For years I've meant to read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, but it wasn't until my own daughter read it and insisted that I do the same that I was finally able to get to it. As an aside, if your kid tells you to read a book, do it. It's so much fun to tell them what part you're reading and have them get excited for what is coming up.
The Graveyard Book begins with the murder of an entire family except for one little toddler boy who wanders out the front door and through the gates of a graveyard. The ghosts that reside there take him in and name him Nobody Owens, Bod for short, and give him the freedom of the graveyard. He learns and grows, he is cared for and loved, but the man who killed his family is still looking to finish the job. Bod's safety is only within the walls of the cemetary, but life is only outside them.
This book is beautifully written, magical and just dark enough to add interest, but not too scary for younger readers. I really, really liked it and I'm so glad I finally read it. The only book to ever win both the Newberry Medal and the Carnegie Medal, this book, as the back cover says, is a modern classic. I think it is one of those books that even kids who think they don't like to read will love. It may just convince them the world of literature has something to offer them, too.
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