The Graveyard Book

Bibliography

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780060530921

Summary

Nobody (Bod) Owens is just like any other boy. He must go through the trials and tribulations of growing up and deciding right from wrong. He is very different from most other boys though. He is being raised by the dead in a small town Brittish graveyard. The Graveyard book takes the readers through chapters of Bod's life as a cast of ghoulish characters protect him from the man Jack, who earlier murdered his family, and teach teach Bod the importance of community and family.

Critical Analysis

Nobody Owens is a very relatable character considering he is being raised by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a couple that were not able to have children in life, but are happy to raise Bod in death. He is curious about the world around him which saved his life when he wandered into the graveyard to avoid the man Jack, a man who had murdered the rest of his family. His curiousness could be the death of him now though, as leaving the graveyard ensures that the man Jack will be looking for him now. Young readers are able to relate to Bod as he battles right from wrong while helping a young witch and standing up to the bullies at school. The reader also feels a comfort in the relationship Bod builds with those that care for him, the dead and his gaurdian Silas who can travel between the living and the dead, proving that family isn't given to you by blood, but by the support you give one another.

The setting of this story is both chilling and warming. Gaiman's dark tone and descriptions of the graveyard present the reader with the traditional feel of being surrounded by the dead, however the warmth given to the supporting characters as they guide Bod through his life create a sense of warmth in such a dark place, making it feel almost homey.

Neil Gaiman takes us through the coming of age of Nobody Jones. Each chapter is disconnected from the other, almost as if each chapter is an episode in a television series called "The Graveyard Book." Each even that Nobody goes through could be read on their own, although the lessons learned by the various graveyard inhabitants all come together in the end of the story. The theme of the novel of family, companionship and going out into the world on our own unfolds magically and left me with a tear in my eye as we watch a not so young Bod leave the graveyard and enter the real world to live his life. It is Gaiman's rich and magical tone that allows the reader to become so attached to the character.

Review Excerpts


Awards:

Carnegie Medal Recipient 2010
Newberry Medal Recipient 2009

Reviews:

"Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery and family." -School Library Journal

"Wistful, witty, wise - and creepy. ...Closer in tone to American Gods than to Coraline, but permeated with Bod's innocence, this needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child." -Kirkus

Connections:

Reader's Guide for the Graveyard Book
Book Club questions for The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman's Official Website

Other Books by Neil Gaiman:

-Coraline
-M Is for Magic
-Stardust
-The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish
-Neverwhere
-American Gods

Going Bovine

Bibliography

Bray, Libba. 2009. Going Bovine. New York, NY: Random House. ISBN: 9780385733977

Summary

Cameron is a 16 year old, apathetic, pot smoking high schooler that is doing his best to get by on just the bare minimum. Life is passing him by until he gets diagnosed with a human form of mad cow disease and is given on a couple weeks to live. While dealing with the stress and fear of the end of his life, Cameron is visited by a punk rock angel named Dulcie and given a mission. Find Doctor X to stop him from destroying the word and saving his life. Cameron sets off on a cross country adventure with a video game loving, life fearing dwarf and a yard gnome while he experiences the unbelievable and the mundane and finally lives!

Plot Analysis

Libba Bray introduces the reader Cameron, a character who is, quite frankly, unlikable at the beginning of the story. His apathetic outlook on life makes the reader want to scream, DO SOMETHING, but Cameron is content going through the motions and stopping to get a new "Great Tremolo" record every now and then. As the plot continues Cameron experiences seizures and hallucinations landing himself in the hospital due to a rare case of human mad cow disease. I personally found this story slow to get started. It wasn't until chapter fifteen that the reader learns of the main problem in the story and Cameron hears from his pink haired, punk rock angel that sends him on a mission to find Doctor X to cure himself and save the world. Cameron, along with a lovable hypochondriac, video game loving, mama's boy dwarf set off on a cross country trip where they essentially learn to drop their apathetic ways and live life. While the trip progresses through situations that are as mundane as bowling to the unrealisticness of encountering Norse gods, Cameron becomes a likable character that has learned life can't really begin until you set out to live it! And experiencing that first love, or first magical kiss with someone can make your life worth living.

Libba Brays style of writing is one that bounces from one idea to a next. Some might even describe it as schizophrenic. This writing style, along with a character that so many reluctant readers can relate to make this book a perfect tale for a cool, middle to high school dude. With her quirky sense of humor and exceptional writing, readers want to read through the slow beginning to see how it all goes down, and where the yard gnome from the cover comes into play. However, due to the themes and language in this book, it is a Young Adult novel that is best read by those that that have passed the prepubescent years.

