If you like dark books, this is one for you. It begins with a hand holding a knife in the darkness, literally bloody murder, and a baby boy getting adopted by ghosts that live in the graveyard. I really didn't expect to like this book, but it grabbed me. The ghosts name the boy Nobody Owens, Bod for short, and raise him as their own child. Bod grows to be a pre-teen in this strange place he calls home until the man who murdered his parents finds out he's still around and comes looking for him.
The scary man and the murder plot really play second-fiddle to the boy and his graveyard family. Although not raised by wolves, Bod has a lot in more in common with Mowgli from Jungle Book than with Oliver Twist. His caretakers adore him, he is able to make real-live friends and make sense of his strange graveyard world.
Even without the comic book style illustrations, this book is a keeper.
No comments:
Post a Comment