7 Stars
Nobody Owens (Bod, for short) finds himself suddenly orphaned as a toddler. He then has the great fortune to wander into a graveyard, where he is immediately adopted by the resident ghosts. This book follows his up-bringing by this bizarre community, through both the tender and the terrifying. The Graveyard Book was the 2009 Newberry-Medal Winner. (Deservedly, in my opinion.)
A very interesting concept, this book lives up to that pique. Gaiman is a great story-teller. He weaves in noticeable and plot-driving details without making them annoyingly obvious, and his imagination in throwing in folk lore about the dead--and other grisly graveyard inhabitants--is limitless. He also has a good sense of humor, and plays it well here. This book definitely made me want to read more of his work; unfortunately, I've heard that Coraline is terrifying and Stardust just plain crude. But, if he writes another book for children anytime soon, I will be seeking it out! (I've been wavering between giving it 7 and 8 stars and decided to err on the side of caution. But it really is very good, and I would definitely recommend it to people with a taste for the eerie!)
Most of what I've read of Neil Gaiman I haven't liked at all. I read a collection of short stories and The Sandman Collection and both were too explicit to finish. Perhaps I will give this a try, but I've kind of lost faith in Gaiman.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd heard that... This one is creepy and at times even violent, but a far cry from explicit; and actually quite imaginative and humorous at times. I really think you'd like this one, Anthony. The way he refers to the graveyard's residents is especially clever.
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