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The Graveyard Book
 
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The Graveyard Book (Hardcover)

by Neil Gaiman (Author), Chris Riddell (Illustrator)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
Price: £6.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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  • This item: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

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  • Coraline by Neil Gaiman

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; Children's ed edition (20 Oct 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747569010
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747569015
  • Product Dimensions: 20 x 13 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 296 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Horror > Contemporary Horror
    #1 in  Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators > Q-R > Riddell, Chris
    #1 in  Books > Horror > Authors > Contemporary Authors > Gaiman, Neil

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Product Description

Review
`Hooks the reader in such a way that it's hard to stop thinking about it'
--The Darkside

'You cannot fault the sheer inventiveness in this brilliantly paced and plotted fantasy novel'
--Books for Keeps

`Funny, touching and haunting'
--SciFi Now, January 2009

`If asked to put The Graveyard Book into a genre, I'd have to say: this is a Neil Gaiman book. It's in the Genre of Excellence'
--Fortean Times

`It is probably the best children's book published in 2008'
--Learning Support

`The highly skilled craftsmanship of Neil Gaiman's expertly joined plotting is constantly fascinating. With The Graveyard Book he appears to have exceeded even his own exacting standards, seeming to revel in creating the improbable and layering on impossible convolutions. The impossible he deals with through mind-twistingly clever links and attention to the most minute of details, the improbable becomes totally convincing through the sheer brilliance of the writing' --The School Librarian

Review
`Suspenseful, well-told and touching'

`This brief, dark, savoury adventure deserves to become a modern classic of children's writing'

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Customer Reviews

35 Reviews
5 star:
 (23)
4 star:
 (10)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
113 of 117 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It takes a graveyard, 10 Oct 2008
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Imagine Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book"... but replace the animals with ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and other such supernatural creatures.

Such is the concept of "The Graveyard Book," which cleverly turns Kipling's classic story into an exquisitely-written, darkly witty fantasy. While it starts as the assorted supernatural adventures of a young boy raised by ghosts, the story slowly evolves into a beautifully ghastly confrontation between Nobody Owens and the people who want to do him harm.

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." A man named Jack kills an innocent family at night -- except for a baby boy, who toddles out to the graveyard.

With the approval of the Lady on the Grey, the Owens ghosts adopt the boy, whom they name Nobody (or "Bod" for short), and the mysterious not-dead-or-alive Silas is appointed his guardian. Bod slowly grows up, but his upbringing is hardly ordinary -- he is taught by a Hound of God, wanders into the horrific realm of Ghulheim, watches a danse macabre, and befriends a witch's spirit from the Potter's Field.

But the man named Jack is still out there, and for some reason he (and the organization he works for) still wants to kill Bod. And though Silas and the ghosts are trying to keep him safe, Bod is becoming curious about the world of living humans -- and about the man who murdered his family. And when they come for him, he'll be ready.

The world of Neil Gaiman is never a safe place -- it's always painted in shadows and shades of grey, and something horrible may be lurking around the corner. And the world of "The Graveyard Book" is no exception to this -- it's filled with strange supernatural creatures, hellish red cities with decayed moons overhead, and midnight parades where ghosts dance with the living.

The world of the graveyard is an intriguing one -- moonlight, crumbly headstones, a little stone church, and a creepy barrow where the Sleer lurk. From a lesser author this would be kind of boring, but Gaiman's beautiful prose brings it to life ("There was a silent implosion, a flutter of velvet darkness, and Silas was gone").

And Gaiman explores Bod's childhood with dark humour ("Can you imagine how fine a drink the black ichor that collects in leaden coffins can be?") and adventure. But the tone changes as Bod grows older, especially with the creepily professional Jack and his cohorts slowly closing in on him. It's a coming-of-age tale, and a bittersweet, sometimes terrifying one.

Bod himself is a lovable kid, who slowly explores first the world of the graveyard and then the world of the living. He's both ruthless and kind, sweet and strong. The mysterious Silas -- whose true nature is only revealed late in the book -- serves as a kindly but stern mentor, who pretty clearly loves young Bod like a father.

