MADreads

Scary as hell

April 11th, 2009 Molly - Central

This year’s Newbery Award winning The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman will turn your hair white. It is that scary.  And I know from scary.   I like scary.   I have read Gaiman’s Coraline three times and seen the movie in 3D.   I could not sleep soundly for weeks after reading that one.

The Graveyard Book is way scarier.  But as a story, it is also infinitely sweeter and appreciative of life.   I’ll admit I was shocked that in the first five pages of a book for children a man with a knife sneaks through a house and murders the mom, dad and older sister of a family.  I warn you: this scene is illustrated in the creepiest way imaginable.  But the baby escapes and finds himself in the neighborhood graveyard where the dearly departed decide to take him in and raise him as their own.  The baby needs protecting; the spirits take a vote, and so begins the tale of Nobody Owens, the boy raised by ghosts.

This story has excitement galore.   This story calls on history and lore.   This story experiences growing pains and relationships and coming-of-age all in the best possible, unexpected ways.   And this story will scare your socks off.  Which means it might not be the best choice for the nightmare prone, but an excellent one for the twelve-year-old who is dying to see Saw V but isn’t allowed because he is too young.  This is also an excellent choice for everyone else that enjoys a scary story, especially a scary story told with tenderness.   You will not find a tale that imparts a richer message of appreciating family and life.  Even though 99% of the characters in this book are dead, they value life and want the best for Nobody Owens.  This includes an education, adventures and growing up and away from the graveyard.  This book exemplifies wanting the best for your children.  What could make a kid feel safer?

Entry Filed under: Fantasy, Young Adult