Neil Gaiman's Hugo award winning The Graveyard Book recounts the major events in the life of a boy who comes to be called Nobody Owens after wandering into a graveyard on the same night a man named Jack is murdering his family. Jack follows the boy's scent to the graveyard, but the ghosts hide his prey, and Simon, who protects the graveyard, sends the man away. The ghosts of Mr. and Mrs. Owens decide to adopt the boy, and Simon volunteers to be his guardian and provide for his food and other needs. The graveyard also accepts Nobody Owens, which allows him to see the ghosts and fade into the dark to hide. He learns normal things like reading, writing, and the constellations as well as several odder bits of knowledge including the danger of ghouls, how to get help from various supernatural creatures, and dreamwalking. All this time the man Jack continues to hunt for the missing boy to finish the job that he started. Will Simon's help and Nobody's lessons be enough to save him in the end?
Although the tale was a bit outside of my normal range of fantasy, nonetheless I found it entertaining and well-crafted. I enjoyed my time spent with Nobody Owens and will add Neil Gaiman to my list of authors to read. Four stars.
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