Tale of boy raised by ghosts is both creepy and warmhearted.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
The story begins with the murder of Bod's whole family: parents and older sister. They die by stabbing, and Bod is under threat from this murderer for most of the story and hidden in a graveyard for safety. Ghouls kidnap him and threaten to eat him. He's also threatened by bullying kids at school and nearly arrested. Someone is hit by a car, a man is poisoned and knocked out. Fights ensue with knives, strangling cords, and guns drawn and there are injuries. Pains are taken not to kill the villains, but one character is consumed by giant snakelike creature. Some scares past the ghoul-gate with howling creatures in pursuit and in a deep, dark grave where a creature threatens two young kids; they decide not to be afraid and the tension dissipates. Bod is spanked by his ghost-father with the explanation that when the father was alive ages ago this kind of discipline was normal. Talk of the death of someone close to Bod and more fighting amongst supernatural creatures. A witch tells the story of how she was drowned and burned and how the whole town caught the plague afterward. Lots of talk of how the inhabitants of the graveyard died. A discussion of suicide and others who dwell in the unconsecrated ground of the cemetery, including criminals who were hung. Ghouls talk of plague pits being "good eatin'."
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Occasional mild language includes "bollocking," "bloody," "blooming," and "blast," and characters are referred to as "fiddle-pated old dunderhead," "bleeder," "little grub," "weird," and "little snot," and told to shut their "offal-hole."
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Bod is extremely inquisitive, a bookworm, brave, and selfless. When he makes mistakes, it's usually because he's trying to help someone else -- acquire a proper gravestone or conquer those who bully them – and he sees his deeds as more important than staying safe from the danger he's in. His mentor, Silas, doesn't discourage Bod from asking questions and finds ways to turn Bod's missteps into learning lessons. All of the graveyards' ghost inhabitants play a role in Bod's upbringing in positive ways.
Positive Messages
some
Bod gets some lovely advice from his mother in a song at the end: "Face your life/ Its pain, its pleasure/ Leave no path untaken." There are reminders throughout the story of what's missing in Bod's life living among the dead and what life has to offer him in the future, including a chance to explore, make connections, and make your mark on the world.
Educational Value
a little
Since this takes place in a graveyard, lore about ghosts and sinister dead creatures like ghouls can be compared with other lore of the dead, how they manifest as ghosts, what powers they have. It also familiarizes readers with sections and styles of old graveyards: the unconsecrated ground, the crypts, the mausoleum, the headstones and family plots, and the small church or funeral chapel in its center. Some details about how people accused of witchcraft and petty thievery were killed and buried hundreds of years ago. Description of Anglo-Saxon burial practices using barrows.
Diverse Representations
very little
A girl's parents split up and she lives with her mother. Bod, of course, has a far less traditional family structure. He's orphaned at the beginning of the book, his adoptive parents are ghosts who have been dead for many years, and his guardian is something in between alive and dead.
Parents need to know that The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman won the Newbery Medal in 2009, the most coveted award in children's literature in the United States. This is a review of the novel that has some black-and-white drawings by Dave McKean. The Graveyard Book is also available as two superb graphic novels released in 2014. The story begins with the murder of an entire family except a toddler named Bod, with little described beyond the knife used and where the bodies were in the house. From then on, the story follows Bod growing up. It's mostly set in a graveyard, and most of the characters are benevolent ghosts. Ghouls are not so nice, however. They kidnap Bod and threaten to eat him. He's also threatened by bullying kids and nearly arrested. Someone is hit by a car, a man is poisoned and knocked out, and fights ensue with knives, strangling cords, and guns drawn, with injuries. Pains are taken not to kill the villains, but one character is consumed by a giant snakelike creature. Expect some scares past the ghoul-gate with howling creatures in pursuit and in a deep, dark grave where a creature threatens two young kids; the kids decide not to be afraid and the tension dissipates. Other content is pretty mild: "damn" and "bloody" are said rarely, and two men drink gin. Bod gets some lovely advice from his mother in a song at the end: "Face your life/ Its pain, its pleasure/ Leave no path untaken." There are reminders throughout the story of what's missing in Bod's life living among the dead and what life has to offer him in the future, including a chance to explore, make connections, and make his mark on the world.
