The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I'm a little late to the party with this review. The Graveyard Book was published back in 2008, won the Carnegie Medal in 2010 and according to the internet there have already been a number of failed attempts to adapt it for the big screen. I found the paperback book at a second-hand book store in Worcester last week and thought it was worth the £1.49 asking price. How right I was.

Although targeted at  at older children, the characterisation and story were flowing and engrossing. I sped through it from-cover-to-cover in less than a week of relaxing reading.

Like many of Neil Gaiman's stories what you first expect is not what you ultimately get. He has an uncanny ability to turn the common-place upside down and have you looking at a tale from the other end - a bit like looking down the wrong end of a telescope.

It is difficult to write a review without giving away the story, the back cover has these notes;
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts.

I really enjoyed the story and was disappointing when I finished it, always the sign of a good book.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (beautifully illustrated by Chris Riddell)
Published by Bloosbury.
ISBN 978-0-7475-9480-2
List price £6.99
Further details can be found at;
www.thegraveyardbook.co.uk

Tony