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The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Published by HarperCollins, 2008

This may not be your most typical warm Christmas story but it is guaranteed to have young people aged 12 or 13 and upwards abandoning the TV to read.

A dark adventure story full of suspense tells of the murders of a man, woman and child and allows us to follow the most unusual upbringing of a baby who is raised by the dead Mr. and Mrs. Owens. Modelled on The Jungle Book, a whole graveyard community is brought to life in a surprisingly realistic way and all contribute to the development of Bod right up to the age of 15 when he’s ready for the world at large. Kipling’s animals are replaced by ghosts, ghouls and werewolves.

A world of shadows, horrible happenings always around the corner, strange supernatural creatures, and midnight parades where the ghosts dance with the living are just some of the treats in store for brave readers.