if memory serves my on the slightest detail...this story was read by the author to his children starting at chapter 4 then beefed up to fill the page count for the publisher.
I really do believe ...children are no longer children in the mental understanding of days past.As soon as these offspring gather with others of the same age....i swear if they had the instructions to build a nuclear device we or alot of people would be toast.
I believe with todays in your face electronic information if your child is not ready for a book like 'The Graveyard Book' I fear for their understanding of society.
That's just me.....

is it worth asking what your point is?

I don't even want to try to get into your pessimistic opinion of children (have you actually spent any time with kids? and I don't mean one specific family's spoiled brats, but kids in general?), but, for information's sake, that's not how the book "happened." Mr. Neil said that he first got the idea when his son was a toddler. they lived in a tall house like the one in the book, and the only place for his son to ride his trike was in the nearby graveyard. and thus the idea was born.

he said he tried to write the story several times, but didn't feel that he was a good enough writer to pull it off. this time, he said he figured he was about as good an author as he was going to get, so he started it again, with what has become the fourth chapter. he was going to toss it again, but read it to his youngest daughter, who asked him what happened next, leading him to finish the book.

quote:

Originally posted by aitapata:
I lent my copy to a coworker who is already a Gaiman fan, and she loved it. Lent it to another coworker who's new to Gaiman. I've previously lent Stardust and American Gods to her, and I'm looking forward to her feedback on this one. Trying to decide which one I'm going to lend her after this. Probably Neverwhere. Though maybe Good Omens..... tricky.

As much as I enjoyed Coraline, I would rate Graveyard Book much higher.

i just finished reading and yes, i think the graveyard book is better than coraline. i just loved the characters more

i'll definitely get it as soon as it gets out in paperback even though i'll have to order it as i won't get it in a bookshop here in austria *grumble*

I don't think I've said this before, but something I learned, watching Neil read the chapters, was that there's another layer in this book I never realized.

It's that tons and tons of parts of the book can be read that you think of it as a serious and powerful statement, but other people may interpret it as quite funny.

When I first read about Bod telling Scarlett that he doesn't think the man (Indigo Man?) is a ghost because she can't see ghosts, I read that as quite serious and found it a pretty neat reply. But when he reads it in the video, people laugh, and the infliction made me laugh. I guess I found that odd. :P

Oh, absolutely.

I've actually started editing papers in a weird way since I listened to Neil read the Graveyard Book:

I read what I wrote in Neil Gaiman's voice (and, in my head, it sounds spot on) and that actually helps me notice mistakes or ways I could make things sound better, more . . . Gaiman-y, if you will. It works very, very well for short stories, you guys should try it sometime.

Neil's voice and reading certainly does strange things.

that was my response to "The Day the Saucers Came." I read it, and I didn't get it. I heard him read it aloud, and, all of a sudden, I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe. I guess he can tell us what he meant a lot more quickly than we can ferret it out for ourselves.

I have mine pre-ordered, can't wait for it to get here. (The poster, I mean.)

That's quite unfair. :/ US gets it cheap, of course, got it for essentially 31 bucks.

I feel like I stole it, now.

Thank you, and I suppose we can always hope for an economy boom.

okay, I can't even spare the money for postage within the US right now, so you've both got me beat. but it's my computer wallpaper right now, so at least I'm not left out entirely.

I was fortunate to attend a speaking engagement of Mr Gaiman. Where he read just one short chapter from Graveyard book (the poet giving Bod advice) This fueled me to read this book immediately. When I dashed to BnN, there I scoured for a copy in the fantasy section. No copy to be found. So I turned to staff, who in turn was also a Neil Gaiman fan who took me by the hand to the children's section (she sighed) And spoke out loud this book is mis-categorized. However, she had not read it, but knowing most his works, are universal.

There, the store attendant and I conversed on his works. Another co worker showed up, who just discovered Mr Gaiman. Sadly, she had not read the Sandman yet - and confessed she was put off by the "comic book thing". There, the other staff and myself gushed on and on how the sandman is not a comic book - this woman looked at us funny, but left with a smile.

Right there at the store, I had to sit down immediately and read Graveyard book soon as possible. As always, Mr Gaiman has a way with luring you into the worlds he creates immediately.

About 30 pages in, there were so many of Mr Gaiman's usual tricks, I was beginning to loose interest, but the words, the characters, the unknown was still so alluring. As a children's book, this is excellent IMHO. As an adult book, it falls just short of what Mr Gaiman is capable of pushing himself further

I am having the oddest problem with this book. I can't finish it. Literally! I am up to the last chapter and when I try to even approach the book to read the last chapter, I start crying. I do not want this book to end. I want it to go on forever! Yes I can re-read it again but I am not sure if I will ever read the last chapter.

This has never happened to me with a book. I've read books that when I hit the final page, I just wish that it would go on but this time I can not face the end.

Why?

because you know what's coming, perhaps? it's a really good ending/beginning, though. the story on paper ends, but you can probably keep it going in your head for a while.

quote:

Originally posted by Thomas:
I was fortunate to attend a speaking engagement of Mr Gaiman. Where he read just one short chapter from Graveyard book (the poet giving Bod advice) This fueled me to read this book immediately.

were you at the LoC National Book Festival? if so, did you actually manage to get a chair? that was insane.

I knew well enough to wait in line much earlier in the day. I got a seat front row

oooh, I'm jealous! I got there early, but then my dad called and I had to wander off and argue about politics.

Looks like I was right on this one....
Glad I pre-ordered the Limited Ed.
Look for my name in the back!

Congrats Neil! For those of us that have been around since the early 90s at the tiny signings, this is a really cool moment. Next time- Pulitzer!
Time to dig out my British adult magazines with Gaiman reviews......

Just throwing this out there, but how cool would it be if Pixar did a Graveyard Book adaptation?

Random, maybe, but I think it'd be perfect. I think I'd rather see that than live action, which is weird, since I normally prefer live action adaptations.