laurathedogpotato's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
It’s a little simpler than I expected it to be - not that that’s a bad thing by any means. It was an easy enjoyable read, set in a lightly magical world with wonderful intriguing characters that I wish you spent more time with.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence
allyareads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder and Violence
janay_shandell's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Great Fantasy Novel. Very descriptive and vivid. Neil Gaiman is so skilled at sucking you into these alternate worlds and environments he creates. A great read for a beginner fantasy reader.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Murder
billyjepma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I can’t believe I’ve gone this long in life not knowing that Neil Gaiman wrote a retelling of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book with ghosts. If that’s not a book tailor-made for me, then I don’t know what is. And now that I've read it and loved every page, it's my contractual obligation to force everyone I know to read it and experience the emotions it gave me when I finished the final chapter in bed last night. An instant, all-time favorite that I might have to start revisiting every October.
Gaiman describes the book as a novel made up of short stories, and the approach works beautifully. Each chapter captures a pivotal experience in the protagonist's childhood, allowing us to watch him grow up without needing to spend 16 years with him. Gaiman's writing is as lovely as ever and expertly balances melancholy with tenders and adventure with scares. It's spooky without being scary, nostalgic without being trite, and is yet another example I can use in my argument that Gaiman's YA-leaning novels are his best works. This is a treasure of a novel. ❤️
Gaiman describes the book as a novel made up of short stories, and the approach works beautifully. Each chapter captures a pivotal experience in the protagonist's childhood, allowing us to watch him grow up without needing to spend 16 years with him. Gaiman's writing is as lovely as ever and expertly balances melancholy with tenders and adventure with scares. It's spooky without being scary, nostalgic without being trite, and is yet another example I can use in my argument that Gaiman's YA-leaning novels are his best works. This is a treasure of a novel. ❤️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, and Car accident
gemstonejett's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
It's Neil Gaiman. What more is there to say? I loved this cozy story about a boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard. The book itself deserves 5 stars. I gave it 4.75 because I listened to the audiobook and sometimes the music was too loud to understand what was being said.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Minor: Child death
chrisljm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
4.5 stars; For a book that starts off with a triple homicide, it is surprisingly sweet and funny. The sole survivor of the family who gets murdered is Bod, a baby who essentially gets adopted by the ghosts of a cemetery. It’s stated that it takes a graveyard to raise a child and it was very sweet to see just how true it was. I loved all the characters very much, but especially Bod and Silas’ relationship, and seeing how they all leave an impact throughout various parts of Bod’s life. The greedy part of me wishes I could’ve read more anecdotes on Bod’s life in the graveyard, but realistically I think the amount written was just right.
I listened to the audiobook read by Neil Gaiman himself (on youtube) and he was fantastic and so funny. This has become one of my favorite audiobooks.
I listened to the audiobook read by Neil Gaiman himself (on youtube) and he was fantastic and so funny. This has become one of my favorite audiobooks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Stalking, Car accident, and Bullying
Minor: Suicide
alic_is_bored's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Child death, and Violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Nobody Owens ("Bod") is raised by the denizens of a graveyard after the rest of his family is killed when he's a baby.
Bod grows from a baby into a teenager over the course of the book, and he feels distinct at each age in how he interacts with the world and what kinds of questions he asks. His world is built from his relationships with the others in the graveyard, whether they're consistent visitors or permanent residents. It's also shaped by his attempts to be around living people, most of which go poorly and all of which are complicated. Because Bod’s perspective is the main (but not quite only) one in the book, his understanding is the filter for most of the worldbuilding. There are things he’s told but lacks additional context to understand, and some things he knows intimately but which are just mentioned.
The first two-thirds of the book is a series of vignettes of events which happened to Bod as he grows up. The episodic pacing culminates in one major event which comprises the final third of the book and is built on everything that happened until this point. It makes this large section feel important, tense, and distinct from the other sections while complementing them perfectly.
Bod grows from a baby into a teenager over the course of the book, and he feels distinct at each age in how he interacts with the world and what kinds of questions he asks. His world is built from his relationships with the others in the graveyard, whether they're consistent visitors or permanent residents. It's also shaped by his attempts to be around living people, most of which go poorly and all of which are complicated. Because Bod’s perspective is the main (but not quite only) one in the book, his understanding is the filter for most of the worldbuilding. There are things he’s told but lacks additional context to understand, and some things he knows intimately but which are just mentioned.
The first two-thirds of the book is a series of vignettes of events which happened to Bod as he grows up. The episodic pacing culminates in one major event which comprises the final third of the book and is built on everything that happened until this point. It makes this large section feel important, tense, and distinct from the other sections while complementing them perfectly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death, Murder, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Suicide, and Cannibalism
toffishay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Such a fun middle-grade read that was emotional and exciting with some surprising twists. Neil Gaiman, at his best (which he isn't always, in my opinion), has a great writing style and it makes his work very readable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Violence
bhopeu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I just want to say that after I read this book, I can’t remove the smile on my face. Although I did cry a little bit at the end. Loved the illustrations and little extras in the book. Nobody and Silas will always have a soft spot in my heart ❤️.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence