The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Bookby Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer.But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family. . . (goodreads.com)

I started this book and thought, "Hmm, meh, I don't think this is my cup of tea". Then, I had some tea because I distracted myself with the thought of tea and I really wanted some. I am easy to distract like that. I can think of a food product and suddenly my mouth waters and I NEED IT RIGHT NOW! My husband laughs at me a lot.But I digress (I distract easily, food or no food, to be honest). I got about half way into the book and I was wondering if I wanted to continue the story and then it got interesting and I got curious and then I was really curious and then I NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!! This need was just as dire as my random food distractions. I am a person of extremes.Who and what is the man Jack? Why did he kill Bod's family? Why? Why? Why!?!?And then my curiosity was sated and the book made me cry.It made me bloody cry. I hate when books make me cry. Argh. I feel like a fool as I sit there sniffling away and my husband gets all concerned and wants to know know what's wrong and I'm all, "Neil Gaiman made me cry!"It took me some time to warm up to this book and the characters. I liked Silas and Liza Hempstock but I am not so sure what I think of the others, including Bod. I like that he always tried to do the right thing, and even though he grew up in an unconventional setting he still was able to figure out right from wrong.I sort of find myself wondering what happens after this? Where does Bod go from here? Will he be ok? I don't want a sequel, I'm just realizing that I think about the book a lot more now that I have finished it than when I was reading it.In the end, I am happy that I read this book because I like it more after having read it as I think about what I read. It's a twisty sort of ghost story that isn't a ghost story, just a story about ghosts and a boy named Bod. There was something very sweet about how the Graveyard came together to save this little boy. It's certainly a very interesting idea!Thanks to Harper Collins Canada for the review opportunity, I am sorry I got to it so late!