The Graveyard Book is a children's fantasy novel by English author Neil Gaiman. The story is about a boy named Nobody Owens who, after his family is killed by a mysterious man, is adopted and raised by the occupants of a graveyard. Gaiman's first full-length children's novel since the bestselling and acclaimed Coraline, The Graveyard Book won the 2009 Hugo[1] and Newbery Awards, the 2010 Carnegie Medal,[2][3] as well as a Locus Award for best YA novel. It was also shortlisted for numerous honors, making it one of the most honored works in recent history.[2]
In The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood. Although the book opens with a scary scene--a family is stabbed to death by "a man named Jack” --the story quickly moves into more child-friendly storytelling. The sole survivor of the attack--an 18-month-old baby--escapes his crib and his house, and toddles to a nearby graveyard. Quickly recognizing that the baby is orphaned, the graveyard's ghostly residents adopt him, name him Nobody ("Bod"), and allow him to live in their tomb. Taking inspiration from Kipling’s The Jungle Book, Gaiman describes how the toddler navigates among the headstones, asking a lot of questions and picking up the tricks of the living and the dead. In serial-like episodes, the story follows Bod's progress as he grows from baby to teen, learning life’s lessons amid a cadre of the long-dead, ghouls, witches, intermittent human interlopers. A pallid, nocturnal guardian named Silas ensures that Bod receives food, books, and anything else he might need from the human world. Whenever the boy strays from his usual play among the headstones, he finds new dangers, learns his limitations and strengths, and acquires the skills he needs to survive within the confines of the graveyard and in wider world beyond.
Performed by Neil Gaiman
10 parts
Replies
A local story: Neil Gaiman has chosen to live and work in
Minnesota for several years now. He does the occasional
appearance at the big comix store and set a climactic scene
in American Gods at the House on the Rock in Wisconsin.
Last year, the library had unspent funds in their budget,
"use-it-or-lose-it". They decided to splurge and get Neil Gaiman
to do an Author Talk. Gaiman is a superstar author and
ordinarily commands upwards of $30,000 for an appearance,
local or not. He wanted to give back to his adopted community,
but not undercut his own rates, so they compromised. The
county pays Gaiman, who immediately turns his check over
to charity (not the Library Foundation, as it turns out). Anticipated
crowds were too big for the Stillwater Library, so it was scheduled
the 700-seat high school auditorium.
My teen daughters convinced me to attend. Thank goodness for MapQuest.
I've been going to author talks since the '70s, seen Vonnegut, Tom Wolfe,
Joseph Heller. Nothing compares to Gaiman. Garth Brooks was the first
to apply Arena Rock techniques to Country and Gaiman did the same
for Author Readings.
More to come......
4-6
The Graveyard Book - Unb-004.mp3
The Graveyard Book - Unb-005.mp3
The Graveyard Book - Unb-006.mp3
7-9
The Graveyard Book - Unb-007.mp3
The Graveyard Book - Unb-008.mp3
The Graveyard Book - Unb-009.mp3
10-10
The Graveyard Book - Unb-010.mp3
Brilliant book; can't wait for the movie.
Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome.
Me too..