Neil Gaiman's, The Graveyard (reviewed by an eleven year old)

My contribution to this blog is quickly becoming "What the middle graders in my family are reading and their responses to those books."

In today's post, my eleven year old son responds to my questions. His answers provide a valuable observation of voice as well as providing insight into what motivates a real life reader at this age.

1.  When you were choosing your next book to read, why did you pick The Graveyard, by Neil Gaiman?

I just liked the back, the book started out amazingly, and it's part mystery. There is also a lot of adventure.

2.  Who were your favorite characters, and why?

My two favorite characters were

a) Silas, he is just so mysterious. He isn't alive or dead.

b) Bod Owens, (short for Nobody Owens) he is very curious and smart. Plus he can also Fade, Dreamwalk, cast terror, and many other things regular humans can't do.

3.  What did you like most about The Graveyard?

I liked the way that the book explains things and the adventure.

4.  Was there something you didn't enjoy about it?

No. I liked every single detail!

5.  Did you relate to any of the characters? If so, how?

I related to Bod. (You can find the rest in section b, the first sentence question 2.)

6. What sets this book apart from some of the others you've recently read?

It's very unique. The book takes place at a graveyard sometime during winter, and nothing seems to fit together at the beginning and it all explains itself at the end.

7.  Did you like not knowing how things fit together?

Yes, because it was very suspenseful.

8.  What else would you like to share about this book?

I definitely recommend The Graveyard book. It is entertaining and a good read.

9.  If you could get books on your iPod, would you read more and play less minecraft?

It depends on the time of day.

10.  What if your dad said "I'll take away your iPod unless you spend twice as much time reading on it as you do playing games or watching videos."?

Then I'd read a lot...but please don't do that.