The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Winner, 2009 Newbery Award
Quick Summary
Nobody "Bod" Ownes grows up in a graveyard with ghostly guardians and friends.
Favorite Quote
Bod had listened to all kinds of music: the sweet chimes of the ice-cream van, the songs that played on workmen's radios, the tunes that Claretty Jake played the dead on his dusty fiddle, but he had never heard anything like this before: a series of deep swells, like the music at the beginning of something, a prelude perhaps, or an overture.
About the Author
Neil Gaiman is the author of the New York Times bestseller Coraline, as well as several other books for children and adults. He's won multiple awards including the Nebula Award and the Bram Stoker Award. The Dictionary of Literary Biography lists him as one of the top ten living post-modern writers. Originally from England, he lives in the U.S.
My Project
One of the scenes in the book talks about creating rubbings from gravestones. I thought I'd try doing a hand embossed piece to capture that sensation of texture and raised patterns. I also knew from my research that Neil Gaiman has a background in comics so I wanted to pay tribute to that. I decided to freehand draw the piece with gravestones for a couple of characters along with a tree since the graveyard is referred to as a "nature preserve" by outside visitors. I added the black paint over the metal to give the piece a darker, more moody look.
Final Thoughts
You know from the very first line that you're in for a darker type of book: "The was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." (If you think that books for children are all sunshine and light, you're in for a rather rude awakening.) This is the kind of book I'd almost definitely have read as a kid (I liked scary books). There are some beautiful written lines and the ending is quite fast paced and exciting. Neil Gaiman gives credit to Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book as an inspiration. This is the first book I've read by Neil Gaiman, although I was familiar with the movie version of Coraline.
Your Turn
Readers: If you read this book, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments.
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