"The Chilling Tale of a Boy Raised by Ghosts: Neil Gaiman's 'The Graveyard Book'”

Teresa Jones: It was a great book. I enjoyed all the twists and turns. I would love for the story to continue.

United States on Sep 03, 2023

Ma Kettle: With story lines as unique as his characters, I am always blissfully entertained by his story telling. I believe this was intended as a young adult book but I found it delightful, a twist on a fairy or folk tale with a modern setting. It (like many of his stories) would make a great family movie.

United States on Aug 20, 2023

cd: I read this as an empty nester and cried the ugly cry.

I am a Christian. None of this is remotely Christian. But I highly, highly recommend this book, especially to parents of teenagers.

This was great.

United States on Aug 08, 2023

Tall girl: My son’s 7th grade class was going to read The Graveyard. I bought it to read for myself. I enjoy reading all books my kids are assigned. Sometimes rereading things I had read when I was in school. As an adult who loves to visit old cemeteries I enjoyed the book. At its heart it is a classic tale about a boy being raised and protected by “others”. Instead of apes, wolves, or jungle creatures, he grows up with ghosts in a graveyard. That being said, the chapters are incredibly long. The story at times seems to ramble on with no point. As an adult I enjoyed the journey but I knew my kid would have trouble getting into it. In the age of endless 20 second stories on YouTube I don’t know what will happen to good stories in 50 years. Well, I was three chapters in when my son’s teacher sent an email to say that the class would not be reading this book after all. They had tried but the class found it too boring. They are now reading either The Giver or Divergent. Just as a parental note the book does contain a murderous cult and elements of the occult/ supernatural. No sexual content but one character says he ‘is not gay even though some have thought he might be’. I’m...

United States on May 18, 2023

Genna: The Graveyard Book is the first book I’ve read by Neil Gaiman, and I had the pleasure of doing so during my Children’s Literature class in Fall 2023. I had previously heard of his work in the form of Sandman and Good Omens, but I’d never had the pleasure of engaging with it head-on until this point. What I was greeted with was a gentle, yet honest tale that didn’t shy away from the world’s darkness, but instead chose to take the reader’s hand and lead us kindly, slowly, through the fogs of the graveyard, to reveal its secrets to us who choose to listen. As a writer, I was enthralled by Gaiman’s writing style, and seek to emulate it in my own works moving forward. The whimsical narration of his characters’ journeys can quickly ascend to giving the audience a truth about the world, then snap right back to the fairytale you’re reading, is absolutely astounding. That said, while his interpretation of childhood fairytales in the form of the Jacks of All Trade (a malicious force within the pages) is exceptionally clever, once I’d picked up some of the pieces, the big twist was a quick catch-on before I continued. This does not at all detract from the heartwarming...

United States on Apr 25, 2023

Alicia: The Graveyard Book is a deliciously dark tale about a little boy who grows up in a graveyard. Raised and accepted by the spooky residents, Bod, short for Nobody, is only truly safe within the confines of the graveyard on the hill, where the normal rules for the living hardly apply.
This book made me ugly cry. Now, you may be wondering how a spooky book about a boy in a graveyard can accomplish such a feat, but it would be a great disservice to just tell you. You must read this book.
For me, I think the part that hit closest to home was the little boy in the story and how he comes to terms with growing up. As a mom of four boys, thinking about them leaving the utter magic of childhood and then facing the realities of growing up always feels bittersweet.
The Graveyard Book is bittersweet. Not only will you be entertained by Gaiman's storytelling, but you will also be charmed by the characters, intrigued by elements of the story that probably could be written as their own book entirely.
For example, how did the Jacks of All Trades come to be, and who exactly are they? This, and the other questions that pop up, add depth and layers to the story which allow the reader to...

Canada on Feb 20, 2023

Bob: I’ve read of many authors who, quite candidly, say it took them a long time to find “the right time” to write a particular book. Neil Gaiman joins those others with The Graveyard Book which, it would seem, was some 20 years in the making. No, it wasn’t that lengthy a writing spell, but the initial idea, some widely spaced and feeble attempts, until the final pages (the last two, hand written at the bottom of his garden) did consume that decades-long span.
Quite frankly I am glad no one hurried him because the end result is a truly marvelous, totally engaging tale about nobody (oh, sorry, that should be “Nobody, Nobody Owens” or simply “Bod” to those who knew and loved him) and a life quite beyond anything most living souls could or would begin to imagine.
Lots of adventures tinged with intrigue, some love stuff (nothing mushy), some really terrific art work, and a story that’s a whole lot of fun.
This 80 year old “kid” highly recommends it!

Canada on Jan 28, 2023

Ahmad Briz: My boy enjoyed it and was able to decipher the good message behind the story. But I have to be frank I got worried it might be a bit too much for his age. It revolves around a killer trying to kill a boy and his family. I advise you read a bit of it to see if it's appropriate for your child.

Canada on Nov 17, 2022

Regina HunterRegina Hunter: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Hey Hunters,

So I started Neil Gaiman's Masterclass, wishing to improve my writing and to get a piece of mind from a professional. Now this post is a book review, so I will not be analyzing the class itself, but if you guys want me to, then leave a comment. Anyhow, in his class, he talks about his characters, how he designs them, how their needs and wants collide and how you build a character. Really what impressed me was the way he talks in his lectures, it is mesmerizing, and how he sees things when he writes about them.

One of the books discussed in the lecture was The Graveyard Book. Previously I have only have read the Good Omens, and this was back when it came out and I was selected as an ARC reviewer. Since then I was overwhelmed by the number of books in existence and by staggering publishing amounts that grow yearly. Basically I knew Gaiman existed, but did not give much attention as to what was published by him. Warning minor spoilers!

During his lecture, he pulls out his book, which obviously looks like a children's book, and I almost rolled my eyes at this. Then he started reading and explaining why did he write...

Germany on Mar 07, 2020

Froschkönigin: Dies ist das dritte Buch von Neil Gaiman, das ich gelesen habe (nach "Neverwhere" und "The Ocean at the End of the Lane") und das erste, das mich wirklich zufrieden zurückgelassen hat. Denn hier hält Gaiman sich an eine in sich abgschlossene Erzählung mit einem stimmigen Plot. Natürlich hätte man die Geschichte des Jungen Nobody Owens, der, knapp dem Massaker an seiner Familie entkommen, als Kleinkind auf einem Friedhof landet und von den dort residierenden Geistern großgezogen wird, charakterlich tiefer gestalten können, aber das ist, soweit ich es einschätzen kann, nicht wirklich Gaimans Stärke. Und dann wäre das, was Gaiman mit seiner Geschte erzählen möchte, nämlich ein Märchen, vielleicht auch untergegangen in Seenlenspiegelungen. Was dieser Autor wirklich gut kann, ist, absolut fantastische Nebenwelten mit unglaublich schrägen, liebenswerten oder auch abgrundtief fiesen Figuren zu bevölkern, die dem Leser im Gedächtnis haften bleiben, und dabei immer ein Augenzwinkern bereit zu halten. Es wird also nie zu gruselig, nie zu scheußlich, nie zu heroisch und auch nie zu sentimental. Dabei gelingen ihm durchaus sehr einprägsame Szenen, so wie hier die...

Germany on Apr 26, 2014