Book Review on The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Please note that this blog has been created as an assignment for a TWU course.

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gaiman, Neil. 2009. GRAVEYARD BOOK. Ill. by Dave McKean. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0061972657

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

One night, a man that goes by the name Jack, sneaks into the home of a family of four with the intent to kill each and every one of them in order to protect the order of the Jacks of All Trades that has been around for centuries.  He kills everyone except for the toddler.  According to a vision years ago, a boy born from a certain family will grow to adulthood and bring down the Order unless he is killed.  The toddler escapes the house and wanders up a hill to a nearby graveyard.  The man Jack is right behind him.  The ghost of the toddler’s mother asks one of the graveyard ghosts to protect her child and disappears.  The graveyard ghosts agree to raise and protect the child.  Silas, neither alive nor dead, agrees to be the child’s guardian until he is an adult and ushers the man Jack out of the graveyard and denies that any child had been there.  The man Jack leaves, but is determined to find the boy and kill him no matter how long it takes.  As Silas and the ghosts of the graveyard raise and protect the child, they teach the boy many different things that will help him in the future.  The boy is named Nobody Owens and goes by Bod.  He has many different adventures in the graveyard.  As long as he is in the graveyard, he will be protected.  As the story progresses, it is revealed that Silas is a member of the Honour Guards and goes to the extremes to protect Bod.  When Bod is eventually found by man Jack, he uses the lessons taught to him by Silas and the ghosts of the graveyard to resolve the situation.  At this time, the boy has grown into a man and leaves the graveyard to live his life.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Gaiman’s writing is exciting and witty.  It captures the reader’s attention from the very first page maintains it throughout the book.  There is suspense, mystery, and some aspects of the story are scary.  Even though there are ghosts, sleers, and other creepy fantasy creatures, the underlying messages relate to everyday life.  For instance, his guardian told Bod to never leave the graveyard and bring attention to him because the man Jack was out there looking for him.  The little boy chose to leave the graveyard to sell a stone in order to buy a headstone for a ghost’s grave that did not have a headstone.  Of course he got in a bad situation, and needed help.  The message is to listen to your guardians because they want to protect you.  This is an excellent book for students that love science fiction.

Dave McKean’s illustrations serve the text very well.  The drawings are done in black and white and depict the creepy scenes.  The man Jack is a tall and dark figure.  He is always drawn at angles that avoid showing his face.  The boy is drawn throughout the book, evolving into a confident young man.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

NEW YORK TIMES review: “THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, by turns exciting and witty, sinister and tender, shows Gaiman at the top of his form.  In this novel of wonder, Neil Gaiman follows in the footsteps of long-ago storytellers, weaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment.”

WASHINGTON POST review: “Like a bit of dark Halloween chocolate, this novel proves rich, bittersweet, and very satisfying.”

Starred review in KIRKUS: “Wistful, witty, wise—and creepy.  This needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child.”

5.  CONNECTIONS

*Encourage students to write their own science fiction book.  Be open to their ideas and foster their interest in writing.  At the end of the task, praise students and have them share what they have written with other students in the school.

*Other books by Neil Gaiman:

Gaiman, Neil. 2009. CORALINE. ISBN 0061972630

Gaiman, Neil. 2009. M IS FOR MAGIC. ISBN 0061972673

Gaiman, Neil. 2009. ODD AND THE FROST GIANTS. ISBN 0061964875

Gaiman, Neil. 2009. STARDUST. ISBN 0061793078

Book Review on Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Please note that this blog has been created as an assignment for a TWU course.

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Halse Anderson, Laurie. 2006. SPEAK. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN 0142407321

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

In the summer right before her freshman year of high school, Melinda goes to a party.  She is raped under a tree by a senior.  After the rape occurred, she called the police intending to report the rape.  However, people at the party thought that she called the police to break up the party.  People at the party scattered and a few partygoers were arrested.  Amidst the chaos, Melinda left the party and walked home to an empty house, never reporting the rape.  Her friends and fellow classmates hate her for calling the police and are mean to her.  Melinda is isolated at school, has a dysfunctional home life, has been raped, and has no one to talk to about it.  She goes from an honor roll student to a troubled student and no one stops to ask her what is wrong.  She acts out in self-destructive ways.  As the story progresses, she is given an art assignment that requires her to make something that involves a tree.  She struggles the whole year to figure a way to use the concept of a tree in her art project.  Her former best friend, whom she still cares about, is about to date the senior who raped her.  She finds the courage to tell her former best friend that she was raped.  At first, the girl did not believe Melinda.  However, after experiencing some inappropriate touching at the prom, she believed Melinda and was apologetic.  The senior rapist was infuriated that Melinda spoke out and tried to rape her again.  He was caught by the lacrosse team.  Melinda’s reputation was restored, she completed her art project and received an A+, and realized how strong she was.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Laurie Halse Anderson’s writing is honest, witty, and direct.  She writes about issues that are relevant to teens.  This book brings to light many issues that should be openly discussed between teens, parents, and school personnel.  Throughout the book, the school constantly changes its mascot because it could symbolize a potentially bad message: “Home of the Trojans didn’t send a strong abstinence message, so they have transformed us into the Blue Devils.”  It is disturbing that the school’s concern is focused on the message its school mascot could be sending instead of what happens to make an honor student spiral down a path of self-destruction.  School personnel are supposed to be trained to ask the right questions at the right time or at least try to help instead of simply labeling students as troublemakers.  Also, the feelings of many rape victims are discussed.  This book would be a great conversation starter for the difficult issue of rape and its effects on victims.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in THE HORN BOOK: “An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, SPEAK will hold readers from first word to last.”

Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “A stunning first novel….Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers’ empathy….Melinda’s hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired.”

A Michael L. Printz Honor Book

A National Book Award Finalist

An Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist

A LOS ANGELES TIMES Book Prize Finalist

Winner of the SCBWI Golden Kite Award

A NEW YORK TIMES Best Seller

A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Best Seller

An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

An ALA Quick Pick

A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Best Book of the Year

A BOOKLIST Top Ten First Novel of 1999

A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book

A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book of the Year

A HORN BOOK Fanfare Title

Winner of eight state book awards-and a finalist for eleven

5.  CONNECTIONS

*If you feel comfortable leading a discussion about rape, its effects on victims, and how a rape victim can reach out to get help, this is a book that encourages empathy, sharing, and critical thinking.  Allow students ample time to discuss their thoughts and feelings.

*Other books by Laurie Halse Anderson:

Halse Anderson, Laurie. 2003. CATALYST. ISBN 0142400017

Halse Anderson, Laurie. 2008. TWISTED. ISBN 0142411841

Halse Anderson, Laurie. 2010. PROM. ISBN 1616864354

Halse Anderson, Laurie. 2009. WINTERGIRLS. ISBN 1101029196

Book Review on The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Please note that this blog has been created as an assignment for a TWU course.

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tan, Shaun. 2007. THE ARRIVAL. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439895294

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

In this very personal wordless graphic novel, Shaun Tan describes the feelings and experiences of a man who embarks on a journey to a new land in order to make a better life for his family.  He details the heartbreaking emotions of parting from his family as well as the sheer optimism that goes along with planning for a better future.  He depicts the difficult, lonely, and challenging situations that many immigrants often encounter.  Even though many aspects about the new place are similar, they are also very different.  There are new languages, methods of doing specific tasks, animals, scenery, people with differing perspectives on life, etc.  The man adapts to his new environment, works hard, and eventually his family is able to join him.  The family holds on to their native culture and embraces their new culture.    

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Even though this is a wordless graphic novel, the emotions and sequence of events are thoroughly explained.  The book is composed in the form of an old, weathered photo album.  Small and large pictures are intermingled in a way that allows the reader to follow the sequence of events that lead to a crucial event.  The more mundane events are represented by small pictures and crucial events are represented by large pictures.  The pictures are very detailed.  The emotions of the characters, the scene unfolding in the background, and the progression of events are skillfully crafted.

This book is amazing in so many ways.  Shaun Tan represents the oppressed and possibly unsafe homeland by drawing dark shadows over the city, dragon like tails coiling around the city, and scared facial expressions of the characters.  He emphasizes the difficult journey that immigrants face in many ways.  The departure from his family is very emotional and one of the few personal belongings he can take with him is the family picture.  The difficulty of adapting to the new place is challenging and often times frustrating.  There is a new language and different ways of doing things.  In one scene, he resorts to drawing a picture of a bed to convey the message that he needed a place to stay.    

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Tan captures the displacement and awe with which immigrants respond to their new surroundings in this wordless graphic novel.”

Starred Review in BOOKLIST: “Recipient of numerous awards and nominations in Australia, THE ARRIVAL proves a beautiful, compelling piece of art, in both content and form.”

Review from Marjane Satrapi, author of PERSEPOLIS: “THE ARRIVAL is an absolute wonder.  It’s not often you see art of this quality, or a book that’s so brave.”

Review from Brian Selznick, author of THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET: “THE ARRIVAL is beautiful.  I loved how it slowly dawned on me that this bizarre world was how any immigrant might see the new place they go… everything is different and scary and magical.  The drawings are just so lovely, endlessly detailed and wonderfully strange.  Bravo.”

5.  CONNECTIONS

*If you feel comfortable leading a discussion about immigration, the often times difficult challenges that immigrants face, adapting to a new land, or becoming bicultural, this is a book that encourages empathy and sharing.

*Other books by Shaun Tan:

Tan, Shaun. 2009. TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA. ISBN 9780545055871

Tan, Shaun. 2007. THE HAUNTED PLAYGROUND. ISBN 9781598899160

Tan, Shaun. 2002. THE LOST THING. ISBN 0734403887

Tan, Shaun. 2010. THE RED TREE. ISBN 9780734411372