And there's a pretty wide supporting cast -- Bod's childhood friend Scarlett is rather bratty, but the ghosts make up for that. The snappy, witty witch Eliza, the kindly Owenses, Mother Slaughter, the fussy Mr. Pennyworth, and the schoolteacherish substitute guardian Miss Lupescu all round out the cast. And with only a few lines, Gaiman makes them seem practically real.

"The Graveyard Book" is a beautifully written, bittersweet coming-of-age tale with some moments of pure creepiness. A magnificent fantasy story, which is not to be missed.
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59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An evocative, touching, masterful book..., 11 Oct 2008
By Edmund Prowe (Kent, England) - See all my reviews
Brilliant - sinister, lyrical and poignant all at the same time. Like 'The Jungle Book', it's a great evocation of growing up as an outsider, and the world is vivid and perfectly imagined; and, like 'The Jungle Book', the narrative voice is faultless. But it has more narrative tension than 'The Jungle Book', and a grimmer edge - the gothic elements (ghosts, werewolves, vampires) are picturesque without being cliched, and occasionally funny, but at the heart of the book there's a real engagement with fear, time, and loss. There were a couple of moments towards the end where I thought the structure was weaker, but that's just a quibble - on the whole I thought this was wonderful: an intelligent, elegant, and - in spite of the pervading sense of graveyard cold - warm book. And Chris Riddell's illustrations are beautiful - ethereal-looking line drawings that are witty and unsettling. I haven't seen the other edition but I can't imagine Riddell's drawings being bettered.
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Raised *by* the dead? That doesn't sound right..., 20 Oct 2008
By R. Hill "Rikk Hill" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
What one word best describes this tale of an infant whose whole family are murdered, and who toddles to the safety of a local graveyard, where he's raised and educated by the resident dead? That word, surprisingly, would be "charming".

And it is, in every sense of the word. It's eloquent without being condescending, comforting without being soft, sharp without being bitter, and it captivates your attention throughout its entirety, leaving you perfectly satisfied by the end.

The cast of characters are written to perfection. The dead maintain an eerie timelessness, whilst the other supernatural creatures are subtle yet distinct, ("Silas ate only one food, and it was not bananas"); the villains pull off the trick of being both evil *and* credible; the living have a refreshing mundane quality, and Bod the protagonist is left with the uneasy struggle of being neither fish nor fowl (nor dead).

A delight to read and a joy to think about.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The lumber-room of the imagination
On the front cover of my edition is a recommendation from Diana Wynne Jones: `The best book Neil Gaiman has ever written. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Guy reid-brown

5.0 out of 5 stars The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Deservedly this book won the Newbery Medal. It is a remarkably unsentimental, wonderful,gently humorous tale of Nobody. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Donald Tosh

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal for those new to Neil Gaiman
As someone new to Neil Gaiman, I wasn't sure what to expect - but it was very pleasant surprise. Both touching and really quite dark and sinister at times, I particularly liked... Read more
Published 28 days ago by Amelie

5.0 out of 5 stars Graveyard Book
I bought the book for my son and he loved it, so I read it. I don't know if all Gaiman's books are this good, but this one was wonderful, if a little darker than my usual... Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Hassell

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
This book is a Gaiman classic! Aimed at children but equally enjoyed by adults, i highly recommend it!
Published 1 month ago by Rash

5.0 out of 5 stars The Graveyard Book is Dead Good
The Graveyard Book Sorry about the poor pun: couldn't resist it. But seriously, this was another pen-fruit from Gaiman that I found un-put-downable. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Reading Rockspider

5.0 out of 5 stars The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman
Grabs your attention immediately, set in a twilight world of the weird and wonderful, gREaT book, loved it.
Published 2 months ago by E. M. Weston

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghost and Gouls and things that go bump in the night!
Neil Gaiman. The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaman is a new find for me; the first book I read was Coraline, which although good, did not really come together for me. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ms. Victoria Harvey

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read
Having read a lot of Gaimens other books I've found that it's his books for younger readers are nearly better than the 'adult books'. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Perdita

4.0 out of 5 stars Deliciously Macabre!
'The Graveyard Book' mixes deliciously the horror, humour and mistery, and hides very important moral lessons behind the adventures that Nobody Owens lives. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Alba

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