The main character, Bod, was also well written. I also adored the characterisation of the ghosts who were all so quirky and well written – particular favourites of mine were Liza Hempstock (her general to and fro with Bod always made me smile), Mother Slaughter (such a good name!) and Nehemiah Trot, the poet (I feel like we all know someone who likes the sound of their own voice 😂). (Sidenote: this was the first book I read after losing my dad and it definitely brought me some peace). I thought this was a wonderful touch to making them seem more human and offering a brief insight into each of the characters, no matter how minor to the plot.Ĭontinuing with the graveyard, I loved the idea that everyone interacted with each other and it was more of a cheerful community than we often think of. I really looked forward to being introduced to new ghosts as we are always given their headstone inscription. The thing that I loved the most about this book was Gaiman’s world building when it came to describing the graveyard and its inhabitants. This was my first venture into anything written by Neil Gaiman and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. Sounds a bit much to start off a bit of YA but it isn’t as gory as it sounds. Bod learns the tricks of surviving as a ghost when there’s a strange man out to finish the job he started years before. This book follows the life of young Bod, the only living person in the graveyard, as he is cared for by the ghosts who found him after his family is murdered. But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod’s family.

There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts. Blurb: Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.

Neil gaiman reading the graveyard book