Fun and creepy, plus the fierce love of an adoptive family
This is very much a ghost story, but also a story about a kid who is loved fiercely by his adoptive family, and who learns, sometimes the hard way, to listen to his elders and seek their advice. I'll give this to my sons at age 10--maybe 9 at the youngest--in part due to the creepiness and spiritual aspects, but mostly due to the violent start to the book, in which a toddler’s entire family is murdered in their home. The toddler survives by wandering into a nearby graveyard where he is raised over the next 13-14 years by ghosts. Meanwhile the man who murdered his family is still out there, looking for him.
As the boy grows up, there are several occasions in which he does not obey his graveyard family, and makes decisions that put his life in danger. These errors are made clear to him and the reader, through near-life-threatening consequences. (His graveyard family saves him multiple times). When he realizes his mistakes, the boy admits to himself that he was foolish and selfish, and grows from those mistakes. He apologizes to his caretakers and doesn't make those mistakes again. Those themes (of growing from one's mistakes and seeking advice from elders), along with the love and care he receives from his adoptive family, make this a book worth reading. (Plus, the narrative is just fun, with a thrilling ending). I also enjoyed the backstories of the different ghosts, many of whom were born in different centuries and spoke and behaved as though stuck in those time periods.
What's the Story?
In THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, a toddler wanders away from his house without knowing that his family has all been killed. A man with a knife is still in pursuit when the boy reaches a graveyard. The dead inhabitants decide to take him in and provide him with the magical protection of the graveyard. They give him the name Nobody, Bod for short, a ghost couple adopts him, and a man named Silas who's able to move among the living agrees to be his guardian and get him food and clothes and other necessities from the outside world. Years pass and Bod grows up mostly in secret. The few times he ventures into the outside world, danger awaits. A man tries to steal a grave's treasure, and at school bullying kids seek their revenge. And somewhere out there, biding his time, is the man with the knife. Will Bod ever be free to experience the outside world?
This graveyard-set, ghost-filled award-winner is more touching than scary, and just as much a coming-of-age story as it is a delightful and sumptuous horror-fantasy. We see Bod grow from toddler to 15-year-old ready for the world. He experiences all the growing pains of regular childhood along with some unique dangers like kidnappings through ghoul gates and barrows with cursed Anglo-Saxon treasure. He's got a stellar guardian in Silas, a towering undead character depicted by Dave McKean's expressive line drawings almost like he's hovering over the consecrated ground in long black robes. Silas would be truly scary if he wasn't full of wisdom and patience for Bod's many questions and concerns. Their many conversations are full of meaning, especially when Bod asks questions that most kids not raised in a graveyard wouldn't even think of at such a young age. When Silas explains to Bod about suicide, Bod asks, "Are they happier dead?" Silas' answer is, "Sometimes. Mostly, no. It's like the people who believe they'll be happy if they go and live somewhere else, who learn it doesn't work that way. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you."
On to the sumptuous horror-fantasy world of The Graveyard Book. Two chapters stand out as master classes in compelling fantasy writing: "The Hounds of God" and "Danse Macabre." "The Hounds of God" depicts Bod's most dangerous misadventure, traveling through a ghoul-gate with hungry ghouls. It's two parts creepy, one part ridiculous. The ghouls have names like the Duke of Westminster and the 33rd President of the United States, and they swing Bod around like hyper monkeys. Bod's rescue is satisfying and unexpected. In "Danse Macabre," Old Town and the graveyard are in a trance when rare flowers bloom. The living and the dead come together in a joyous way for just one night. The storytelling is all mystery and atmosphere and wonder. When fantasy is all those things it deserves to win all the great awards, just as The Graveyard Book has done.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about scares in The Graveyard Book. When Bod heads to the barrow with Scarlett, how do they handle the dark and the scary creature within? How does it speak to how Bod is raised, around beings that would normally frighten living people?
This book proves a story with ghosts and ghouls and the undead can also be extremely touching. And the connections that Bod has to a cranky witch and a strict Hound of God are some of the sweetest. What other characters in the story were you unexpectedly drawn to like? Can you think of other stories where characters you're sure you won't like end up being some of your favorites?
Have you read the graphic novel versions of The Graveyard Book as well? If so, which did you read first? Which version do you like better? What do graphic novels offer that a sparsely illustrated book doesn't? Is there anything taken away?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
