The Graveyard Book facts for kids
Front cover of first Adult's Edition
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| Author | Neil Gaiman |
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| Illustrator |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's fantasy, horror fiction |
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Publication date
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30 September 2008 (US) |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 312 (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-053092-1 |
| OCLC | 179806700 |
| LC Class | PZ7.G1273 Gr 2008 |
The Graveyard Book is a popular fantasy novel for young adults. It was written by the English author Neil Gaiman. The book was released in both Britain and America in 2008.
The story follows an orphan boy named Nobody Owens, also called "Bod." He is adopted and raised by the ghosts and other special beings who live in a graveyard.
This book has won many important awards. Neil Gaiman received both the British Carnegie Medal and the American Newbery Medal. This was the first time both awards went to the same book. The Graveyard Book also won the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book.
Chris Riddell, who drew pictures for the British children's edition, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. This was special because it was the first time both the author and the illustrator of one book were nominated for major awards. Time magazine also listed the novel as one of the 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time.
Contents
The Story of Nobody Owens
The story starts when a dangerous man, known as the man Jack, attacks a family. He harms most of them, but a baby manages to crawl out of his crib. The baby escapes the house and makes his way to a nearby graveyard.
Bod Finds a New Family
In the graveyard, the ghosts find the baby. They discuss whether they should keep him safe. The Lady on the Grey, who is like the Angel of Death, appears. She suggests that the dead should help the living. So, the ghosts decide to adopt the baby.
Mrs. Owens, a ghost who first found him, and her husband, Mr. Owens, become his foster parents. They name the baby Nobody Owens, or "Bod," because Mrs. Owens says he looks like nobody else. Bod is given the "Freedom of the Graveyard." This special ability lets him pass through solid objects, like walls and gates, while he is inside the graveyard.
Silas, a mysterious caretaker who is not quite living or dead, takes on the job of looking after Bod. He makes sure Bod has everything he needs. Silas also tricks the man Jack into thinking the baby is not there, so Jack loses his trail.
Bod's Adventures Growing Up
Most of the book is about Bod's adventures as he grows up in the graveyard. He learns many things about the world of the living and the dead.
Exploring the Graveyard
As a young boy, Bod meets a human girl named Scarlett Perkins. Together, they discover a strange creature called the Sleer. The Sleer has been waiting for thousands of years in an old burial mound. It guards special treasures: a knife, a goblet, and a brooch. The Sleer is waiting for its "Master" to return.
Scarlett's parents think she went missing during this adventure. Because of this, they decide to move their family to Scotland.
Meeting Unique Friends
Bod is once captured by creatures called Ghouls. These creatures eat corpses and live in another dimension. A special grave called a Ghoulgate leads to their world. Bod is rescued by his tutor, Miss Lupescu. He learns that she is a Hound of God, which means she is a werewolf.
Bod also becomes friends with Elizabeth Hempstock. She is the ghost of a witch who was unfairly executed a long time ago. Bod helps her by getting her a proper gravestone.
Trying Out School
At one point, Bod tries to go to a regular primary school with other human children. However, it does not go well. Two bullies make it hard for him to stay unnoticed, and he has to leave.
Learning Special Abilities
Throughout his adventures, Bod learns many supernatural abilities.
- Fading: This lets Bod become invisible, but only if no one is paying attention to him.
- Haunting: This allows Bod to make people feel uneasy. He can even make them terrified if he uses this power strongly.
- Dreamwalking: Bod can enter other people's dreams and control what happens in them. He cannot cause physical harm in dreams, though.
His loving graveyard parents, his ghost teacher Mr. Pennyworth, and Silas teach Bod these special skills.
The Return of Scarlett and Jack
When Bod is 14, Scarlett and her mother return to town. Bod and Scarlett meet again. Scarlett has also become friends with a historian named Mr. Jay Frost. He lives in the house where Bod's family used to live.
Bod visits the house to learn more about his family. When Mr. Frost shows Bod the room he lived in as a baby, he reveals a shocking secret. Mr. Frost is actually the man Jack! His full name is Jack Frost.
The Final Confrontation
Bod is chased by Jack Frost and four other members of a group called the Jacks of All Trades. Bod and Scarlett escape to the graveyard. There, Bod uses his knowledge of the graveyard to defeat each Jack one by one, except for Jack Frost.
Jack Frost takes Scarlett captive in the Sleer's chamber. Bod cleverly tricks Jack Frost into claiming he is the Sleer's master. The Sleer then wraps Jack Frost in an "embrace." They disappear into the wall, supposedly to be "protected from the world" forever.
Silas returns, and it is revealed that he and Miss Lupescu are part of the Honour Guard. This group protects the "borders between things." They, along with other supernatural beings, have been fighting the Jacks of All Trades throughout the story. Sadly, Miss Lupescu is killed in battle, which makes Silas and Bod very sad.
Saying Goodbye
Scarlett is very upset by the night's events and some of Bod's actions. Silas suggests that it would be best to remove most of her memories of Bod and what happened. Bod disagrees, but Scarlett's memories are taken anyway. Silas then convinces Scarlett and her mother to move back to Glasgow.
In the last part of the book, Bod is about 15 years old. He slowly starts to lose his Freedom of the Graveyard and his ability to see ghosts. Silas gives Bod some money and a passport. Bod says goodbye to his ghostly family and friends. He then leaves the graveyard to start the rest of his life in the human world.
Film Adaptation
In 2009, filmmaker Neil Jordan planned to write and direct a movie based on the book for Miramax. Later, in 2012, Walt Disney Pictures bought the rights to the story. They hired Henry Selick, who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline, to direct The Graveyard Book.
The film project then moved to Pixar. This would have been Pixar's first movie based on another work. However, Pixar and Selick later stopped working together. In 2013, it was announced that Ron Howard would direct the film.
Graphic Novel Adaptation
The book has also been turned into a two-volume graphic novel. Artist P. Craig Russell worked on it with other artists like Galen Showman, Kevin Nowlan, Jill Thompson, David Lafuente, Stephen Scott, Scott Hampton, and Tony Harris. The first volume was released in July 2014, and the second in October 2014.
