The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Dave McKean

Image

Figure 1. The Graveyard Book book cover (2019).

Evaluation of Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, tells a morbid story about a man named Jack that needs to kill off a whole family but fails. The toddler escapes Jack’s knife by walking to the local graveyard. Here he gains Freedom of the Graveyard and is raised by the ghosts and Silas, a member of the honor guard. The boy is renamed Nobody Owens, nicknamed Bod. Over the years he learns to read, write, fade, and so much more from the different ghosts that help raise him. However, after eleven years in the graveyard, Bod wants to go to school. He wants to be a part of the world because the only way to live is to do it, even if Jack might still want to kill him.

Dave McKean does a wonderful job of establishing a spooky mood in the book through sporadic pictures. The different shades of gray, black, and white make the exaggerated pictures, like the wavy version of Bod reading a book while sitting on a grave stone, seem ghostly, fitting in with the graveyard theme. These pictures also show key people and events while also adding fog and mist to keep with the typical Great Britain weather. They also show the clothing of the people, including what the ghosts wore when they died hundreds of years ago. Therefore, the pictures provide an overarching eerie effect.

Neil Gaiman also does a fabulous job with language. One example is when the ghost of Bod’s mother comes to save him. She appears as “a raw, flickering, startling shape the grey color of television static, all panic and naked emotion” (Gaiman, 2008, p. 15). This description puts a very clear image in the mind of the reader. Also, there are ghosts that are hundreds of years old, and they are teaching Bod how to talk. Due to this, Bod’s use of words is off when he makes a friend with a little girl that visits the graveyard. However, the best one is the organization of Jack of All Trades. The members are all named Jack, like Jack Nimble and Jack Frost. Truly, the use of language transports the reader into the book.

Another great feature of the book is the characters. Bod, Nobody Owens, wins over your heart from the start. He is this little baby who can walk and exhibits primal needs like hunger. Then over the chapters he grows up into a caring person that believes in helping others be good people. And while he might use backwards logic at times, like dreamwalking to help a bully change his ways, he is a good person to the core. Also, Mr. And Mrs. Owens take on the role of the caring ghostly parents that always want what is best for Bod. They get to worry about him while also pushing him to become independent. They are wonderful to Bod from day one. Silas is another character that stands out. He is the stoic caregiver that provides Bod with answers to questions along with basic necessities. On the flip side, Jack, the killer, plays the part of a sociopath that is obsessed with killing Bod. He is single minded, and all of his actions point towards him finding this boy and finishing him.

Response

While reading The Graveyard Book, I kept thinking about my son, Jack. He has his mother, grandparents, and uncle plus his preschool teachers that all help raise him. In essence, he is being raised by a village, just like Bod. I think this is the right way to do things, it matches up with how the world should work. Kids need to learn from multiple people and then decide what works best for them from what they have learned. Also, this book matches up with my views because Bod becomes a wonderful person who is confident and can take care of himself despite not having his biological parents to raise him. Many of the students I teach live with guardians instead of blood relatives, and they turn out great too.

Conclusion

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, is a story that challenges the norms of society while also focusing on people doing what is right in the world. It repeatedly explains that people need to live life, especially when it gets messy, because that is what makes a good life. Therefore, this book is ideal for people that enjoy odd twists with a hit of morbid. Out of four stars, this book earns three and a half.

Citation

Gaiman, N. & McKean, D. (2008). The graveyard book. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Willis, C. (2019). The graveyard book book cover (photo). Retrieved April 28, 2019 from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qR3ya7gMhP8WdZ5OLos0QZexq7gbar7Y/view?usp=sharing