The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
Reading Level: Grade 6 and up
While his entire family is being murdered by a man named Jack, a small boy crawls out of his crib and down the road to the graveyard. The ghosts in the graveyard adopt the boy, naming him Nobody, or “Bod” for short, and he grows up under the protection of the graveyard. Bod finds treasure hidden deep in the oldest grave, learns how to disappear whenever he needs to, and stops a school bully. While Bod stays in the graveyard, nothing can harm him—not ghosts, ghouls, or assassins—but the man named Jack is still looking for Bod, and what happens when Bod grows up and has to learn to survive among the living?
This book is the 2009 winner of the Newbery Award. It’s a little bit scary and a little bit adventerous, and perfect for those who like something different! There are a wide range of characters, from ghost and ghouls to children and pawn shop owners, and the illustrations are both cool and creepy. Be prepared for some longer chapters, but this is a story to be savored.
