Howefitz Blog

I do. I hate Neil Gaiman. I hate him with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. I hate him because he does things with words that I only wish on falling stars and birthday candles that I could do. I hate him because ‘The Graveyard Book‘ is shaping up to be my favorite of anything I’ve read by Mr. Gaiman, and I already had a favorite Neil Gaiman book. He has once again upset my understanding of the universe, and I do not appreciate that.

I’ve been a fan of Neil Gaiman for a long time, and I am amazed when he continually gets better. The guy’s gotta fall flat on his face at some point. Right?

I’ve only read the first two chapters of ‘The Graveyard Book’, yet already felt that I should tell somebody, anybody, EVERYbody about this book!

Here’s my recommendation: if you have not heard of this book or what it’s about, don’t go to Amazon.com and read the synopsis. Proceed to your nearest bookstore or library and get the book in your hand. Do not read the inside cover. Do not read the reviews on the back. The prose is built so wonderfully, it will spoil the experience if you already know. That is how I experienced it. I picked it up only knowing that it was written by Neil Gaiman and that it had won the John Newberry Medal the day before. I’m glad that is all that I knew.

‘Wait? Did you say John Newberry Medal? Aren’t those the books that teachers would bore us with in school?’

Absolutely. But the times, they are a-changin’! This book is anything but boring. As I write this, the book is next to me, literally coaxing me to pick it back up. This is indeed intended for young readers, but has the edge that fans of ‘Coraline‘ and ‘The Wolves In the Walls‘ have come to expect from Gaiman. As much as I like his more adult fantasies, it seems that it’s when he’s writing for children that Neil Gaiman truly shines. (My other favorite of Gaiman’s is ‘The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish‘)

I highly recommend this for children and adults alike. According to the John Newberry Medal itself, it is awarded ‘For the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children’. ‘The Graveyard Book’ is exactly that. Not only does it provide the sense of adventure that kids and adults crave, but it will expand even your vocabulary. Several times I’ve already had to google certain words to figure out what they mean. Really! Can you use ‘flibbertigibbet’ in a sentence? Neil Gaiman does.

At any rate, do yourself a favor and check out Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Graveyard Book’. Read it aloud to the family or to yourself. Just read it.

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