Newbery Award

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gaiman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVETARD BOOK. Ill. by Dave McKean. New York, NY: Harper Collins. ISBN- 978-0-06-053092-1.  

PLOT SUMMARY
After the murder of his family Nobody Owens is rescued and raised by the ghosts in a graveyard. Nobody or Bod for short has many adventures in the graveyard from running away with ghouls to befriending a ghostly witch but Bod’s life is still in grave danger from the man Jack who killed his family.  

  
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
 The Graveyard Book is a fantasy book within the subgenre of ghost stories the book addresses some dark themes at the beginning of the novel. Nobody’s entire family is murdered and he himself would have also been doomed to this fate if the Owens had not interceded. There is terminology that is introduced in the book “You were given the Freedom of the Graveyard..”. The author does a good job of explaining what Freedom of the Graveyard means as well as many other terms used like fading and dreamwalking. The majority of the book occurs in a graveyard and most of the characters are ghosts or other creatures. Bod has hurtles in life to work through and evildoers the Jacks to overcome. It contains many elements that many people would find enjoyable in the fantasy genre.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
 “Wistful, witty, wise—and creepy. This needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child.”   — Kirkus Reviews

“An utterly captivating tale…this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages. ”   — Booklist

Honors

Newbery Medal

Carnegie Medal

Hugo Award

Locus Award

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book

Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book

Audiobook of the Year

ALA Notable Children's Book

ALA Best Book for Young Adults

ALA Booklist Editors' Choice

Horn Book Fanfare

Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book

Time Magazine Top Ten Fiction

Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice

New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age

CONNECTIONS

Use THE GRAVEYARD BOOK to discuss mythology and ghost stories.

The Graveyard Book

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish