolent vampire after the grisly murders of his entire family is a very well-told story. This imaginative tale had me from the first ghostly whisper of "Who goes there?" after the barely-toddling hero of this novel wanders into an ancient graveyard and falls into surprisingly friendly, but very dead, hands. The novel follows the adventures of Nobody (nicknamed "Bod") as he matures from a small boy to a teenager of sixteen, as he tries to become both human, and protect himself from the evil Jacks who are intent upon his death. The novel stands on its own, although I would not be surprised to see more adventures of Bod in the future.

Neil Gaiman's wonderful world of ghouls, werewolves and eerie secret parallel universes grabs the reader and never lets go. I loved this book, and I'm not usually a fan of the paranormal. But after reading The Twilight Saga in order to find out what my teenage daughters were raving about, I am going to be watching these authors very carefully.

I recommend this book highly.

Reviewed by Neha N. Kashmiri (age 14) for Reader Views (11/08)

Nobody Owens, or as his friends call him, Bod, was raised by ghosts. When he was a toddler a man named Jack killed his parents and sister. He was found by a kindly ghost named Mrs. Owens. Ever since then, Bod has grown up with the Freedom of the Graveyard, though he doesn't grow up like most children. He is easy to miss, and learns the way of ghosts rather than living people. He has his guardian Silas, who is not quite a ghost but not living either, taking care of him.

"The Graveyard Book" follows Bod as he has a variety of adventures, including making a living friend whose parents think he's imaginary, getting into trouble with ghouls, and getting a headstone for a witch -- and a lot more. He goes to regular school for a while, forgetting to stay in the background and ruining a bully's schemes. He attends a dance where the dead and living dance together, and finds an ancient grave inhabited by the Sleeth.

All the while, the man Jack is looking for Nobody. When they do find him, will Bod and his friends protect him from becoming one of them?

"The Graveyard Book" isn't one you come across often. Nobody is easy to relate to but you can see how differently he is raised when he states that he isn't afraid of dying because all his friends are dead. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors and "The Graveyard Book" was really up to my expectations. It is definitely one of my favorite books from now on.

I picked this book up knowing that it was the "New Neil Gaiman". What I didn't know, was that it was for 9-12 YOs. I'm 25 YOs and still LOVED this book. It was a quick easy and entertaining read. NG is a great story teller and he does it again with The Graveyard Book. I love the characters in this one, especially Bod and Scarlett. They have a great chemistry. I was sad to see her character go at the end but something in my heart tells me that they're not done ("...for the world is a bigger place than a little graveyard on a hill; new friends to make, old friends to rediscover"). I also loved Silas's character and kept picturing him as Gary Oldman for some reason haha. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story.

This book is another hit from Neil G. He creates a world that is between reality and fantasy that immerses the reader, wishing it were real, but question whether it is or not....

The plot and story of this book grabs you right at the beginning. There is allot on this page on the story, so i wont write it. Its a great story! Has all the elements, Mystery, Action, Suspense, etc.

I read this book over a coast-coast plane ride. It made the 5 hours turn into 30 minutes :)

This book is like no other. I hated to see it end. I would recommend this to folks of most ages. Excellent, indeed!

What a wonderful story. I LOVED it! I listened to the audio version, read by Gaiman himself and it was Perfect in every way. I wany MORE of this story. This is a story I plan to listen to or read every year. Wonderful! Even better than Coraline or Stardust (if that's even possible!!).
Read, listen and share this wonderful, wonderful MASTERFUL story. Thank you again Neil Gaiman for reminding me what a great storyteller you are and (hopefully) will continue to be for many years!
Amazing!

Straightforwardly written & quite moving with characters to love-- just as I'd expected from Gaiman.
A perfect Halloween read for any young adult or adult.
I hope we see the main character, Bod, in more adventures and I hope the ghosts & other denizens of the graveyard help him along in his travels & tell us their tales as well

A fantastic book that is good for young readers and adults alike. I hope that he continues this into a series.

Neil Gaiman's wonderfully dark The Graveyard Book opens with murder--three members of a family are mysteriously killed by a man named Jack, whose intent was kill all four of the family members. Unfortunately for him, but luckily for us and the child, a toddler escapes the house and makes his way across the street to a graveyard. The inhabitants of the graveyard, long since dead and forgotten, save the young child and bring him into their world, giving him "Freedom of the Graveyard" and raising him in a most unusual manner. And while the dead do not eat or leave the confines of their ghostly "homes", the mysterious undead Silas agrees to be the child's guardian and supply him with his earthly needs. Thus Nobody Owens is adopted into a lifestyle which will find him able to converse freely with ghosts and learn many useful traits such as Fading and Dreamwalking.

I was entranced from the first pages of this delightful book. Bod, as he's called, is a typical boy in a very untypical place. Brought up by people long dead, he misses out on today's modern world but finds so much more to occupy him. As the tension mounts when the man Jack realizes where his intended victim now lives, we see how Bod's upbringing has helped him as he saves not only himself but also his real friend, Scarlett. I was surprised by the twist Gaiman gave us with the man Jack, and I loved the setting and the bravery of the dead and the living. Filled with dark atmosphere and sly manipulations, The Graveyard Book is charming and engrossing. I didn't want it to end; I want to live with Bod! This one is sure to delight readers of Gothic literature, young adult literature, and those who just plain love a good story. Highly, highly recommended.

I cannot begin to improve upon, nor add anything worthwhile to what has already been said, except that "The Graveyard Book" is perhaps the jewel in Mr Gaiman's well-deserved crown. The writing style is tight and uncomplicated but continues to impress the reader with its depth of meaning and emotionalism, as if those of us who seek out the author's works would require any more impression.

Mr Gaiman claims that he thinks Chapter 4, "The Witch's Headstone," is perhaps the best thing he has ever written. I would disagree and refer to the last chapter, "Leavings and Partings," as holding that esteemed honor. The bittersweet melancholy of separation and the bright edge of joy for a new beginning are all contained in the fewest words and yet still manage to transmit all the depths of highest and lowest with the skill of a master.

