The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
So very Neil Gaiman, but fun for the middle-grade kids. “Cemetary Gates” by the Smiths would be the perfect soundtrack…Poppy and sweet, with macabre and Victorian undertones. Nobody (Bod) Owens has been raised by loving ghosts in a crumbling graveyard. As he grows, he begins to piece together the mystery of his past. However, this is where the book is sorely lacking. The characters and setting are rich and fun, but the underlying story and motives are totally undeveloped. Upon finishing, I had many unanswered questions, but I enjoyed the ride, so I guess I can’t complain too much. I’m sure kids (even those pesky boys) would have fun with it, and it has much more mainstream appeal than some of the other recent Newbery Award winners that kids often find boring. Oh well…After being impressed with the visual magic of “Coraline”, I think that this could potentially be an awesome movie, at the very least, and hopefully inspire some of those young reluctant readers to pick up a darn book.


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Madapple by Christina Meldrum

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
A surreal and maddening book. I read this book while home sick one day, and the next day I was telling a friend about how weird and unsettled I felt upon reading it, how I felt transported into a skewed view of reality. “So maybe it was a good book, then?”, she suggested. Yes and no. The author really does draw you into Aslaug’s unconventional world view, filled with Nordic and pagan mythology and theology, native Maine herbology and wildlife, and the scars of psychological abuse and isolation. But the story is way out there, joining together an improbable chain of events that transpire between an isolated family, interspersed with court transcriptions as we piece together why Aslaug is being put on trial for murder.

I stuck with it due to the various starred reviews and ALA & YALSA recognition, but I really didn’t feel pulled in until about 1/3 of the way through, after which I felt compelled to finish it despite my feelings of uneasiness while reading. It’s one of those books that I think teens would either love or hate, and unfortunately, I would expect the latter in most cases.

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