Author: Neil Gaiman
Series: No
Genres: Fantasy
Brief Summary:
The book tells the story of Nobody "Bod" Owens, the only living soul that calls the graveyard home. As a baby, Bod's curious nature saved him from the fate of his family, who were all murdered by the mysterious "Jack". Bod's wanderings led him to the graveyard, where he was discovered by the ghosts who inhabit it. Against better judgement, they decide to allow Bod to live in the graveyard, where he will be safe from harm..and Jack.
The ghosts were right to be concerned. It turns out that the murder of Bod's family was an ordered hit by a secret society, The Jacks of All Trades. In order to fulfill a prophecy from coming to pass, Jack must find and kill the boy before the society is destroyed. And who, pray tell, would think to look for a living boy in a dead man's land. At least that is what the ghosts are counting on, that Jack thinks the boy already dead. The true question is whether or not Bod's natural curious nature will have him seek out the land of the living, or will he be content to remain in the safety of the graveyard. Either way, his life will never be boring, that's for sure!
Here is what Goodreads has to say:
My take:After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family...
I am a huge Gaiman fan, and this book definitely lived up to the expectations. Gaiman's writing style is very easy to follow, and he really (pardon the pun) makes the characters feel alive. By the end of the story, the reader knows the inhabitants of the graveyard as well as they know the main character, which I feel is an art in itself. Too often supporting characters get lost in the shuffle, and that is definitely not the case here.
I can't think of any negatives for the book, save for the fact that Gaiman has never written a sequel to it. Some books just beg for a sequel, and this is one of them. Turning the last page is really bittersweet because you don't want the story to end. It's that good, people! Read it!!!!
