I am sadden to say that I haven’t had much time to read what I want lately (The Game of Thrones is getting sooo good, I just want to read it!), but I have been reading for my children’s lit class (probably the reason I haven’t been reading what I want). I just finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, and let me tell you, it was definitely a treat. I loved it from beginning to end. A fabulous addition to my repertoire of books. I actually remember when the book was first published in 2008 and people talking about it in BBYA, but I never got the chance to read it at the time. I’m glad that I got the time to read it now, because even though it’s a children’s book, it’s definitely a great book for all ages.
That being sad, The Graveyard Book is loosely based on The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Nobdoy “Bod” Owens escapes the man Jack, who murdered Bod’s parents and sister, by crawling out of the house and hiding in a graveyard. The residents of the graveyard, the ghosts, quickly realize Bod has been orphaned and adopt him. Told in an episodic plot, the readers see how Bod grows up in a graveyard and learns all of the ways of the dead, especially from his guardian Silas. This book is a great coming-of-age novel, and the world Gaiman has created is absolutely fabulous.
For my class, I had to do an assignment where I researched reviews for the book and summarized them, and as I was looking through the reviews, not many people had negative things to say about this book. And I would have to agree with them on this aspect. Gaiman has such an interesting and intriguing writing style, and it’s just hard to put the book down. He’s woven this intricate world where a boy can be raised by ghosts, and he’s still able to function in the world with humans. It’s a fabulous piece of fantasy, one that I think will stay around for a long while.
That will have to be all for now, since I’ve got other homework to do. I’m still working on The Game of Thrones, but I also have to read another book for class by next Thursday, so you’ll probably hear about that one next. Until then, happy reading! 🙂