The Graveyard Book By Neil Gaiman

Halloween has come and gone, but it has left with us a wonderfully creepy story that is enjoyable to read (and read, and re-read) any time of the year. 

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens, a perfectly normal boy - aside from the fact that he lives in a graveyard, that is.

Borrowing heavily from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, it follows "Bod" as he grows up around a community of ghosts, trying to figure out the circumstances of his family's mysterious murder and finding his place in the world.  Along the way, we meet a colourful cast of ghostly characters (all of whom are introduced by their epitaphs) and some truly sinister things lurking in the shadows.  Some of Bod's adventures include meeting a witch buried on unconsacrated ground, running away from his caretaker and subsequently getting kidnapped by ghouls, and befriending a living girl, whose parents assume their daughter is talking to an imaginary friend.

Through the eyes of Bod, we, the readers, get a new perspective on life and death.  We see a contrast between Bod and his caretakers - while the ghosts gradually fading out of life, Bod is fading in, going from a tiny child among the tombstones to a teenaged boy, ready to step out into the world and start living.

Though The Graveyard Book is categorized as a "young adult" novel, I think that it would appeal to readers of all ages.  It is a lively story, with some genuinely creepy and intense moments.  Dave McKean's illustrations bring Gaiman's descriptions to life in a gorgeous, stylized way.  And, the novel is completely self-contained: no nail-biting cliffhangers or months of waiting for the next book to arrive!  However, the path is still open for us to imagine Bod in the future, still having all his adventures, meeting new people, and living life to the fullest.