The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This book was the Newbery winner for 2009. Newbery winners tend to be new and innovative. This book definitely fits that description. This book begins with a knife looking for Bod - short for Nobody. The knife has already eliminated his entire family. Bod is a toddler (only 18 months old) and doesn't comprehend the danger he is in. Fortunately, he finds his way to a cemetery. The residents adopt him and raise him as a member of their community although he is a member of the "living".

I believe the following quote covers this book accurately.

"A child named Nobody, an assassin, a graveyard and the dead are the perfect combination in this deliciously creepy tale, which is sometimes humorous, sometimes haunting and sometimes surprising," said Newbery Committee Chair Rose V. Treviño.

The eighth grade book club read this book this past school year. Both Mrs. Kaplan and myself enjoyed this book as did the book club members that finished the book. If you start this book it is a good idea to read it all, for me it was similar to Holes. Like Holes by Louis Sachar it has a slow kind of depressing beginning, but once I was into the book, it was hard to set down. Keep in mind that the Battle of the Books committee for 2009-2010 for our district is considering this book as one of the 8 to 10 books for the competition. Please let me know what you think of this book. ddavis@srvusd.net