The Graveyard Book

Goodreads Bit:    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 . . . 

Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

My Thoughts:

-    I've read this a few times, and I just figured out the cover!!  It's a face!  It's Bod's face on a headstone!  

-    This is a great graveyard book. It is a little dark, not too scary, with a little mystery, and lots of fun characters.

-    The story is a gripper from the beginning. A few parts are a little slow, but most of it is really good. 

-    I loved the cool illustrations done at the beginning/end of each chapter. 

-    I thought the ending was perfect, and the climax of the story was awesome! 

-    I usually hate stories that have a ton of characters, but Gaiman did a really good job keeping all of his characters from getting confusing. 

-    I thought Bod's character was very thoughtful and curious, and I think a lot of boys are like him. 

-    I loved Silas. He was a good friend and guardian with a bunch of wisdom he chose not to share. You could tell he really cared for Bod, but there was a certain mystery to him that was very fun. I would love to read about about Silas and the guardians. 

-    Jack was a great villain. He was one to fear, but you knew he could be beat. 

-    Overall this is a satisfying read!