More than anything this review is a need to say "Thank you" for another exceptionally remarkable piece of quality literature. I shall relish re-reading it often as I do all the rest of his fine work.

Overall a very quaint and endearing book. Bod is a delightful character and reading about his exploits is good, light fun.

I really enjoyed this quirky story about a young boy being raised by ghosts and growing up in a graveyard. I loved the odd places that humor was introduced. I was often surprised. . .just when I was getting nervous and thinking something scary was going to happen. . .whoops! I would laugh instead! I also loved the fantastic settings and landscapes introduced. . .ghoul land was reminiscent of hell. I loved that the thirty third president of the US was a ghoul. I had to look that one up. . .Truman was the 33rd president. This is a book to re-read because there are so many inside jokes for those that want to dig deeper. I was intrigued by possible romance, but nothing really happened. Sort of a fizzle, but that could be that he is still so young by the end of the book. I wanted to see him grow into a man. I wanted to find out the life his path would take. Spoiler alert: I also wanted to find out if he had lost his gifts by growing out of them? Or if they had gone because they felt he needed to move on. There better be another book. I'd give it five stars if I knew I could find out more and wasn't left hanging at the end. Very fun read.

Graveyard was a fantastic story. Excellent imaginary plot with oddly believable characters in a fascinating world. Normally I pray for no sequels. Bod's story, however, deserves a sequel. Once again, outstanding storytelling.

Overall a very quaint and endearing book. Bod is a delightful character and reading about his exploits is good, light fun.

I've always been a Neil Gaiman fan ever since I read his other two works "Stardust" and "Anansi Boys", which made me want to pick his newest yarn "The Graveyard Book". And like his previous books I was very hesitant to turn the final page simply because it meant I would never see the characters in the story nor the world Gaiman has crafted ever again. Unless of course I read it again which I plan to very soon. All the other reviews have said something similar to what I have said about Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book" about them missing the characters deeply. Believe it, when you read the story of Nobody Owens and his graveyard friends you are going to get attached to them. I'm already hoping Neil writes a sequel to this great book because I'm seriously missing these characters too. Neil Gaiman is truly a gifted storyteller and The Graveyard Book is living proof. He is able to create this effect on his readers to the point they refuse to finish his work just so they can live in his wacky but beautiful universe. Nobody Owens, Silas, The Owens', Liza Hempstock, and even Mother Slaughter are all characters I want to see again. Death is always a character Neil likes to put in his stories, in the case of The Graveyard Book death comes in the form of a graceful woman on a large white stallion which I thought was very original in presenting the character. Like I said after reading The Graveyard Book you will feel satisfied but at the same time begging Neil Gaiman to write a sequel no matter how long it takes. A delightful tale for everyone.

I know Neil Gaiman doesn't usually write sequels. "Anansi Boys" is probably the closest he's come. But honestly? I don't think I have ever wanted to read more of a story than after I finished this one.

"The Graveyard Book" is an adventurous tale of Nobody Owens, a boy whose parents and sister are killed by a cold-blooded villain known as Jack. He toddles into a graveyard where the local ghosts and a vampire named Silas decide to adopt him and raise him on their own. (On the level, I'm kind of in love with Silas. Just a little bit.)

Adventures and mischief ensue and every bit of it is wonderful. Each chapter could be written as a self contained story, but it pulls you along to the conclusion with a building tension. The reader gets to see Bod evolve and go with him on all the craziness that comes with being raised by ghosts. It is a fun and intelligent story that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Personally, I do hope that Neil gets it in his mind to write a sequel. (Even if it takes another decade or so.) Because while the ending is fitting, it is bittersweet and definitely left me with a "No-tell-me-what-happens-next" feeling.

Read this book. Then give it to your friends to read. Then read it again.

Having just bought the new Kindle last month, I enjoy being able to download samples of books that I am not sure about, so when I read the reviews on The Graveyard Book, I was pretty sure I wanted to read it, but just to be certain, I downloaded the sample.
Within moments, I was enjoying the storyline so much that I stopped reading the sample, and bought the book!
The Graveyard Book may be primarily aimed at the younger crowd, but I loved it, and will no doubt read it again and again.

Gaiman does it again. Between this and Coraline, I have no trouble endorsing him as one of the finest (if not the absolute best) children's fantasy authors in the business. What's more, he eschews the high fantasy tropes of Tolkien, Lewis, et al, and gives us a much more old-fashioned, dark, Gothic, unsettling kind of fiction. This is not elves and magic; it's ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night.

And everything but the kitchen sink. If there's one gift that Gaiman has always had (in both his adult and children's fiction), it's the ability to make us believe that the world is infinitely older, bigger, and weirder than we can possibly imagine. His inclusion of Lovecraft's Nightgaunts in this book is a pretty good indication that Gaiman is a guy who takes a lot of cues from Lovecraft's world-building - although Gaiman is much less pessimistic about the power of humans to find meaning in the big, old, weird universe into which they're thrust. Add on ghost, ghouls, a witch, a werewolf, a mummy, an ifrit, what I can only assume is a vampire, a randomly (and hilariously) placed piglet, and a delightfully strange protagonist, and you have yourself a kaleidoscopic coming-of-age story.

The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens, a boy whose family is murdered one night and who is subsequently raised in a graveyard. In typical Gaiman fashion, even though this story is completely implausible, you completely believe that a boy can be raised by ghosts in a graveyard.

I was really pleased to read this book. Gaiman deftly creates something so much more than a ghost story; it is a story about growing up, becoming the person you are meant to be and accepting your place in the world and ultimately having no regrets about the decisions that you make on that journey. At least that's what I got out of it. The story opens with 3 murders; the man Jack is out to kill a family. However, even though he may be the best for this job, the toddler escapes. The man Jack follows him to a graveyard, but the child's family is one step ahead, their ghosts pleading to the inhabitants of the graveyard to protect the child. A ghost, Mrs. Owens, agrees to take in the child, who is given Freedom of the Graveyard, the ability to live there, almost spectral like, and also giving him total protection from the man Jack. Not knowing what he is called, his new extended family names him Nobody Owens, or Bod for short.

