The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book, written by Neil Gaiman, follows the story of Nobody Owens who became an orphan when his parents were murdered.  Luckily he escaped to the safety of the graveyard.  The ghosts grant him Freedom of the Graveyard, which comes with a certain amount of protection from the ghosts and from his guardian Silas.  The book focuses on his upbringing in the graveyard, his first adventures into the world outside the graveyard, and finally Bod faces the man who killed his family.  He also leaves the graveyard for good to enter the world of the living.  This novel was a beautifully crafted piece of literature with realistic characters appealing to both adults and children.  The illustrations in the beginning of each chapter, done by Dave Mckean add the mystery of the book. 

Neil Gaiman was born on November 10, 1960.  He has written both literature and comics.  Gaiman’s first novel was published in 1984 and was a biography about Duran Duran.