A young child barely escapes a vicious murderer and becomes a foster child, of sorts, of the graveyard. He becomes Nobody Owens, Bod for short, and lives a life unlike any other storybook boy. His life in the graveyard may surprise most readers; Gaiman does not paint a bleak, scary life for Bod. On the contrary, he is loved, protected, nurtured, and enriched in many ways. Also, he is not completely unfamiliar with regular life; at one point, he must attend school in the local community, which creates some interesting plot points, as well. As Bod grows, he learns he is still under threat from the murderer that sought him as a toddler. Bod must be brave, strong, and clever to deal with this most nefarious and undeserved enemy.
Gaiman's story is not the usual murder mystery; it is quickly paced without being rushed, and full of interesting characters and unusual situations. Fans of horror and mystery will devour this book. I recommend it to middle school.
3/06/2009
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Of course. Second.
ReplyDeleteThe audio for this book is very fine. If I can wrangle it away from my library, I'll bring it.
Yes, yes, yes. Although there will be some adults who are offended by this title, kids will really appreciate it.Here we have mystery, coming-of-age, good vs. evil, loyalty, humor and much more. Once you get past the creepy first few pages, this book is great fun. I especially liked the "danse macabre" chapter.
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