Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Graveyard Book


I read The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, over the summer, and I don't think I ever reviewed it, which is quite neglectful on my part. My youngest brother actually read the first part of it while I was driving some of the family up to Utah. I really liked the book, so much so that I had to finish it on my own before the rest of the family returned home earlier than I (with the book). I'm not super familiar with Gaiman, but my brother likes him. He wrote Stardust, of which you may have seen the movie adaptation. He also wrote this great poem.
Anyway, about the book. It won the Newbery Award, as you can see, and I know why. It's great! It is a rather dark tale, which is not surprising from the title or cover. The book is about a boy who is raised by ghosts in a graveyard. As my brother says (and he knows better than I do), it is obvious that Gaiman is familiar with much folklore and legend. If you're in to that kind of thing, you will love this book! It's a young reader book, so it doesn't take long to read. It's pretty fascinating with many characters who have their own stories. I have to admit that part of it was almost too twisted for me, but I still love the story, and I'm so glad my little bro shared it with me. By the way, it's a great story to have read to you, too; I don't think all stories work that way.
Disclaimer: if you decide you want to try out Gaiman, his children's books are the safest place to go. My brother says his adult books are very "adult" in content, so be careful.

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