The Graveyard Book

This book won the 2009 Newbery. It's a very strong book, and if you have read The Jungle Book you will really enjoy it, because it is based off The Jungle Book. The difference is, it is set in a graveyard, instead of in the jungle.

This book has a very interesting plot, and the author keeps the story going, with a nice flow going along. The characters are all sort of normal -- yeah, not really. The only thing that I didn't like was that you didn't hear enough about Bod (the main character's) parents and life before he started living in the graveyard. Also, I would have really liked another chapter at the end about how Bod adapted to the real world, the world outside the graveyard. You feel like, it's a cliffhanger ending, almost. He's kind of stranded.

This book has great characters and the opportunity to have a very strong sequel, except the author kills that with the ending. With the ending, Bod leaves the graveyard, so unless he somehow goes back, the author can't write a strong sequel because all the cool characters, the ghosts, Silas the Vampire, the Sleer, won't be in it. And one of the bad guys is officially still alive. He's trapped by this mystical being the Sleer but still he's alive.

The thing I liked about this book was that the author used a very imaginative plot. Bod is 18 at the end of the book. He's too old to go back and be a boy anymore. This book could become a very good movie, or a very bad movie. It depends on who they get, who the actors are, and all that.

I think there will be a sequel to the book, but I don't think it will be a very good sequel.

The place I put this book on my list: Fourth.