THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Giaman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780060530938



PLOT SUMMARY

On a dark night, “the man Jack”, enters a house and kills a family only to discover that the baby is gone. The sole survivor of the attack--an 18-month-old boy--escapes his crib and his house, and toddles to a nearby graveyard. There he is taken in, named, and cared for by a ghostly community. The boy Nobody, or ‘Bod’ as he is known, is given the freedom of the graveyard and taught important ghosting skills such as how to fade, haunt and visit people’s dreams. He has adventures with a friend who appears and also gets captured by ghouls.Whenever the boy strays from his usual play among the headstones, he finds new dangers, learns his limitations and strengths, and acquires the skills he needs to survive within the confines of the graveyard and in wider world beyond.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood. Although the book opens with a scary scene--a family is stabbed to death --the story quickly moves into more child-friendly storytelling. It is a fun, fast-paced action-adventure story with a terrifying villain and a gentle, serious young hero. The plot follows Bod's progress, as he changes from baby to teen, learning life’s lessons from the graveyard inhabitants. His quest to find out who he truly is brings readers along on a well-paced journey that is both exciting and dangerous.

The fantastic elements of the plot are so convincing because Gaiman describes his characters the way Bod sees them: as normal, everyday people who happen to be ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and vampires. Even though he has grown up among aged ghosts and crumbling graves, Bod is a very believable character who portrays many of the same traits as children everywhere. The reader develops an attachment to Bod and wants to see him succeed.

Gaiman is an excellent storyteller, carefully balancing the intrigue of a triple murder with the fresh innocence of a child like any other, learning about the world with wide eyes and a million questions. He has found the perfect voice for this sinister story, intelligently handling the complex issues without losing sight of his inventive narrative. True to his writing style, he customizes the details of the setting, making them an integral part of the story and uses vivid description that allows the readers to fully immerse themselves in the fantasy world that he creates.
The timeless themes of good and evil and growing up are present throughout the book; and, while they are not presented in the traditional manner, they are still quite relevant and applicable to readers of all ages and interests.


AWARDS

ALA Notable Children's Books - Middle Readers Category: 2009
Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category: 2008
Carnegie Medal
Hugo Awards: Best Novel
Indies' Choice Book Awards: Young Adult Fiction
Kentucky Bluegrass Award: Grades 6-8
Locus Young Adult Book Award
Newbery Medal
Oprah's Kids' Reading Lists - New Releases: 10-to-12 Years
USBBY Outstanding International Books - Grades 6-8: 2009
Wisconsin Library Association Children's Book Awards: Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2009

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist Reviews *Starred Review*: “ This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel's ultimate message is strong and life affirming. “

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

Kirkus Reviews: “Wistful, witty, wise….”


CONNECTIONS

Gaiman cites his inspiration for The Graveyard Book from Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Read it with students and discuss some obvious parallels between Bod’s story and The Jungle Book.

*Introduce to students to other read-alike books, starting with A Series from Unfortunate Events.
Snicket, Lemony. The bad beginning. ISBN: 9780807261781

* Read more spooky stories:
Almond, David. Skellig. ISBN: 9780385326537
Schwartz, Alvin. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark : Collected from Folklore ISBN: 9780060835194

RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE by Shannon Hale

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hale, Shannon, and Dean Hale. Illus. Nathan Hale. 2008. Rapunzel’s Revenge. Bloomsbury: London. ISBN : 9780747587439.


PLOT SUMMARY

Rapunzel doesn’t know there is something wrong with her life, until her curiousity grows and she manages to finally scale the high wall that surrounds her opulent home. When she finds that the world outside is a dark place oppressed by her 'mother'’s greed for power and uncovers the real secret of her own birth, she is locked away in a tall magic tree tower. As Rapunzel herself says in the narration, “This is where the ‘once upon a time’ part ends.” In her years of captivity, she learns a lot about self-reliance and the numerous uses of her very long hair. With the will to escape, she eventually frees herself and vows to bring down her mother’s cruel empire while making friends and enemies all the way.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this new take of the old classic fairytale Shannon and Deal Hale bring Rapunzel to the Wild West in a graphic novel that depicts a strong, powerful heroine with a bit of a temper but brave and loyal heart, and who doesn’t wait for the prince to escape her. She refuses to use her 'feminine wiles' to distract enemies, but rather uses her brains and physical strength to do so. The non-stop action adventure interweaves another fairytale character – Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk. His fast-talking humor makes him very likable. This book will appeal to both boys and girls with the female protagonist and the equally spunky male sidekick.

The setting of Rapunzel’s Revenge around the wild and western landscape itself is so original that it is not difficult for us to forget we might have met these characters before. Mixing fantastical elements with the Wild West environment gives the book a bit of a more modern feel, accentuated with Rapunzel’s denim and boots outfit, the lively dialog and the contemporary language throughout the pages. The plot is logical, fast-paced and creative and keeps the reader’s attention with witty banter and jokes galore. The themes of friendship and good versus evil reflects universal truths that transcendent time and place.

