The Graveyard Book Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, America's Most Haunted Cemeteries and our BookBrowse Review of The Graveyard Book.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

About the Book

When his family is murdered one night by the man Jack, an infant boy toddles unnoticed up the street to the graveyard, where he is taken in and raised by its denizens—ghosts, ghouls, vampires, and werewolves. Such an unusual upbringing affords young Nobody Owens (Bod, for short) just about everything he could wish for, but he still longs for human companionship, news of his family's murderer, and life beyond the graveyard. Bod's pursuit of these things increasingly places him in danger, because the man Jack is still looking for him ... waiting to finish the job he started.


Discussion Questions

1. Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean are frequent collaborators. How do McKean's illustrations contribute to your reading of the story?
2. There is a rich tradition of orphans in children's literature, as well as a tradition of child-of-destiny themes in fantasy literature. Discuss how Bod fits squarely into both categories.
3. The graveyard is populated with characters we typically think of as evil. How does Gaiman play with this idea, particularly in the characters of Silas, Miss Lupescu, and Eliza Hempstock? What do these characterizations suggest about human nature?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of HarperCollins Children's Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.