“Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.”—G. K. Chesterton
Grades: 6-9
(This book may interest students beyond ninth grade as well, however, I think the writing lends itself to this age.)
Review and Thoughts
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman starts out with quite the attention-grabber! As the story begins, we witness the murder of a family. The murderer, Jack, quietly goes through a house and stabs everyone. Luckily, before he can murder the young two-year-old, the baby climbs out of his crib and crawls down a nearby hill to an old graveyard. Here, he is protected by ghosts and other creatures who live there. The mother of the young boy and the rest of his family appear as ghosts, though only briefly. The mother cries out begging the ghosts to take care of her son. As they agree, the young family fades into the darkness until they appear in their own graveyard to rest in eternal peace. Continue reading The Fantastic Adventures of Nobody: A Review of ‘The Graveyard Book’