Readers who are not familiar with graphic novels, will easily read this one and instantly like it. Each panel is intricately drawn out so that the story jumps off the page.The text is spaced out and easy to follow. The different boxes for narrative and dialogue are efortlessly identifiable. The book is rich with enough detail and subtext to keep even the most advance readers busy, while the interplay of text and images can help reluctant readers on the other end of the spectrum. Illustrator Nathan Hale does a great job reflecting the dialogue and action with his illustrations. This full-color graphic novel is definitely appealing to the eyes and all-over a delightful read.


AWARDS
ALA Notable Children's Books - Middle Readers Category: 2009
Amelia Bloomer Lists - Middle Graders Fiction: 2010
Surrey Schools' Book of the Year Award (British Columbia)
YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens: 2009
YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults: Twists on the Tale (2010)



REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist : “Hale's art matches the story well, yielding expressive 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.”
Kirkus Reviews: “ A beloved fairy tale gets a glossy graphic-novel makeover, reworked in a fanciful Old West setting.”
School Library Journal: “This is the tale as you've never seen it before..… The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive. Knowing that there are more graphic novels to come from this writing team brings readers their own happily-ever-after."

CONNECTIONS
* Fractured tales provide engaging and humorous retellings of traditional tales.They are a perfect vehicle for launching compare-contrast studies of characters, setting, and plot. The Rapunzel stories make excellent lesson choices for limited English or non-proficient students.

* Students can compare and contrast this graphic novel to the original Rapunzel and find clues or allusions to the Jack and the Bean Stalk stories by The Brothers Grimm. They can learn about literary devices such as identifying and exploring themes, making inferences, and analyzing the graphic representations in the graphic novel.
* For a creative writing exercise, students could reinvent another fairy tale or legend, create a dialogue and perform it or illustrate it.

GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bray, Libba. 2009. Going Bovine. Unabridged ed. New York, NY: Random House/Listening Library. ISBN 9780739385593


PLOT SUMMARY

Sixteen-year-old Cameron doesn't care much about anything, has few friends, and, isn’t very likable. But when he finds himself in a hospital, terminally ill, he plans to escape to seek a cure--and then the journey begins. As his doctors search desperately for a cure, Cameron spends his time trying to save the world (and himself) by trying desperately to locate a mysterious Dr. X. Mad cow disease, string theory, a punk angel, an enchanted garden gnome who claims to be a Norse god, and a Mexican-American hypochondriac dwarf, combined with Bray's storytelling genius produce one of the funniest and most surprisingly touching books.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Told in Cameron’s perspective, this witty, sprawling story is narrated in authentic voice by smart, cynical teenage boy, outsider at school who ponders life's bigger issues, shrewdly observe American culture, and think a lot about girls. He sets off on a complicated quest to find out what matters most. Incredibly apathetic at the beginning, Cameron’s character changes later and his internal journey and emotional growth provoke rooting for him.
Going Bovine brings complex, sophisticated themes that question contemporary values, especially musings on the meaning of life. The events in the books are basically realistic but include somewhat bizarre, fantastical elements. Full of surprising plot twists reveal as the teenage protagonist searches for meaning and hope for romance while facing some tough personal problems.

Contemporary setting takes us on this winding, almost dizzying trip through the country that resembles reality and yet is nothing like it. Based loosely on Don Quixote and both comedic and tragic, this is another novel that leaves the reader thinking about what really happened: how much of Cameron’s trip is simply a delusion caused by his disease and how much really happened.This road-trip story, crafted by Libba Bray is creative, funny, and poignant at the same time. Her writing style is a combination of depth and accessibility and features witty dialogue, wacky situations, and terrific characters. It demands a creative narration and makes it a good choice for listening as an audiobook.

The audiobook is a pleasurable experience in a whole different way. It is presented by the professional actor Erik Davies. His style of reading -- the way he sounds, the rhythm, the flow, the tone, and how he interprets the characters — matches the mood and resonance of the book. Davis gives Cameron a steady, almost-nonchalant voice as his journeys take him to unusual places. He relishes masterly the characters Cameron meets. Hearing how the actor envisions the book characters is very interesting: all of them receive unique voices and accents. His best is the talking gnome Balder, who is really hilarious. The amusing and creative manner of presenting the book makes this production a standout.

Going Bovine hurtles through time and space with self-effacing humor, consistent and distinct language for each character and clear point of view that presents real people and real problems.


AWARDS
Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category: 2009
Michael L. Printz Award 2010
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2010


REVIEW EXCERPT
Booklist *Starred Review*: “ In a giant departure from her Gemma Doyle historical fiction trilogy, Bray's latest offering is an unforgettable, nearly indefinable fantasy adventure, as immense and sprawling as Cervantes' Don Quixote, on which it's based.”

Library Journal: “Bray has not written a teen problem novel about mad cow disease. She swims in deeper water, defending the importance of friendship, family, and life purpose in the face of mediocrity”.

Publishers Weekly: “Bray's surreal humor may surprise fans of her historical fantasies about Gemma Doyle, as she trains her satirical eye on modern education, American materialism and religious cults (the smoothie-drinking members of the Church of Everlasting Satisfaction and Snack 'N' Bowl).”


CONNECTIONS
• Introduce to students the classic Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, which is referenced throughout the book. Compare similarities and differences.

• Offer to read other books with protagonist high school “losers”:
Portman, Frank. King Dork. ISBN 0385732910

• Read more funny road-trip novels:
Behrens, Andy. All the way . ISBN 0525477616