The Graveyard Book

Gaiman, N. (2008). The Graveyard Book. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN: 9780060530921

· Plot Summary
When a mysterious individual known only as Jack attempts to kill members of a single family, the youngest member makes good his escape. A nameless infant when he enters a nearby cemetery, and is adopted by its inhabitants, they give him the name Nobody Owens. Mentored by a figure that passes between the realms of the living and the dead, as well as a host of ghosts, Bod remains sequestered in order to save his own life. Eventually, the desire to intermingle with his own kind leads Bod on a series of adventures that threaten the life that the dead have made for him. Only after defeating Jack can Bod truly be free, but at the price of the only place he really ever knew as home.

· Critical Evaluation
An engaging and mysterious piece of fiction, well-written, though perhaps not recommended for tweens that have trouble with horror. Great use of language for setting a mood and presenting theme.

· Reader’s Annotation
Fantastic fiction, and would make a great piece of film noire. The novel intentionally parallels Kipling's The Jungle Book (which was actually several short stories, and in two volumes), but with the use of characters and situations that modern readers may it easier to relate to.

· Information about the author
A prolific author of not just tween novels, but also those for adults, screenplays, and graphic novels. Gaiman has received the Newberry Medal, World Fantasy Award, and Bram Stoker Awards, just to name a few. He was born in England, where many of his novels take place, but lives in the United States. His novels Coraline and Star Dust have both been made into major motion pictures.

· Genre
Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal

· Curriculum Ties
History (England's Roman past)

· Booktalking Ideas
Orphan characters' places in literature.
Significance of the dead in modern fiction.
Recommended books for Halloweens or lovers of fantasy or the paranormal.

· Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 6-8; Ages 10-12

· Challenge Issues
Some parents might have trouble with the concept of the afterlife presented in the novel by the inclusion of ghosts, ghouls, and witches. I would point out that this is obviously a fictional piece, and is in no way meant to convey possible, actual scenarios about what happens to us after we die. The ghosts and the involvement of the graveyard itself are both integral to the story, as attested by the very name.

· Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?
Required reading for the course, but in a search for fiction suitable for this age group, I probably would have found it anyway. The youth literature associate at my local Border's is a huge Gaiman fan, and was able to give me a run down on just about everything he has written, so I picked up some of his adult novels for reading on m own time. I read Coraline when it was published, and thoroughly enjoyed Gaiman's style, so I gathered I would enjoy this novel as well.

The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story

Hahn, M.D. (2007). The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story. Moolabula, Queensland, AU: Sandpiper Publishing.

· Plot Summary
On the face of things, Dianna and Georgie are just two regular children, with some rather strange habits. They don't bathe, run around in the woods a great deal, and can avoid craving even the most delectable foods when they set their minds to it. In reality, they are the ghosts of two children once locked in the basement of the Old Willis Place by Miss Jillian, an horrific woman that had a stroke and had to be taken to the hospital before she released the children from confinement. Dianna is immediately fascinated by the new caretaker's daughter, Lissa, and despite the rules she and Georgie have established to avoid detection by the living, sets out to be Lissa's friend. Things start out rocky as the two children borrow, and subsequently destroy, Lissa's new bike. Matters become worse when Dianna sneaks into the trailer where Lissa lives with her author father, to take her diary, favorite stuffed animal, and her copy of Lassie. Eventually, the true nature of the children comes to light, and Lissa tells the police that the bodies of Dianna and Georgie are still in the basement.

· Critical Evaluation
The main characters in this book are tweens, but until the point where the truth of the children's existence comes to light, the plot and writing is somewhat simplistic. To some extent, this might be explained by the time period from which Dianna and Georgie originate, but not entirely.

· Reader’s Annotation
Suitable ghost story for tweens that have trouble with real horror, because the characters are sweet and approachable. The title and foreshadowing takes away most of the surprise factor, but the plot is interesting.

· Information about the author
Mary Downing Hahn grew up in Maryland, where most of her books take place. She was a children's librarian, and did not publish her first novel until she was forty-one. Making up for lost, she has published twenty novels to date, and won Scott O'Dell award.

· Genre
Fiction, Paranormal

· Booktalking Ideas
Paranormal events and haunted houses.

· Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 6 and 7/Ages 11 and 12

· Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?
I'm a huge fan of books, films, and shows about the paranormal. My mother is too, and sent this book to my daughter to read. She never completed it, but I wanted to give it a try.