Module 4 - The Graveyard Book

Summary:

Bod is young boy that climbs out of his crib in the middle of the night and crawls to a graveyard.  However, what is not known to him yet is that his family was being murdered by a man named Jack at the same time and it should have been him.  Bod is taken in by Mr. And Mrs. Owens. The couple is also dead and lives in the graveyard.  They take the boy in and name him Bod.  He lives in the graveyard and has some special powers that help protect him from outsiders.  A man named Silas helps care for the boy so he can get a hold of items Bod needs that caretakers of the graveyard cannot help him with.  Bod interacts with a variety of characters like a witch, a werewolf and a serpent known as The Sleer.  He also makes a friend named Scarlett.  Bod is basically trying to live his life but is always on the lookout for Jack.  Bod eventually meets the man that killed his family face to face and Jack Frost ends up a permanent part of the old graveyard forever after a run in with The Sleer. He begins to lose his powers and as he grows moves on to live his own life.     


APA Reference:


Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book. New York, NY:  HarperCollins Publishers.

My Impressions:                          

This was a very neat book!  Our 8^th grade reading department uses this book for many of their lessons so I was familiar with it.  The funny thing was after all these years I had actually never read it.  I felt that this was a very creative way to tell a story.  I am leery of ghost stories but this one was unique.  This was not about a haunting or of trapped souls.  These ghosts live in their graveyard perfectly content.  That is until nobody or “Bod” showed up unexpectedly.  The fact that a couple took him in and he became part of the graveyard was really exciting.  Bod was raised in a very different sort of way but was being protected all the same.  He did not learn about American history or read learn math.  He was being taught how to haunt and to disappear.  This story really appeals to our middle school students.  I can see why!

Professional Reviews:

Booklist Review

Grades 6-10. While a highly motivated killer murders his family, a baby, ignorant of the horrific goings-on but bent on independence, pulls himself out of his crib and toddles out of the house and into the night. This is most unfortunate for the killer, since the baby was his prime target. Finding his way through the barred fence of an ancient graveyard, the baby is discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a stable and caring couple with no children of their own—and who just happen to be dead. After much debate with the graveyard’s rather opinionated denizens, it is decided that the Owenses will take in the child. Under their care and the sponsorship of the mysterious Silas, the baby is named “Nobody” and raised among the dead to protect him from the killer, who relentlessly pursues him. This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages. – Holly Koelling.

Koelling, H. (2008, September 15). [Review of the book The graveyard book]. Available from Booklist Website:  http://www.booklistonline.com/The-Graveyard-Book-Neil-Gaiman/pid=2835797

Library Uses:

a.       I am not sure how some people feel about this topic but this book would be a great example in showing the nature of death. 

b.      There are a lot of interesting relationships in this book and this could be a good opportunity to create a character map or a collage.