Bod has several adventures during his younger days, and the denizens of the graveyard do their best to provide for him, but eventually, as with any young person, Bod begins to questions his place in the only world he has known, the graveyard. He begins to venture out into the real world, bringing unwanted attention to himself, especially from the man Jack. The book finds Bod coming into his own as he confronts the man Jack and overcomes the obstacles set before him.

There are lots of clever moments and turns of phrase in the book (like the man Jack, and the organization he works for) and the story really flows nicely. The accompanying illustrations by Dave McKean work surprisingly well with the story, adding just that much more texture to the reading experience.

This was a real treat of a book, and I was almost sad when I finished the story; it was a world that I would have been happy to have visited for awhile more.

First things first, this is a children's book. It is a book, written for 10-15 year olds that some adults will also enjoy. If you are the sort of adult who enjoyed the Harry Potter series or Gaiman's Coraline, you will enjoy this also. I make this point as Amazon and other booksellers aren't going out of their way to let casual readers know that this is not the same as American Gods, or Neverwhere or his books written primarily for adults. I think this is mostly due to marketing people who want to sell this book to as many people as they can. If they went heavy on the "its a kids book" then it wouldn't sell as well.

Also, this book is fairly short. It has a lot of great illustrations and while the length of a book doesn't equal quality, which would you rather buy -- a great short book or a great long book? Its about half the pages as American Gods.

That being said its a Neil Gaiman book & Neil is literally in a class of his own. He is not a genre author -- he is a masterful author who happens to write fantasy books. I believe if he were not writing in a genre field, he would without a doubt be perceived as some of the more renowned contemporary authors are. He is easily, the best author writing today - end of story.

The book's premise is simple, a boy whose parents are murdered under mysterious circumstances, is raised by the ghosts & denizens of a Graveyard and kept safe from those seeking to do him hard. There he learns the tricks of the graveyard such as Fade or Haunt, and to dream walk. These skills he employs to stay safely hidden from the outside world until eventually, those seeking to do him harm learn of his existence and return. There he takes matters into his own hands to protect not only himself, but his home and those he loves.

This was a charming book, but its also very safe. As a kids book, its a little grim but not too grim. Certainly far less grim than the average hour of American TV. For adults, I think some might be disappointed. Neil weaves a world of greater mystery than we see, our view being nearly entirely limited to the Graveyard and surrounding small town. I longed to see Bod's adventures outside of the Graveyard and really hope we see him in the future. Also, the book to closely followed the pattern and plot of its inspiration, the Jungle Book. I would have preferred a little more deviation.

For me, tho i enjoyed it, the book was too safe. I know its a kids book, but its also being heavily marketed to adults. And as such, there are no surprises, no one dies who does not deserve it (mostly). All's well that ends well. Good conquers evil, etc. In a kids book this is expected but in a adult book, it feels like Neil took the easy way out. The mystery surrounding why Bod's family was murdered is a bit thin.

In the end, a good solid read for kids, but I can't help feeling I'd rather have read an adult Gaiman book along the lines of Neverwhere or American Gods. I would love for Neil to have kicked this up to the adult level. Or perhaps make an adult counter story to this.

I generally find Gaiman not to my taste--especially the alphabet book! Who would give that to a pre-schooler???--but this one had just the right blend of his trademark "weird" and a follow-able story line. He gives credit to Kipling for some of his inspiration; maybe so, but I found traces of Narnia there, especially the Dawn Treader book.
Much better than Coraline, and The Wolves in the Walls.

This book marks a step forward in Gaiman's ability to write as well as he imagines. His earlier books were vividly imagined, but marred by a slight preciousness, even when he was at his most macabre in American Gods or Neverwhere. His heart didn't seem to be fully engaged by his characters, but rather by his ideas.

The Graveyard Book, despite its lazy working title that somehow made it onto the jacket, is a nicely imagined and solidly written story with at least one genuine surprise. And this reader is almost never surprised.

All I can say, is that I am really sorry to have finished this book--because I wanted it to go on, and on.
Gaiman has created a fantastic world and told a story for the ages. I only hope that the little mentions in the book that hint to a sequel truly mean that we can soon read more about Bod.

told by a great storyteller. This one did not disappoint. As always Mr. Gaiman brings us to an imaginative place full of wonder with his creative writing style and narrative. The stories just get better and better. Sometimes they don't live happily ever after, they just live.

Delighted to see that the Kindle edition contains McKean's illustrations and that they hold up well. The book itself is a delight; go and read some other reviews, watch the author read it at [...] and then buy some copies for your friends.

The only problem with this book is that it ends. It is a good ending though.

There is another problem, and that is how to clone Neil Gaiman so that we can have more books-per-year from this amazingly talented writer.

Read this book! or Listen to Neil Gaiman on the audio book, he does an excellent job narrating the novel, and navigating through all the voices of the exquisite characters of the book. And if you've not read "Fragile Things" it is a must as well.

I say that The Graveyard Book did not have a precisely happy ending because I was so sad when I finished...because I would never again get to spend time with these characters. I was happy for them, but very sad for myself.

I'd read that Neil said it was the first book he'd written that he was satisfied with. As a long-time fan of his, this made me want to read it that much more, and when I did I read it in a single morning before (college) classes. He has managed to riff on the Jungle Book without that book ever intruding on this reading experience--I only ever thought of parallels later.

All I feel I can say about this book without spoiling is that I absolutely can't wait to have children, so that I can read this to them. It is mysterious, delightful and wonder-full. This easily ranks in my top ten list of favorite children's books, alongside things like The Little Prince and Zen Shorts.

Imagine Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book"... but replace the animals with ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and other such supernatural creatures.