Reviews

Awards:

2009 Children's Book Sense Pick
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choice in 2009
2010 Michael L. Printz Award winner

Reviews Excerpts:

"It's a trip worth taking, though meandering and message-driven at times. Some teens may check out before Cameron makes it to his final destination, but many will enjoy asking themselves the questions both deep and shallow that pop up along the way." -School Library Journal

"Libba Bray not only breaks the mold of the ubiquitous dying-teenages genre--she smashes it and grinds the tiny pieces into the sidewalk. For the record, I'd go anywhere she wanted to take me." -New York Times

Connections:

Going Bovine Website
Libba Bray Website
Writing Exercises from Libba Bray

Other Books By Libba Bray:

-The Restless Dead
-21 Proms
-A Great and Terrible Beauty
-Rebel Angels

Rapunzel's Revenge

Bibliography



Hale, Shannon and Dean. Ill. by Nathan Hale. 2008. Rapunzel's Revenge. New York, NY: Bloomsberry. ISBN 15999007o.

Plot Summary

Rapunzel has been trapped in a tower for too long, and now that she has freed herself, she wants revenge. Not just for herself or her real mother, who she has been kept away from her entire life, but for everyone who has been treated badly by "Mother" Gothel. Rapunzel, assisted by her new found sidekick Jack (of hte Beanstalk variety) get themselves into trouble and find their way out of it while they seek the revenge Rapunzel so deserves.

Critical Analysis

In Rapunzel's Revenge we are introduced to a new type of Rapunzel. In the classic tale, Rapunzel is a typical damsel in distress who is rescued by her prince and lives happily ever after. Shannon and Dean Hale have created an empowering character that knows what she wants and is going to do what she can to get it...usually while helping he sidekick (from the beanstalk) get out of trouble. The characters in this story are easily relatable to people of all ages and background. Nathan Hale has done a wonderful job of creating a cast of characters that span many different cultures. Shannon and Dean have created a strong female and a quirky con man male that balance each other well. Jack's humor allows the reader to experience Rapunzel's wit and Rapunzel brings out the adventurer in Jack.

The plot of Rapunzel's Revenge is one that is easy to follow. The beginning of the story finds the reader in familiar territory reading of a girl who has been taken from her mother and rasied by "Mother" Gothel until Rapunzel discovers the truth and is promptly placed in a high tower for safe keeping. At this point in the story, the classic tale changes. Instead of waiting to be rescued by her prince charming, Rapunzel uses her long locks to swing out of the tower and rescue her real mother from the depth of the mines. Rapunzel finds herself smack day in the middle of the old west with a goofy, dress wearing sidekick named Jack. The odd due find themselves traveling from town to town getting into trouble, as to be expected. Rather than the male always coming to the rescue of the female though, it is often Rapunzel's smarts that get her and Jack out of trouble. In the end good prevails over evil and Rapunzel is able to save her mother and put and end to Gothel. She happens to fall in love with her partner in crime while she's at it as well.



The author kept in the style of the wild west action adventure throughout the entirety of the book giving Rapunzel phrases such as "Well, I'll be swigger-jiggered and hung out to dry." While the talk was written in the first person perspective of Rapunzel, the illustrations would often tell another story, the true story. A shining example of this would be on pg. 34 when Rapunzel is describing her escape from the tree. She claims "I managed to lasso the tree...swing gracefully from my prison...climb down the tree's branches...and land triumphantly on the forest floor." However, Nathan has shown us the reality with a falling Rapunzel crashing to the forest floor. Hale's illustrations did a marvelous job of showing the details like the one previously described when the story needed it, but also showing the whole of the situation to help guide the readers on their journey through the wild west.

Review Excerpts


Reviews:

"The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive." -School Library Journal

"This graphic novel retelling of the fairy-tale classic, set in a swashbuckling Wile West, puts action first and features some serious girl power in its spunky and strong heroine...Hale's art matches the story well, yielding expressinve characters and lending a wonderful sense of place to the fantasy landscape. Rich with humor and excitement, this is an alternate version of a classic that will become a fast favorite of young readers." -Booklist

Awards:
-ALA 2009 Notable Children's Book
-YALSA 2009 Great Graphic Novel for Teens
-Cybil Award Winner

Connections:

Book Trailer for Rapunzel's Revenge
Shannon Hale's Official Site
Rapunzel's Revenge Reader's Theater
Rapunzel (Original Version) teaching guide

Other book by Shannon Hale
-Calamity Jack
-Austenland
-The Actor and the Housewife
-Princess Academy