The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

i have been wanting to read this book for a VERY long time....no clue what took me so long to read it, but finally i did. my daughter and i took a quick trip to the library the other day to pick up another book i had requested and while looking for a book for her, i saw this and grabbed it. a description from Amazon.com is:

It takes a graveyard to raise a child.

Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family.

it's a rather unusual way for a child to be raised, but being amongst the deceased from various decades did have an advantage for Bod. he had many people to watch out for him and to guide him as he grew. he had many different teachers, he learned about how life really was during different time periods. later as Bod grows up he is allowed to attend school with the living. it's there he learns the being among the living has some advantages and disadvantages. being among the living makes him noticeable and hard to hide from the man Jack who hasn't stopped looking for him.

this book was really good. there are illustrations throughout the book that help support the story as well as support your imagination. Neil Gaiman is a wonderful storyteller for both the young as old. i'm really glad i was finally able to read such a great book. there are also many, and i do mean many, discussion boards regarding this book all over the internet. there were some insights that i didn't even realize till i read others opinions and thoughts. if you get a chance, please read this book and other by Neil Gaiman....you'll not be disappointed.

xo-amanda