Such is the concept of "The Graveyard Book," which cleverly turns Kipling's classic story into an exquisitely-written, darkly witty fantasy. While it starts as the assorted supernatural adventures of a young boy raised by ghosts, the story slowly evolves into a beautifully ghastly confrontation between Nobody Owens and the people who want to do him harm.

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." A man named Jack kills an innocent family at night -- except for a baby boy, who toddles out to the graveyard.

With the approval of the Lady on the Grey, the Owens ghosts adopt the boy, whom they name Nobody (or "Bod" for short), and the mysterious not-dead-or-alive Silas is appointed his guardian. Bod slowly grows up, but his upbringing is hardly ordinary -- he is taught by a Hound of God, wanders into the horrific realm of Ghulheim, watches a danse macabre, and befriends a witch's spirit from the Potter's Field.

But the man named Jack is still out there, and for some reason he (and the organization he works for) still wants to kill Bod. And though Silas and the ghosts are trying to keep him safe, Bod is becoming curious about the world of living humans -- and about the man who murdered his family. And when they come for him, he'll be ready.

The world of Neil Gaiman is never a safe place -- it's always painted in shadows and shades of grey, and something horrible may be lurking around the corner. And the world of "The Graveyard Book" is no exception to this -- it's filled with strange supernatural creatures, hellish red cities with decayed moons overhead, and midnight parades where ghosts dance with the living.

The world of the graveyard is an intriguing one -- moonlight, crumbly headstones, a little stone church, and a creepy barrow where the Sleer lurk. From a lesser author this would be kind of boring, but Gaiman's beautiful prose brings it to life ("There was a silent implosion, a flutter of velvet darkness, and Silas was gone").

And Gaiman explores Bod's childhood with dark humour ("Can you imagine how fine a drink the black ichor that collects in leaden coffins can be?") and adventure. But the tone changes as Bod grows older, especially with the creepily professional Jack and his cohorts slowly closing in on him. It's a coming-of-age tale, and a bittersweet, sometimes terrifying one.

Bod himself is a lovable kid, who slowly explores first the world of the graveyard and then the world of the living. He's both ruthless and kind, sweet and strong. The mysterious Silas -- whose true nature is only revealed late in the book -- serves as a kindly but stern mentor, who pretty clearly loves young Bod like a father.

And there's a pretty wide supporting cast -- Bod's childhood friend Scarlett is rather bratty, but the ghosts make up for that. The snappy, witty witch Eliza, the kindly Owenses, Mother Slaughter, the fussy Mr. Pennyworth, and the schoolteacherish substitute guardian Miss Lupescu all round out the cast. And with only a few lines, Gaiman makes them seem practically real.

"The Graveyard Book" is a beautifully written, bittersweet coming-of-age tale with some moments of pure creepiness. A magnificent fantasy story, which is not to be missed.

The Graveyard Book isn't just a middle grade book - just as the inspiring Jungle Book can be enjoyed by adults, so can Gaiman's well-composed scary-but-not-too-scary novel.

The opening scene is the most chilling in the book - after murdering the rest of the family, the 'man Jack' stalks the infant, and the descriptions are indeed spine-tingling. That might disturb the younger readers, but once you get past the first chapter it settles into a less-scary tale. It has some other moments of conflict and fright, but I never got the feeling that Bod was truly in peril in those, and while Gaiman certainly describes those well the shivers were less than from the opening scene.

Gaiman does what too few authors do - stretches the language and the mind of the reader, even in a book marketed for young adults. He does this not in an uncomfortable, 'what am I reading' way, but in a manner that raises the curiosity, by throwing in an interesting word or phrase that scratches at the mind and enriches the reading experience. He doesn't waste opportunities, from something as simple as mentioning the epitaph on the various tombstones as each inhabitant is encountered, or by taking something that could be simple such as ghouls and making them comical characters while retaining their horror. He seldom settles for the expected or happy-ever-after endings, and the result is more believable and satisfying.

This was a fast-paced and very enjoyable read, and is highly recommended for young and old.

The Graveyard Book has been something I've been anticipating for a while, because I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman. But I am not giving this 5 stars just because I'm a fan, I'm giving it 5 stars because this is one of the best stories you can find by Neil. It will please anyone who reads it, no matter what age. The stories are all engaging, and Neil's excellent, yet subtle sense of humor is ever-present. My favorite thing Neil does is that he uses metaphors and similes and imagery that portray the most vivid description in your mind, but aren't convoluted. Everything he says is there for a reason, and Neil's ability to tell a story is among the, if not the best, of anyone around today.

What a fun read. It kept me up 'til 7 in the morning yesterday, and I do not regret it a bit.

The story of Nobody Owens--his adopted name, as this is a wee human child spared the murderous spree of a dreadful assasin, then taken in by a cemetery full of ghosts from assorted centuries, and guarded by them because the assasin has not given up the quest to kill him--is unputdownable. Every adventure as he grows from toddler to teenager mixes wonders and frights and humor. It's just such fun to see him learn ghostly ways and interact with humans and nonhumans.

There's so much to recommend in the story (and my fellow reviewers cover plenty, so I need not repeat it), but I agree that the trip into the world of the ghouls was a wild ride. I have to give props to Gaiman for the total magic that he infused into the chapter on the Danse Macabre. It would have been a terrific short story--that strange, strange day--but it worked wonderfully in the tale, showing us clearly a thing or two about Nobody and his mysterious, powerful Guardian, Silas. (His particular fantasy niche, while never said specifically in so many words is , nevertheless, no great riddle.)

The near-end brings Nobody into confrontation with the horrible killer, and Nobody comes into his own, but it costs him. It's a well-crafted ending that is inevitable given all Nobody's learned as the story progressed. If you don't figure it out pretty well in advance, you werent' paying attention.

The bittersweet--but natural and fitting-- ending made me sad as I closed the book. It feels complete, yes, but I so want to see more written on Nobody Owens. I have no idea if Mr. Gaiman has planned another or several more novels with this character, but I can say that I would very much like to read more on Nobody and Silas.

I should add that there are illustrations scattered throughout, however, I'm not a particular fan of all the included art. I normally really enjoy McKean's partnering with Mr. Gaiman, but several of the illustrations just left me unimpressed. Though, honestly, I was so wrapped up in the tale, I didn't give them that much of a lingering look. So, the fault may lie more with my impatience to read.

A wonderful story. If you enjoyed the award-winning CORALINE, you're in for a treat. This one's better.

Thanks, Mr. G.

Mir

The first few pages are spellbinding and terrifying. I read them while standing in line in a sunlit post office on a Saturday morning in Texas, and was truly scared. So, while I love Gaiman, this isn't Coraline: if your children are of the read-horror-stories-and-get-nightmares-sort, maybe buy them the Kindle version, and start about ten pages in? I would hate to keep this from a child because the beginning is a little too frightening. Or better yet, read it with them, and skip that part.

Other reviewers have given you the plot. I would like to add a few things to enhance the experience. Gaiman's work, for those of you not familiar with the Sandman comics, is extremely alliterative, meaning it refers to characters in other works. In the first thirty pages alone, he has at least two references to major characters in Sandman and/or Good Omens. Watch for them--it adds a whole new level of depth to the reading experience.

The Ray Bradbury link is no accident: Neil Gaiman himself has talked about how Bradbury's work has deeply influenced him, and it was in the Bradbury-esquely titled "M is for Magic" that I first encountered Bod Owens, in "The Witch's Headstone". I don't think there is any other writer today, besides Neil Gaiman, whose stories can evoke that place of mystery and shivery wonder that Bradbury dubbed the October Country, and this book takes you right into the heart of it. The book reminds me very much of Bradbury's "From the Dust Returned" (both feature a young boy living among odd, supernatural beings), but the story is more linear and concrete and Gaiman approaches it with his usual practical magical realism. And in developing Bod's journey to full self-awareness of this place in the world, Gaiman delved into Kipling's classic "Jungle Books", specifically the stories of Mowgli the wolf-boy, one of my childhood favorite books. Like Mowgli, Bod loses his family in a shiveringly off-screen murder, but the killer, known initially only as "Jack" is far more of a monster than Kipling's lame, cowardly tiger Shere Khan. A Victorian couple of ghosts known as the Owenses take in Bod when he wanders into the graveyard, much as Mowgli was taken in by Father Wolf and his mate Raksha when he wandered into the mouth of their cave, and he is tutored by the mysterious Silas, who may or may not be a vampire, but who mirrors the dangerous stateliness of Bagheera, Mowgli's black panther mentor. And the ghouls that capture Bod are a gleefully gruesome riff on the band of monkeys that capture Mowgli. But beyond that, a mysterious lady in grey riding a white horse appears toward the beginning and the end (a beginning in itself...), who more than slightly resembles Death, from Neil Gaiman's own Sandman comics...

I could say trite things about this being the sort of book that kids and adults will both enjoy in different ways, and reading it will keep you up all night in a good way, but these definately fall short in describing the wonders of this newest offering from a master of fantasy

I've noticed that there's been an increased interest in the macabre in children's literature lately. Sometimes when I've had a glass or two of wine and I'm in a contemplative mood I try weaving together a postulation that ties the current love of violent movies into this rise in children's literary darkness. Is the violence of the world today trickling down into our entertainment? Hogwash and poppycock and other words of scoff and denial, says sober I. But I've certainly seen a distinct rise in the Gothic and otherworldly over the last few years, and one wonders if it's because kids want more of that kind of stuff or publishers are merely getting less squeamish. All that aside, generally I'll read a May Bird book or an Everlost title and they'll be fun examinations of the hereafter, but not the kind of things that touch my heart. Great writing doesn't have to transcend its genre. It just has to be emotionally honest with the reader. And The Graveyard Book is one of the most emotionally honest books I've yet to have read this year. Smart and focused, touching and wry, it takes the story of a boy raised by ghosts and extends it beyond the restrictive borders of the setting. Great stuff.

It starts with three murders. There were supposed to be four. The man Jack was one of the best, maybe THE best, and how hard is it to kill a toddler anyway? But on that particular night the little boy went for a midnight toddle out the front door while the murderer was busy and straight into the nearby graveyard. Saved and protected by the denizens of that particular abode (the ghosts and the far more corporeal if mysterious Silas), the little boy is called Bod, short for Nobody because no one knows his name. As he grows older, Bod learns the secrets of the graveyard, though he has to be careful. The man (or is it "men"?) who killed his family could come back for him. Best to stay quiet and out of sight. Yet as Bod grows older it becomes clear that hiding may not be the best way to confront his enemies. And what's more, Bod must come to grips with what it means to grow up.

Can I level with you? You know Coraline? Mr. Gaiman's previous foray into middle grade children's literature. Come close now, I don't want to speak too loudly. Uh... I didn't much care for it. WAIT! Come back, come back, I didn't mean it! Well, maybe I did a tad. It was a nice book. A sufficient story. But it was very much (new category alert) an adult-author-to-children's-author-first-timer-title. Gaiman appeared to be finding his sealegs with Coraline. He took the old Alice in Wonderland trope which adult authors naturally gravitate to on their first tries (see: Un Lun Dun, Summerland, The King in the Window, etc.). Throw in some rats, bees, and buttons, and voila! Instant success. But Coraline for all its readability and charm didn't get me here [thumps chest:]. I didn't feel emotionally close to the material. Now why it should be that I'd feel closer emotionally to a book filled with a plethora of ghosts, ghouls, night-gaunts, and Hounds of God, I can only chalk up to The Graveyard Book's strong vision.

