31 December 2008 THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, HarperCollins, October 2008, 307p., ISBN: 978-0-06-053092-1

"You to me are but a passing breeze." -- Donovan, "Happiness Runs"

"The man Jack paused on the landing. With his left hand he pulled a large white handkerchief from the pocket of his black coat, and with it he wiped off the knife and his gloved right hand which had been holding it; then he put the handkerchief away. The hunt was almost over, He had left the woman in her bed, the man on the bedroom floor, the older child in her brightly colored bedroom, surrounded by toys and half-finished models. That only left the little one, a baby barely a toddler, to take care of. One more and his task would be done."

But it is an unusually adventuresome toddler who, having been awakened by the noise downstairs and seeking release from the boredom of cribdom, has already succeeded in escaping both his crib and the house (through the door that the man Jack has left slightly ajar). Toddling up the hill through the thinning fog, the toddler squeezes between iron bars into an old graveyard. And even though the man Jack tracks the toddler to the graveyard, the killer fails in his final task due to the intervention of the ethereal inhabitants of the graveyard. Led by the Owens couple (who have been married in life and death for more than 250 years), those who call this place home decide to become protectors, teachers, friends, and surrogate parents to the child, and to provide him the "Freedom of the Graveyard." "'It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. It will,' said Silas, 'take a graveyard.'"

These good-hearted souls also decide to name him Nobody Owens, Bod for short.

"Rattle his bones

Over the stones

It's only a pauper

Who nobody owns" (epigraph)

Considering that our introduction to the toddler includes details of his resourcefully pulling a teddy bear into the corner of the crib in order to scale its high sides, his experiencing a fortuitously soft landing upon falling to the floor, and his skillfully navigating the stairs on his way out of the house, it is not surprising to see Bod grow into a bright and equally adventurous little kid who never hesitates to venture wherever he feels inclined to do so -- and is all too successful in achieving his desires. Fortunately, he has the support system of the many graveyard inhabitants so that he repeatedly experiences relatively soft landings.

"He decided not to tell anyone what he was planning, on the not entirely unreasonable basis that they would have told him not to do it."

But which will be the more dangerous expeditions for Bod? Those that take him from the sanctuary of the graveyard to hellish places where no living human has gone before, or those that take him from the graveyard into the world of living humans?

And what of the man Jack who continues to seek his prey?

Being that THE GRAVEYARD BOOK has been available for months, that Neil Gaiman has done a world tour promoting the book (Check him out on Youtube.), that the book has spent months on the NYT Bestseller List, and that there are scores of online discussions regarding the book's many allusions and references, there might well seem little need for my rhapsodizing about it.

But I cannot help myself. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is just too sweet and exciting a read for me to keep quiet about. The day I spent reading it (I ate it all in one sitting.) has been a highlight of my holidays. And when my spring Nubian goat kids are born, I will be naming the firstborn male after Nobody Owens.

What makes it so great?

Once again, as with my favorite fantasy characters from years past, a young hero filled with goodness who cares about his relationships, uses his knowledge and gifts to battle evil and stand up for the little guy rather than for the sake of gaining power. The graveyard makes for a unique setting. The cast of quirky dead (and undead) characters who raise the child are funny and charming. There is a wealth of danger and adventure and humor.

"It was like every dream of falling he had ever had, a scared and frantic drop through space, as he headed towards the ground below. Bod felt as though his mind was only big enough for one huge thought, so, That big dog was actually Miss Lupescu, and, I'm going to hit the rock floor and splat, competed in his head for occupation."

Richie Partington, MLIS

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