By DORIAN NEIGHBORS
Adding to Neil Gaiman’s already extensive collection, including books such as “American Gods,” “Anansi Boys” and “Stardust,” Gaiman writes another widely successful book that lives up to his previous standard of work. “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman is the only novel to earn both a Newbery Medal and a Carnegie Medal. The book follows a boy named Nobody Owens, who is the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised by ghosts and vampires, Nobody struggles to find his place within the living world where a mysterious danger awaits him.
Whimsically written, the story shows the truths of growing up along with the mystical circumstances the boy is born into. The book keeps interest high throughout the story by adding new and interesting plot points that add new dynamics to the story. Every character has a purpose in the book, all shaping Nobody’s story. The book begins with a man named Jack murdering a family, all expect for the toddler. Unbeknownst to the man Jack, the toddler had climbed out of his crib to explore. The toddler ends up in a graveyard and is found my the kind ghost Mrs. Owens, and is given the Freedom of the Graveyard, which enables him to pass through solid objects and fade into and out of vision. Guided by his adopted ghost parents and vampire caregiver, Silias, he attempts to learn all the things a normal boy would in the real world. With imaginative skills and a hopeful faith in life, Gaiman expertly writes a book that can interest any reader looking for a book with intuitive insights into life and death. The book is able to balance both light and dark themes, creating a genuinely enjoyable book for anyone to read.
