1.Bibliography
Gaiman,Neal.2008.The Graveyard Book.
New York,NY:Harper Collins.ISBN:978-0060530921
2.Plot Summary
A merciless killer slaughters a sleeping family,but neglects to kill a toddler sleeping upstairs in the crib. Instead,this toddler escapes into a nearby graveyard, where he is adopted by its ghostly inhabitants .Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a husband and wife buried in the cemetery, take him in and call him Nobody. "Bod",as he is later known,lives his life within the confines of the graveyard surrounded by nurturing spirits and comes of age.
3.Critical Analysis
The very dramatic opening scenes of this fantasy novel will grab readers immediately. However,the long-lasting lure of this book will stem from the fact that main character Nobody"Bod"Owens, as a living child among the dead, understands what it means to be different. Children who feel lonely and outcast will relate to his character.
Readers will also wish that they had friends like the wise, kind- hearted Silas, the flirtatious,likeable Liza Hempstock,as well as parents like the nurturing but fretful Mr. and Mrs.Owens. Children will also be enchanted by the graveyard setting. The graveyard,with its many ghostly children and other inhabitants, always seems believable because Gaiman applies a consistent internal logic to the rules of this shadowy world.In addition to the scenes in the comforting and enchanting graveyard,the novel contains other memorable scenes such as the Dance Macabrary. The communal Dance Macabray , a dance that the living and the dead share for one night,is described with memorable musical flourishes and haunting verses.
The Graveyard Book also works very effectively as an allegory for adolescence.Eventually "Bod"must come of age and leave the comforting confines of the graveyard for the real world.
However, there is one glaring weakness in the plot. The villain Jack's motivation seems weak;His ultimate motivation seems like an afterhtought.It does not
seem like a strong enough motivation to cause the murder of an entire family.
The illustrations by Dave McKean also seem unecessary and fail to make a lasting impression.
4. Connections
Readers who enjoyed the connections between a fantasy society and the real world in Gaiman's novel might like books by Terry Pratchett.
Pratchett,Terry.Bromeliad Trilogy. ISBN: 9780060094935
Older children, who are fascinated by the idea of a live boy raised by ghosts, will enjoy:
Ibbotson,Eva. The Haunting of Granite Falls. ISBN:9780525471929
No comments:
Post a Comment