Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place—he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their ghostly teachings—such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him.

Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead?

Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: HarperCollins (September 18, 2008)
Page Count: 325 pages

I’ve had a few people recommend this book as one of their favorite Neil Gaiman and after the disappointment of American Gods, I needed to restore my faith in this author. Well, faith restored because this book was great!

The Plot

I actually did not know this book was a Jungle Book retelling until halfway through the book when a friend pointed it out. 😂 Then I was like, OH THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!

Much of the plot is focused on protecting Bod (Mowgli) from Jack (Sher-Kahn). As a child, Bod isn’t ready to face such an opponent so most of his life is hiding and preparing and learning from the people of the graveyard along the way. And no one knows why exactly Jack wanted Bod and his family dead, so there’s mystery and adventure in the story.

I also just love how Gaiman nails child POVs and dialogue. I’ve noticed this in other books too but I like how you can tell age just by how the character talks and observe the world. It’s so masterful.

The Characters

Bod is definitely my favorite. He’s curious but also clever. He outsmarted his enemies instead of using brute force and I love how he uses all the things he learns in the graveyard to his advantage. It’s such a fun journey to watch him grow from a baby into a capable young man.

Of course, Silas is also interesting. I wish I could know more about his backstory and how he got the Gift of the Graveyard. I feel like a whole short story at least could be dedicated to that.

“There were people you could hug and then there was Silas.”

The Setting

The world within our world that Gaiman creates is so fascinating. From the ghostly powers that Bod learns to use like fading, haunting, and terror to the other dimensions like Ghulheim. I also love the inclusion of macabre creatures like mummies and the Hounds of God aka werewolves.

The Epic Things

Being open to learning I’d say is a big thing. So many people in Bod’s life have things to teach him and because he was willing to listen and learn he could defeat his enemies and be free.

“Fear is contagious. You can catch it.“

Epic Things

I love the Ocean at the End of the Lane Easter egg because the young witch ghost’s name is Liza Hempstock.

The Theme

Being open to learning I’d say is a big thing. So many people in Bod’s life have things to teach him and because he was willing to listen and learn he could defeat his enemies and be free.

“Fear is contagious. You can catch it.“

The Content

I’d give this book a PG-13 rating because of the level of violence at the beginning of the book which is the most graphic part. An assassin murders an entire family with a knife. Nothing is shown but that concept can be disturbing for younger readers.

The Writing Lessons

Unexpected Powers – Bod has some really unusual powers that you wouldn’t think would be handy yet are. Like being forgettable for instance. Bod uses this power predominantly when he’s at school so he can attend classes without getting noticed.

How this applies to writing: Superpowers are so limitless and sometimes the weirdest can be the most hand like Cellophane from My Hero Academia can make tape come out of his arms but believe it or not super strong tape is very useful as a superhero.

The Conclusion

Overall this is definitely one of my favorite Neil Gaiman books!

Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere (1995), Stardust (1999), the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning American Gods (2001), Anansi Boys (2005), and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett, 1990), as well as the short story collections Smoke and Mirrors (1998) and Fragile Things (2006).

His first collection of short fiction, Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions, was nominated for the UK’s MacMillan Silver Pen Awards as the best short story collection of the year. Most recently, Gaiman was both a contributor to and co-editor with Al Sarrantonio of Stories (2010), and his own story in the volume, The Truth Is A Cave In The Black Mountains, has been nominated for a number of awards.

American Gods has been released in an expanded tenth-anniversary edition, and there is an HBO series in the works.

Have you read this book? Have you read any Neil Gaiman? What are your opinions of content in books?