My husband likes to say that the whole reason Buffy the Vampire Slayer worked as a television show was that it was a natural metaphor for the high school (and eventually college) experience. Likewise, The Graveyard Book has this strong,strange, wonderful metaphor about kids growing up, learning about the wider world, and exploring beyond the safe boundaries of their homes. There's so much you can read into this book. I mean, aren't all adults just ghosts to kids anyway? Those funny talking people whose time has passed but that may provide some shelter and wisdom against the wider, crueler world. Plus Mr. Gaiman also includes characters in Bod's world that kids will wish they had in their own. Silas, a man who may be a vampire (though the word is never said) is every child's fantasy; A mysterious/magical guardian/friend who will tell you the truth when your parents will not.

One thing I particularly liked about the book was the fact that Bod makes quite a few careless or thoughtless mistakes and yet you don't feel particularly inclined to throttle him because of them. Too often in a work of fiction a person isn't properly put into the head of their protagonist. So when that character walks off and does something stupid there's the sense (sometimes faint, sometimes not) that they deserved it and you're not going to stick around and read about somebody that dumb, are you? But even when Bod is at his most intolerable, his most childishly selfish and single-minded, you can understand and sympathize with him. Bod is no brat, a fact that implies right there that he is someone worth rooting for. We see our own young selves in Bod, and we root for him as a result. And as Bod reaches each stage in his growth, he encounters experiences and personalities that help him to reach maturity. That's a lot to put on the plate of a l'il ole fantasy novel, particularly one that's appropriate for younger kids.

And it is appropriate too. Don't let the fact that the first sentence in the book ("There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife") put you off. The murder of Bod's family is swift, immediate, and off-screen. What remains is just a great fantasy novel that has the potential to appeal to both boy and girl readers. Kid wants a ghost story? Check. Kid wants a fantasy novel set in another world appropriate for Harry Potter fans? Check. Kid wants a "good book". That's my favorite request. When the eleven-year-old comes up to my desk and begs for "a good book" I can just show them the cover and the title of this puppy and feel zero guilt when their little eyes light up. A good book it is.

I guess that if I have any objections at all to the title it has something to do with the villains. They're a bit sketchy, which I suppose is the point, but we live in an era where children's fantasy novels spend oodles of time defining their antagonists' motivations and histories. Gaiman's more interested in his hero, which is natural, but the villains' raison d'être is just a bit too vague for the average reader. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that Bod's family is slaughtered at the start of this tale you wouldn't necessarily know whether or not to believe that these people are as nasty as we've been told.

That said the book's a peach. I once heard someone postulate that maybe Neil Gaiman wrote it just so that he could play with the sentence "It takes a graveyard to raise a child." Unlikely. Fun, but unlikely. I mean, he does make a casual allusion that isn't far off from that phrase, but he never goes whole hog. This book doesn't feel like it was written to back up a joke. It feels like a book written by a parent with children growing up and moving out. It's a title that tips its hat to kids making their way in the world, their pasts behind them, their futures unknown. This is not yet another silly little fantasy novel, but something with weight and depth. The fact that it just happens to be loads of fun to boot is simply a nice bonus. Highly recommended.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is iconic British fantasist Neil Gaiman's second go at writing a children's book, and, not too surprisingly, it's terrific. I prefer it to CORALINE (see Coraline - Diamond Distributors), which is also quite good but didn't draw me in as strongly as did this book.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK begins at night with the slaying of a family at the hands of a gifted, knife-wielding assassin named Jack. But Jack goofed and let one get away, a near 18-month-old toddler who had wandered away from his crib and somehow found his way to an ancient graveyard. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK goes on to tell the little child's story, of how he is adopted by the graveyard's ghosts and of how he is granted the Freedom of the Graveyard (thus guaranteeing him sanctuary rights and also a few unsettling abilities). The child is bestowed a new and unusual name, which is Nobody Owens (or "Bod").

Living in a graveyard, raised by the dead, every day of his life exposed to the supernatural, it's not a surprise, is it, that Bod grows up an extraordinary and very peculiar boy? And how long before he begins to wonder about the outside world, a place utterly unfamiliar and perilous to him? Bod is warned that the murderer of his family is still at large, maybe waiting to get him. Bod isn't afraid, but maybe he should be. Because, even after all these years, the man Jack, the knife-wielding assassin, is still looking to finish his gristly business.

About the book's author, Neil Gaiman: In the past quarter century, you'd be hard put to come up with a more important comic book writer than Neil Gaiman, excepting, of course, Alan Moore and Frank Miller. Gaiman's Sandman series elevated comics to a wondrous, thought-provoking artform! Gaiman also happens to be one of the very few comic book talents to successfully transition from comic books to novels. If you haven't yet stayed up long, late hours to Neverwhere: A Novel, STARDUST (Roca Editorial Novela), American Gods: A Novel, or Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (Discworld) (with Terry Pratchett), then you are missing out on some awesome and peculiar stuff. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is his latest and, in my opinion, his most engaging novel yet.

The story is graced with Gaiman's trademark touches, a bit of the morbid, a dash of the macabre, and peppered with wit and humor and with dark imagination. He reminds me some of Tim Powers in his ability to render the reader off-balanced, so lushly steeped are his stories in oddities and gothic sensibilities. Reading both Gaiman and Powers, your grasp on reality may become juuust a tad tenuous. Yet, I say, go on and sip from them strange brews! Theirs is an irresistibly offbeat brand of fantasy.

But one minor point of grievance: I do wish that more fleshing out were done with the characters of Bod's grim, enigmatic guardian Silas (who only consumes one food), Bod's spectral surrogate parents, and that man Jack. Come to think of it, that shadowy cabal to which Jack belongs could've done with more detailing, as well. As it were, I was never quite sure what that group was all about, other than something underhanded.
There's a good dollop of pathos. One thing (among many things) which Gaiman does very well is make Bod likable and relatable, in spite of the weird childhood. The one relationship I didn't think would go anywhere turns out to have an impact, this being the one between Bod and the strict and prim substitute guardian/teacher, Miss Lupescu. She starts out real prickly and cold, but, at the end, you'll end up liking her quite a bit, even though she's not much in the book. One early scene between Miss Lupescu and Bod which made me laugh (and keep in mind that Bod has had a most unconventional upbringing):

"Name the different kinds of people," said Miss Lupescu. "Now."
Bod thought for a moment. "The living," he said. "Er. The dead." He stopped. Then, "...Cats?" he offered, uncertainly.

