Liz Michalski, author of Evenfall, kept recommending the audio version of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book but for some reason, I kept putting it off. Something else would pop up to distract me for a bit, or I would forget, but I finally downloaded and gave it a listen and now I'm in love with Neil Gaiman. Few authors can read their own works and provide distinctions between characters' voices and really do it justice, but Mr. Gaiman doesn't have that problem at all. His smooth and warm British voice is quite possibly the perfect voice to give life to The Graveyard Book.
Nobody "Bod" Owens has lived his whole life in the graveyard. Well, almost his whole life. Right before he came to live there, he had a proper life with a proper family in a proper house, but he doesn't remember it at all. When The Man Jack came to visit one dark night, the only one in the family who survived The Man Jack's murders was the little boy, the toddler who crawled out of the house and somehow ended up in the graveyard. The Man Jack had missed him and left his job undone.
The little boy is so little that he doesn't even know his own name. The ghosts in the graveyard convene to determine what should happen to him and Mr. and Mrs. Owens have decided to adopt him, which is a bit unusual considering they are ghosts and the little boy is quite human. Were it not for another ghost, Silas, who has access to the outside world, and who has agreed to be the little boy's guardian, the graveyard ghosts would not have granted permission for him to be raised there. The little boy will also have access to the graveyard, which includes learning how to do a few things that only ghosts can do. And so Mr. and Mrs. Owens adopt the little boy and raise little Nobody "Bod" Owens as their own.
I'm not sure if it was Neil Gaiman's voice or the story, or maybe a combination of both that pulled me right in. I loved it. It was sweet, adventurous, dark, and suspenseful. The characters were remarkable and even though I was supposed to dislike The Man Jack, I even found him unique and intriguing. Neil Gaiman was undoubtedly the only possible choice to voice this story, and he did such an effective job distinguishing between Bod's younger voice and his friend Scarlett's, Silas' all-knowing and assured adult voice, along with the evil ghouls and all the other ghosts that Bod would encounter throughout his life while living in the graveyard. This inventive and quirky story is meaningful and fun, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
I highly recommend this middle grade book in audio format, and in fact, would even suggest that you select this versus the printed version. It really is quite the lovely tale to listen to, and if I could paint the perfect evening for you to listen to this, I would suggest a cold and rainy night, preferably in the fall. You should be sitting by the fire, cozy in a blanket, drinking a cup of hot chocolate.
Audio Sample: Click here to listen to the five minute sample on audible.com. I'm pretty sure you'll want to pick up the audio after listening to Neil Gaiman's voice.
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 9/30/2008
Audio Time: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Narrator: Neil Gaiman
About the Author
Neil Gaiman's work has been honored with many awards internationally, including the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. His books and stories have also been honored with 4 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, 1 World Fantasy Award, 4 Bram Stoker Awards, etc., etc...
He is the author of such works as Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Stardust, and American Gods, which the 10th anniversary edition has just been released in the U.S. He lives in Minneapolis, MN.
Picture credit: Kimberly Butler
Visit the author:
Others said:
Beachreader
The Betty and Boo Chronicles
Book Journey
Books I Done Read
Indie Reader Houston
Literary Musings
The Literate Housewife
The Sleepless Reader
Did I miss your review? Let me know so I can add it.
The little boy is so little that he doesn't even know his own name. The ghosts in the graveyard convene to determine what should happen to him and Mr. and Mrs. Owens have decided to adopt him, which is a bit unusual considering they are ghosts and the little boy is quite human. Were it not for another ghost, Silas, who has access to the outside world, and who has agreed to be the little boy's guardian, the graveyard ghosts would not have granted permission for him to be raised there. The little boy will also have access to the graveyard, which includes learning how to do a few things that only ghosts can do. And so Mr. and Mrs. Owens adopt the little boy and raise little Nobody "Bod" Owens as their own.
I'm not sure if it was Neil Gaiman's voice or the story, or maybe a combination of both that pulled me right in. I loved it. It was sweet, adventurous, dark, and suspenseful. The characters were remarkable and even though I was supposed to dislike The Man Jack, I even found him unique and intriguing. Neil Gaiman was undoubtedly the only possible choice to voice this story, and he did such an effective job distinguishing between Bod's younger voice and his friend Scarlett's, Silas' all-knowing and assured adult voice, along with the evil ghouls and all the other ghosts that Bod would encounter throughout his life while living in the graveyard. This inventive and quirky story is meaningful and fun, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
I highly recommend this middle grade book in audio format, and in fact, would even suggest that you select this versus the printed version. It really is quite the lovely tale to listen to, and if I could paint the perfect evening for you to listen to this, I would suggest a cold and rainy night, preferably in the fall. You should be sitting by the fire, cozy in a blanket, drinking a cup of hot chocolate.
Audio Sample: Click here to listen to the five minute sample on audible.com. I'm pretty sure you'll want to pick up the audio after listening to Neil Gaiman's voice.
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 9/30/2008
Audio Time: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Narrator: Neil Gaiman
About the Author
He is the author of such works as Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Stardust, and American Gods, which the 10th anniversary edition has just been released in the U.S. He lives in Minneapolis, MN.
Picture credit: Kimberly Butler
Visit the author:
Others said:
Beachreader
The Betty and Boo Chronicles
Book Journey
Books I Done Read
Indie Reader Houston
Literary Musings
The Literate Housewife
The Sleepless Reader
Did I miss your review? Let me know so I can add it.
