The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: 2008
Pages: 320
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Target Age: 9-12
Other books by Gaiman: Coraline, Good Omens, Stardust, American Gods
Awards: Winner of the 2009 Newbery Medal
Synopsis: When a baby boy's family is murdered, he is taken in and raised by the ghosts in a nearby graveyard.

My Thoughts:
I had high expectations for The Graveyard Book--who wouldn't? It won an award for being the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Unfortunately, (IMHO) 'distinguished contribution' does not always mean 'enjoyable' (just look at 2008's winner, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!--or don't look, because it's not worth your time). To be fair, there are some things I like about Gaiman's book--it is rich with literary and historical allusions that provide plenty of opportunities for kids to explore and find meaning (although this could also prove to be a barrier to understanding for some readers). Gaiman acknowledges that his inspiration for the story comes from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, and although he states that if you've only seen the Disney film you don't know the full story, the book did feel like the movie in that for most of the book the protagonist, Nobody Owens, was meandering the graveyard having small, unrelated adventures. Not until the last two chapters does the plot really take off, and it's done in such a hurry that the whole reason for Nobody's family being murdered is not even thoroughly (or convincingly, or satisfactorily) explained. Hanging over the entire story like a mist is a melancholy that left me feeling 'blah'--along with the obvious reasons for this malaise (images of death, etc), the book ended with the feeling that, as they say, 'you can't go home again.' I'm not saying children's books have to end all honky-dory, but if a book is going to have a serious ending, I want there to be a compelling reason, or lesson, or message that has lead to it the entire time, and while some might argue that that message is about growing up and reaching your potential in The Graveyard Book, I don't think Gaiman does a convincing job of getting that across.

My Recommendation:
It saddens me to say I wouldn't recommend a Newbery Medal winner, but I can't find a compelling reason to encourage folks to read this, unless they've read other Gaiman books and enjoyed them or are (like me) on a mission to read all the Newbery winners.