This one paragraph qualifies as SPOILERS... as I mention that THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is a coming-of-age fantasy, and that it ends with Bod still very young, at 15 years of age. The last page will leave him wiser, sadder, and yet eager to fully experience the outside world. It's a good and fitting ending, but the true enjoyment stems from reading about how Bod arrives at that stage. Bod, as he lives his very odd life, learns several useful graveyard tricks, such as Fading and seeing in the dark. You'll read about his jaunts into the human world and how, in that environment, he doesn't really fit in too well. You'll meet interesting dead people and also Bod's one human friend. You'll learn about the Hounds of God and of dancing the Macabray, and of ghoul gates and night gaunts. There's a buried chamber in this book, which houses ancient treasures guarded by a sinister entity. And, somewhere down the road, you'll bump into the man Jack, with his uncanny sense of smell and his knife. Can Bod be resourceful enough, and clever enough to get around this particular boogyman?

Unexpected and moving. And what a wonderful and warped bedtime fable. Much of the essence, the dark enchantment, that is in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (2-Disc Collector's Edition + Digital Copy) is felt in this book, so if you liked that cheerfully bent holiday movie, then THE GRAVEYARD BOOK will suit you just fine. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping and hoping that Neil Gaiman writes some more about Bod Owens. After all, at his young age, kid's bound to have more adventures, right?

I first met Bod (Nobody) Owens in a short story in an anthology and desperately wanted to read more about him. A visit to Neil Gaiman's website put me out of my misery, reassuring me that the story was a chapter from an upcoming book. I've been waiting for that book ever since. So yes, today, the first day The Graveyard Book was available, I bought a copy and read it cover to cover.

Which means I just gave that contented, yet slightly desolate sigh one gives at the end of a really good book. As the author has noted, this book was inspired by the premise of The Jungle Book, except that the setting is a graveyard. (Note the parallel titles!) The Graveyard Book begins with the horrific murders of a father, mother, and daughter; only the youngest child, a toddler, escapes, meandering out the open door of the death-filled house and right up to the fence of a nearby graveyard.

There ghostly Mr. and Mrs. Owens respond to the plea of the child's dead mother and offer to act as his foster parents. A strange being named Silas further agrees to be the baby's guardian, providing protection and bringing necessary items such as food from the outside world. That same night, murderous Jack is led away by Silas, never dreaming that his lost prey will spend the next dozen years growing up within the graveyard gates. (Jack, for reasons of his own, continues to search for Bod in order to kill him.)

As the years pass, Bod is raised and tutored by the dead. He explains, "Letitia Borrows teaches me writing and words, and Mr. Pennyworth teaches me his Compleat Educational System for Younger Gentlemen with Additional Material for Those Post Mortem." Besides Bod's somewhat archaic education in ordinary subjects, he learns, whether by instruction or sad experience, how to Fade, Haunt, and Dreamwalk, as well as how to befriend a dead witch, call a nightgaunt, and avoid ghouls.

I'll just mention one of the many perfect touches: the way Gaiman includes the inscriptions on gravestones in describing some of Bod's ghostly acquaintances, e.g., the aforementioned teacher, "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?)."

It's easy to praise the author's craftsmanship and subtle humor. And Neil Gaiman's horror/fantasy is strikingly imaginative in comparison to almost everything else out there. But most important, Nobody Owens and his ghostly community are worth falling in love with. Their interactions, along with Bod's growing pains, exhibit a quiet, matter-of-fact tenderness that is missing in most books for adults AND children these days. There's been a lot of talk about Coraline, but The Graveyard Book is even better.

Gaiman's latest finds the popular author channeling Rudyard Kipling's 1894 story collection The Jungle Book, particularly the story of the boy, Mowgli, who was raised in the jungle by animals, specifically by his mentors, Baloo the bear, Kaa the snake, and Bagheera, the panther. As indicated by its title, Gaiman's take on the story involves a boy who is raised by the denizens of a graveyard.

Like many ideas he's developed, it is one that occurred to Gaiman a long way back, and stayed with him over the years. In the author's own words:

"Around 1985 or 1986, we lived in a house with no garden, but we had a graveyard just over the run, so that was where my son Michael (three or four at the time) rode his little tricycle. And I remember watching him, and thinking it would be fun to do The Jungle Book, only set in a graveyard instead of a jungle, and that was the start of it. Because I tend to be fairly slow about these things, it's taken me...twenty-two years to get to it."

The first half of Chapter One (which I was fortunate enough to hear Gaiman read aloud at a November, 2007 gathering at the University of Minnesota) describes how a man named Jack enters a house and kills its occupants, except for an infant, a boy, who manages to escape the killing zone and ends up in a nearby graveyard. There, the denizens of the graveyard reach a momentous decision, deciding to raise the toddler as a member of their extended family. After much humorous and heated debate, they name him Nobody, because he's like nobody else in the cemetery. Bod, as he comes to be known, is still in danger, however, as Jack (like the lethal and murderous tiger Shere Khan in The Jungle Book) is still looking for him, hoping to finish his task of eliminating the members of Bod's family.

That's the setup; to discuss subsequent chapters in any detail would be a disservice to Gaiman's constant readers. Suffice it to say all the praise lavished on the author in the blurbs above is justified: Gaiman deftly blends action, humor, horror, and a good deal of, well, humanity, into a suspenseful storyline, offsetting the grim goings on with a cast of irrepressible characters sure to strike a favorable chord with readers. Always an interesting, inventive, and intuitive storyteller, Gaiman has outdone himself with The Graveyard Book, creating a tale destined to be well received both critically and commercially. This one might have taken twenty-two years to finish, but it has proven to be well worth the wait.

