The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman

 

The ‘Graveyard Book’ is a story by Neil Gaiman who began his career as a comic book writer and has since gone on to write a number of incredibly popular books for both adults and children.  He is perhaps best known for ‘Coraline’ and ‘Stardust’ which were both made into successful movies.

 

The story sees a young child without any parents being brought up by an unusual community of different characters.  If this seems similar to another story that you might know, this is because the idea came from ‘The Jungle Book’.  Instead of the child being brought up by a series of animals in the jungle though, this story takes place in a graveyard!

 

Nobody Owens is the name of the main character and after his parents and older sibling are murdered, he is taken in by Mr and Mrs Owens – a married pair of ghosts at the local graveyard.  Throughout the story, we see that the different ghosts, werewolves and other creatures in the graveyard need to learn how to bring up a baby, then a toddler and finally a teenager.

 

As well as the interesting idea of a community of ghosts bringing up a child, there is a an even more dramatic story beneath the surface.  A mysterious man called Jack is out to kill Nobody and he is a member of an even more mysterious and terrifying group called the Jacks of All Trades.

 

I would recommend ‘The Graveyard Book’ to anyone and it is one of the best books that I have ever read.  Personally, the only problem with this book is that there is no sequel to it!  Once you’ve read the book, you’ll want to find out more about Nobody, Mr Owens, Silas and all of the rest.

 

‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ by Michael Morpurgo

 

For anyone who has read ‘Robinson Crusoe’, the basic idea of ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ will seem familiar.  The story is all about a teenage boy called Michael and what happens to him after he finds himself washed up on a remote island!  

 

At the beginning of the book, we find out that Michael’s father has lost his job and rather than being depressed about this, the family decide to use it as an opportunity to fulfil their lifelong dream of sailing around the world.  During the course of a storm, Michael, his dog Stella Artois and his beloved football are all knocked overboard!  When it seemed inevitable that Michael would drown, he somehow ended up on dry land!

 

As Michael spends more time on the island, he comes to realise that he is not alone there.  Much of the book focuses on the precise identity of Michael’s companion on the island and whether or not he is a friend or foe.  As the book is written as Michael’s diary of his experiences, the reader shares in his uncertainty about precisely what is taking place.

 

There is a lot to enjoy in ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ for any readers.  It is quite a short book and confident readers will read it quickly but still enjoy the adventure and the details about how exactly Michael goes about adjusting to his new life.  There is also a link to events from WWII and this would be an interesting area for readers to investigate further.  

 

More reluctant readers are likely to find ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ an enjoyable read and a book that won’t intimidate them.  It is a super story and there are lots of other great books by Michael Morpurgo that fans of this book will be sure to enjoy.