Summer Reading

Just finished Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. Loved it. We, of course, have a copy available in the library, so you can check it out, but if you can't wait until September, and you'd like to have Mr. Gaiman read the book to you, then you can go to Neil Gaiman's Official Website for Young Readers to watch and listen.

The main character in The Graveyard Book is Bod, short for Nobody Owens. Bod lives in a graveyard. He is taken in by its residents when it is clear that he is in grave danger after all of the members of his family are murdered. He is granted the freedom of the graveyard and is protected by his new parents, the deceased Mr. and Mrs. Owens, and the mostly dead Silas. Bod is a typical boy: sensitive, curious, and sometimes impetuous. As he grows older, he longs for a normal life outside the graveyard, which is not possible until the mystery of his family's murder is solved.

Last year I was pleasantly surprised by Gaiman's novel Neverwhere, which I also thoroughly enjoyed, perhaps even more than The Graveyard Book. Neverwhere has a similar darkness, but also has an important underlying message about class and the "invisibility" of the those less fortunate in society.

I highly recommend all of Gaiman's work. If you'd like to learn more about him, check out his excellent web site. And stop by the library to check out more of his books.

Hope you are enjoying a summer of good reading.