The Graveyard Book

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Neil Gaiman

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

The original audiobook edition of the acclaimed novel, read by the author!

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, has sold more than one million copies and is the only novel ever to win both the Newbery Medal and the Carnegie Medal.

Nobody Owens is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place - he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly teachings - such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him.

Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead?

Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is the winner of the Newbery Medal, the Carnegie Medal, the Hugo Award for best novel, the Locus Award for Young Adult novel, the American Bookseller Association's "Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book", a Horn Book Honor, and Audio Book of the Year.

©2008 Neil Gaiman (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 2009
• Newbery Medal winner, 2009

This is Gaiman's best!

I devoured it like candy!! And Gaimen's narration has gotten so great. Really, really, great! I highly recommend this book for adults and those children who's parents trust them with a wee bit of violence and horror. Its a coming of age but one that beautifully and artfully acknowledges that the past,even the distant past, is a powerful force of life all around us, that those who walked before us could be closer then they seem, and they might be loving and sympathetic. I listened to the book straight through, in one sitting, I couldn't help it!

Short, Simple, Sweet: a wonderful book

I could not call this a great book but easily I rate it a wonderful one. Some of the reviewers commented on the violence. I abhor violence and one of the reasons I liked the book so much had to do with its minimal violence. The description of a violent act in the very beginning leaves more to the reader's imagination than to the words of the narrator. The hero, Bod is totally nonviolent. He never threatens and hardly even defends. He allows the villains to do themselves in. Scary goules and ghosts? I think not. They are pretty much all loving and caring souls.

Throughout the book I considered whether this was a book for children. As an adult, I certainly enjoyed it and believe many children would also. Hansel and Gretel now that's violent and horrific. Little Red Riding Hood? That's perverted and violent. None of that here... just a delightful story in which good completely triumphs over evil... or better yet, evil does-in evil. And to top it all off, the narration was excellent.

Star-wise I find the book difficult to rate. For what it is I would rate the book 5 stars. Compared to all books in general maybe only 4. In Netflix, 4 stars means "I really liked it." That settles it.

STORY HAS MUCH THAT IS UNPREDICTABLE

SO MANY STORIES TODAY ARE WRITTEN IN SUCH A FASHION THAT THE OUTCOME OF MOST OF THEIR SUB PLOTS ARE VERY PREDICTABLE AND THE SUB PLOTS MANY TIMES ARE FEW OR OFFER NOTHING THAT IS PERTINENT TO THE REST OF THE STORY EVEN IF IT IS JUST TO UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTERS BETTER AND BUILD A MENTAL PICTURE OF THEIR WORLD IN YOUR OWN MIND MAKING THE STORY YOUR OWN. THIS BOOK DOES THIS VERY WELL AND SURPRISES YOU KEEPING THE MAIN CHARACTER FROM FALLING INTO THE HELPLESS VICTIM CATEGORY MOST THROW THE MAIN CHARACTER INTO. THERE WERE A FEW PLACES I FELT THE STORY BEGAN TO STRAY AND I FELT THE BOOK LEFT TO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AT THE END THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENTITLED TO BUT I ENJOYED THE BOOK GREATLY WITH ITS VERY ORIGINAL PLOT.

MUCH better then last years winner

Whaa Hoooo



I have saved this review for a good reason.


Congratulations Neil Gaiman for winning HANDS DOWN the Audible book of the year!!!!!

What A shame that audible did not comment on this remarkable achievement. Winning this event with out any real competition should tell you all you need to know about this book. Mr. Gaiman dose not write "cookie" cutter books.

His type of writing has not been seen in a long time. Concise, to the point, and riddled with humor.

The Graveyard Book is about a murder and a small boy that is raised in a graveyard, by ghoasts. Mr. Gaiman tells a storey that is so believable that at the end you do believe that this is not only possible but plausible.

Thanks for this great book.

Biggest surprise!

WOW, I loved it. 5 stars. Don't hesitate to use a credit for this one. It was clever, exciting, funny, imaginative, surprising, and great!! Didn't want it to end.

Great Listen!

This is the first Gaiman book I've ever read/listened to, and I was not disappointed. The story was good, but the narration by the author was the best part. I believe I wouldn't have been as impressed if anyone else had narrated. Gaiman has the talent of a great author coupled with a rich voice, inflection and personalization of the different characters- as someone else mentioned, I would buy ANYTHING he narrated. Extremely enjoyable, I find myself hoping for a sequel! The story had me listening late into the evening, wanting to know what happened. I think this book is suitable for anyone over the age of 8. A bit spooky, a bit sad and humorous at the same time. Not the best book ever, but one of the better ones I've read. Worth a credit? Absolutely! The only thing I found disconcerting was the volume of the music between chapters- I think it would've been better at a more subtle volume, instead of drowing the narration of the first sentance or two of each chapter. For Gaiman fans, a must, and a great family listen for all!

A colorful gray

I loved this book. It was not what I expected, and I love to read/hear something different. It was read well by the author himself. It pictures a world of half-light. I will listen to this more than once.

Wonderful!

Neil Gaiman perfectly narrates his amazing story. I very highly recommend this audiobook.

Perfect - both heartwarming and shivery!

Neil Gaiman is excellent at reading his own works. Some authors just don't possess that talent, but he does. His voice ranges effortlessly from matter of fact to creepy- and you need all that range to cover this book.

Anyone, adult or child, who wants to read a creepy story about a young boy being brought up by ghosts and supernatural creatures in a graveyard after his family is murders will enjoy this book. Although the premise SOUNDS disturbing, Gaiman imbues all of his characters, especially Bod, his young hero, with a great deal of charm and affection. The scary parts are satisfyingly scary and the funny parts are funny. In short, don't keep your child from listening to this book because it might be 'too' scary- IMO it isn't.

But an even greater gift is in store for you if you have read Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. I grew up on those stories as a child and was delighted to see Gaiman transform them here into a boy who is given the Freedom of the Graveyard, instead of the Jungle. I loved working out the parallels between the two books the the sheer cleverness of it made me smile to myself as I listened.

This book won a well-deserved Newberry award for children's literature last year, and my son and I had already read it. But I am happy to say that we enjoyed listening to it the week before Halloween while making a costume and carving a pumpkin, just as much as we did reading it.

This is an excellent story for children or adults, expertly and feelingly read by Neil Gaiman. You won't be disappointed!

Well Done

Loved the book and Mr. Gaiman's narration was fantastic.

Well done Mr. Gaiman! I look forward to reading more of your work.