Neil Gaiman has written many successful albeit creepy books. His most famous would be Coraline. He also wrote Stardust which was marketed as a young adult novel. Then I thought I had better read Coraline so I did. It was creepy, but nothing too terrible. Both books were adapted to movies. I thought the adaptions did both books justice.
Then I saw The Graveyard Book. It won a Newberry Medal, meaning it's the best Children's book of the year. I can't really explain how I feel about this book. It's a little... occult? It was well written and written in a way that pulls you into the graveyard (That's my spooky voice) . There are ghouls and Ghulheim, where the ghouls live, and hell hounds, and ghosts, and vampires. Truly a creepy little book. I was glad Nick was home while I was reading it, if you know what I mean.
The boy, Nobody Owens, is adopted by a ghost after his parents are murdered (because of a prophecy of course). His gaurdian is a mysterious being who is part of neither the living world or the dead. Nobody gains the "Freedom of the Graveyard" and can fade, dreamwalk, and go through walls. Of course he can talk to the dead as well.
Overall it's an intriguing little book- but not Biblical at all. The dead are confined to their graveyards for the rest of eternity. There's also a super creepy celtic worship/burial/sacrificial site.
In conclusion I found the book interesting, but I would be super cautious when giving it to a child. Trust me, this will be a movie and will get heavily marketed.
Love, Kaley
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