Book Review:
Bibliography:
Gaiman, N., & Atwood, M. (2010). THE GRAVEYARD BOOK (D. McKean, Ill.). HarperCollins.
Plot Summary:
Nobody Owens, known
to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Well, he would be perfectly
normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts,
with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the
world of the dead. There are dangers and adventures
for Bod in the graveyard: the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer; a
gravestone entrance to a desert that leads to the city of ghouls; friendship
with a witch, and so much more. But it is
in the land of the living that real danger lurks, for it is there that the man
Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family.
Critical Analysis:
This is a story about growing up and overcoming
the most difficult and bizarre circumstances. Bod goes from being a child whose
parents have been murdered, to a child who lives in a graveyard with dead
parents, then to a teen who wants to have control of his destiny, finally to an
adult who no longer needs the protection of the graveyard. He learns what is
means to be alive and what his responsibilities are as a living being. The text
has deep meanings and themes throughout. It causes the reader to dive deep and
construct deeper meanings out of each chapter. Gaiman chose a unique setting
for his story, a graveyard. Most students will at least be somewhat familiar
with a graveyard. However, it would help to show them pictures of what an old
cemetery looks like prior to reading the book. It might also be helpful for students
to draw a map of where things are located in the graveyard, because Gaiman
often describes what is in each corner, and where other things are located
specifically. This would be especially important towards the end of the novel
when the final battle between Bod and his killer takes place in the graveyard. The
language and style of THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is fairly simple, there are a few
places where it gets wordy, and the ghosts might use an old style language that
could be hard to understand. Bod is exposed to an older generation and their
language, throughout the book there may be spelling differences, or vocabulary
differences, depending on when that specific dead person lived. There are also a
few places where mythological words enter the text, such as “Ghulheim‟ the city of the ghouls,
and night gaunt, which is a huge bird that flies and feeds on the ghouls. These
words can be confusing for the students, but with some background knowledge,
can be easily deciphered.
Review Excerpts:
Newberry Medal Winner
Kirkus Starred
Review: “Wistful, witty, wise―and creepy. This needs to be read by anyone who
is or has ever been a child.”
Booklist Starred Review: “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….this is a rich story with broad appeal. ”
Connections:
-Read some of Gaiman’s short stories before reading The
Graveyard Book, since the format is unlike other young adult novels.
Other short stories include:
A STUDY IN EMERALD ISBN: 1506703933
SNOW, GLASS, APPLES ISBN: 1472262913
-Have the students read the Q&A with author, Neil Gaiman.
Q & A with Neil Gaiman
(publishersweekly.com)
-Divide students into groups, have each group discuss
one character in the story. Infer how the character got their name, the
significance of their name and other qualities of character. Present character
evaluation on Canva or Piktochart.
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