Nei Gaiman's imagination is extraordinary. His stories are always full of wit and humor. They are always entertaining. The Graveyard Book is no exception. Although it is being sold as a young adult novel, The Graveyard Book should please adults and youths alike.

After his family is murdered, young Bod (short for Nobody) finds himself in a cemetery, one that is inhabited by a colony of ghosts. After one dies, he remains forever in the place in which he is buried. To protect him from the murderer, young Bod is adopted by a ghostly couple who always wanted children. They will try to raise a human child as their own.

As Bod grows up, he encounters various ghostly characters, all the while wondering what life outside the cemetery would be like. But his family's murderer is still on the loose and, soon enough, he comes back to get him. He also learns to use their powers; fade to nothingness, walk through walls...

For every dark moment in this book, there is also a very funny one. Each chapter feels like a short story, a new adventure that Bod partakes in. In one chapter, he meets a young human girl that will soon become a long lost friend. In another, he is witness to the ghostly celebration that only happens once in a blue moon. In another, he is taken hostage by strange creatures and taken to a parallel world. In another, he meets ancient crypt keepers that are protecting a hidden treasure. The book never ceases to amaze or surprise.

Every page is drowned in Gaiman's wit, humor and sarcasm. It's rare that I can read a book where something makes me smile on every page. And although this is supposed to be a young adult novel, I had a great time reading it. I couldn't put it down. This book is in the same vein as Gaiman's Stardust; the kind of story that everyone can enjoy. A real gem. The only thing I wished for is more. I hope Gaiman revisits these characters one day soon!

Gaiman's latest finds the author channeling Rudyard Kipling's 1894 story collection The Jungle Book, particularly the story of the boy, Mowgli, who was raised in the jungle by animals, specifically by his mentors, Baloo the bear, Kaa the snake, and Bagheera, the panther. As indicated by its title, Gaiman's take on the story involves a boy who is raised by the denizens of a graveyard.

Like many ideas he's developed, it is one that occurred to Gaiman a long way back, and stayed with him over the years. In the author's own words:

"Around 1985 or 1986, we lived in a house with no garden, but we had a graveyard just over the run, so that was where my son Michael (three or four at the time) rode his little tricycle. And I remember watching him, and thinking it would be fun to do The Jungle Book, only set in a graveyard instead of a jungle, and that was the start of it. Because I tend to be fairly slow about these things, it's taken me...twenty-two years to get to it."

The first half of Chapter One (which I was fortunate enough to hear Gaiman read aloud at a November, 2007 gathering at the University of Minnesota) describes how a man named Jack enters a house and kills its occupants, except for an infant, a boy, who manages to escape the killing zone and ends up in a nearby graveyard. There, the denizens of the graveyard reach a momentous decision, deciding to raise the boy as a member of their extended family. After much humorous and heated debate, they name him Nobody, because he's like nobody else in the cemetery. Bod, as he comes to be known, is still in danger, however, as Jack (like the lethal and murderous tiger Shere Khan in The Jungle Book) is still looking for him, hoping to finish his task of eliminating the members of Bod's family.

That's the setup; to discuss subsequent chapters in any detail would be a disservice to Gaiman's constant readers. Suffice it to say all the praise lavished on the author in the blurbs above is justified: Gaiman deftly blends action, humor, horror, and a good deal of, well, humanity, into a suspenseful storyline, offsetting the grim goings on with a cast of irrepressible characters sure to strike a favorable chord with readers. Always an interesting, inventive, and intuitive storyteller, Gaiman has outdone himself with The Graveyard Book, creating a tale destined to be well received both critically and commercially. This one might have taken twenty-two years to finish, but it has proven to be well worth the wait.

So, okay, I admit it. Like untold others, I'm a Neil Gaiman fan. The man is nice (I've had drinks with him not that he'd remember), has a vivid imagination, and writes a remarkable variety of things -- comics, poems, essays, screenplays, adult fantasy, picture books, and kid books -- all quite well. So when he began documenting the progress of writing this book I was very curious to read it. Based on what else of his I'd read (notably Coraline which I love to read aloud), I expected chills, darkness, and humor. The Graveyard Book has all of that, but it also has something I wasn't expecting -- a remarkable tenderness and sweet sadness that made it one of the best things of Gaiman's I've ever read.

This is the story of Bod, short for Nobody, a child being raised by a bevy of graveyard inhabitants. Brought there as a baby, Bod, is nurtured by the warm and affectionate Mr. and Mrs. Owens, supervised by the serious Silus, and taught by many others in this unique and lovely community of ghosts and other such beings. Bod has adventures, makes special friends (not all from within the graveyard or fantasy world), and begins to learn about his past and future.

The story has the feeling of Kipling's Mowgli stories from The Jungle Books -- favorites of mine growing up. Silus resembles Bagheera for me; while I'm not so sure if there are others that can be so easily compared a similar charm, humor, warmth, and originality are in both. And most of all, both involve a boy brought to a completely different world and raised lovingly and carefully by the inhabitants of that world.

One of my favorite chapters in the book is "The Hounds of God." Silus brings a Miss Lupescu to the graveyard to instruct and feed Bod while he is off on a trip. Having already been taught by graveyard inhabitants Letitia Borrows and Mr. Pennyworth ("Compleat Educational System for Younger Gentlemen with Additional Material for those Post Mortem"), Bod doesn't see the need for new teachers. Miss Lupescu quickly proves otherwise.

"Name the different kinds of people," said Miss Lupescu. "Now."

Bod thought for a moment. "The living, " he said. "Er. The dead." he stopped. Then, "...Cats? he offered, uncertainly.

Missing Silus and definitely not enjoying either Miss Lupescu's lessons or cooking, when three strange creatures show up calling themselves the Duke of Westminster, the Honorable Archibald Fitzhugh, and the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Bod eagerly takes off with them. The resulting adventure turns out to be wilder and harsher and more remarkable than he or the reader would expect. Funny, scary, and exciting all at once.

So is the whole book. As well as elegant, gentle, witty, pensive, and moving.