The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

By Neil Gaiman

Illustrated by Dave McKean

 

Bibliography:

Gaiman, Neil, illustrated by McKean, Dave. The Graveyard Book. New York, New York: Harper Collins Children's Books, 2008.  ISBN:  9780060530921

Summary and Critical Analysis:

In Neil Gaiman’s allegorical story, The Graveyard Book, a mother, father, and little girl are murdered by “the man Jack” while his actual target, an 18 month old boy, whose name the reader never learns toddles down the stairs, out the front door and toward a very old cemetery.  There, the young boy is taken in by the ghostly inhabitants of the graveyard, raised by the ghosts of couple who had been childless in life, and protected by pale, cold-skinned “man” named Silas.  From this horrifying beginning emerges a book brimming with the fascinating characters that inhabit the graveyard, and for time, those who live outside of its walls.  Silas is, of course, a vampire, though that is never explicitly stated in the book and he promises to protect the boy, who the graveyard’s inhabitants name Nobody Owens, because nobody owns him. 

As are most great books for children, this book is a coming of age story.  Nobody, or Bod, as he comes to be known is loved and cared for, taught and fed, and given free run of the graveyard which allows him to see it in a way that no other living person can.  But he is sheltered from the outside world, since Silas knows that “the man Jack” tried to kill him and wants to kill still.  His main venture outside of the graveyard is a failed attempt to attend school without being noticed, since he can fade away in way taught to him so that even his teachers don’t remember him when he’s not there.  However, when he tries to stop a pair of bullies, he draws too much attention to himself and has to retreat to the safety of his graveyard home.

Bod is a character with whom children will clearly identify.  He must stay in the graveyard much of the time but he has the freedom to explore at will, to wander and meet his fellow ghostly inhabitants without fear.  Children will identify with this and think of their own lives where they are protected and free at home, but are told, truthfully, that the outside world can be a dangerous place.  He is also a very sympathetic character, since the reader meets him as his real family is being murdered and as he unknowingly finds refuge in the graveyard and finds new parents who will love and care for him, even though their lives have long since passed.

Within the confines of ghosts, vampires, werewolves, a witch, and assorted other colorful character, the plot is quite believable, and the sense of danger that hangs over Bod, in the form of “the man Jack” makes the book a delightful page turner full of adventures both small, such as going into the unconsecrated section of the graveyard and meeting the young witch Liza; and big such as his adventure through the ghoul gate, and his rescue by Mrs. Lupescu, his sometime protector and teacher, who happens to be a werewolf, or a “Hound of God” as she refers to herself.  Adults will recognize the true nature of Mrs. Lupescu through her lupine-like name as a werewolf, but children will find her a stern character and be thrilled when the reality of her becomes clear.

The Graveyard is a character unto itself.  It is home, school, playground, and world to young Bod, and a place where he feels pinned in to the older Bod.  The details of the graveyard are fascinating, and the humorous characters that inhabit it are, like the living, at turns interesting, pompous, ethereal, bombastic, and kind.  The descriptions of the tombstones, some worn to nothing more than a rock, some elaborately carved some with statuary; intact or broken is a treat.  The stones are as interesting as the formerly living people who inhabit them, for they represent those people to the outside, living world now.  The chapel where Silas “lives” and teaches Bod, the ancient graves buried deep under the ground, the caretaker’s shack are all vividly drawn in Gaiman’s prose, and in McKean’s very good, though sparse pencil drawings. 

Dave McKean’s black and white illustrations, while well done, and well placed throughout the book, could not compare to the graveyard of the mind that I saw while reading and I found them to be a nice but rather unnecessary addition to the story.  I saw them more as decorative, like the gravestones, than elucidating, and the book would not have been lacking without them.  Gaiman does such a great job of painting mind pictures, that the illustrations seemed superfluous.

 The themes of the book are about family, love, acceptance, and finally about growing up and leaving all of those wonderful things to go off and see the world.  The graveyard is a home from which a now mature, but still young Bod must depart in order to experience the world and life that is in store for him.  Older child readers will recognize this as they, too, are anxious, excited, and scared to venture out into the world as they grow up.

The bittersweet ending, after “the man Jack” and all of the “Jacks” have been dispensed, is one that will touch the heart of the reader.  As his ghostly mother cries and bids him the best in life, Bod is filled with sadness at leaving and excitement and being able to “go down every path.”  But venture into the world he does, and as he goes “There is a passport in his bag, money in his pocket. There was smile dancing on his lips, although it was a wary smile, for the world is a bigger place than a little graveyard on a hill; and there would be dangers in it, and mysteries, new friends to make, old friends to rediscover, mistakes to made and many paths to be walked before he would finally, return to the graveyard or ride with the Lady on the broad back of her great grey stallion.  But between now and then, there was Life; and Bod walked into it with his eyes and his heart wide open.” 

And so this is true for all of us.  Between childhood and the end, there is Life.  Every child should enter that life as Bod did with “his eyes and his heart wide open.”  This was the very best of the books I have read in this class and like Bod’s mother, the ending brought a tear to my eye as well.  Set in a graveyard the story is filled with life, family, and love that protect Bod until he can protect himself.  The allegory is a lovely one.

 

Review Excerpts:

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Somewhere in contemporary Britain, "the man Jack" uses his razor-sharp knife to murder a family, but the youngest, a toddler, slips away. The boy ends up in a graveyard, where the ghostly inhabitants adopt him to keep him safe. Nobody Owens, so named because he "looks like nobody but himself," grows up among a multigenerational cast of characters from different historical periods that includes matronly Mistress Owens; ancient Roman Caius Pompeius; an opinionated young witch; a melodramatic hack poet; and Bod's beloved mentor and guardian, Silas, who is neither living nor dead and has secrets of his own. As he grows up, Bod has a series of adventures, both in and out of the graveyard, and the threat of the man Jack who continues to hunt for him is ever present. Bod's love for his graveyard family and vice versa provide the emotional center, amid suspense, spot-on humor, and delightful scene-setting. The child Bod's behavior is occasionally too precocious to be believed, and a series of puns on the name Jack render the villain a bit less frightening than he should be, though only momentarily. Aside from these small flaws, however, Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.—Megan Honig, New York Public Library

From Booklist

*Starred Review* 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. Grades 6-10. --Holly Koelling

Awards:

Newbery Medal 2009

Hugo Award for Best Novel 2009

Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel 2009

Carnegie Medal 2010

Connections:

This book provides an excellent opportunity to discuss with young readers their fears about growing up and going out on their own whether to college or into the working world.

Discuss the different time periods represented by the different ghosts and the history that these ghosts represent.

Have younger children build a diorama of the graveyard, including the chapel and notable tombstones.

Have older children write about the “Jack of All Trades” group and what it might represent or symbolize in the novel.