Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book

A sleepless toddler escapes from his family home and thus survives the murder of his entire family. He is tracked to a nearby cemetery by the murderer but saved from the rest of his family’s fate by its ghostly inhabitants. They agree to raise the boy to adulthood in the relative safety of the graveyard.
And so begins a series of outlandish adventures, unusual friendships and exceptional bravery.
Inevitably he must face and defeat the assassin who still wants him dead in order to go out into the world and live amongst the living.
Strongly reminiscent of the books of my childhood, both in presentation and theme, I found this book utterly charming. Though dark at times, it never degenerates into gore. The natures of the creatures in the graveyard are implied but never spoken of, a subtlety that is threaded throughout the story. Scary, funny and serious by turns this books teaches lessons about love, loss and the importance of listening to your elders in an exceptionally entertaining manner.
I would have loved this book as a child, I certainly enjoyed it as an adult.-Lynn