The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens has grown up in a graveyard. His family was murdered brutally when he was just a baby, but through luck and the interference of some kindly ghosts, Nobody was adopted by the graveyard community. His childhood is unusual to say the least: the only person alive among hundreds of dead souls, Nobody is well educated in history but misses out on simple things like companions of his own age and time period.

Nobody can not remain safe and hidden in the graveyard forever, but the man who assassinated his family is still out there, hunting Nobody. Will the protection of the ghosts and the graveyard be enough, or will Nobody face the murderer before he has a chance to grow up?

This book is a chilling fantasy with well-developed characters. It is the 2008 Newberry Award Winner.

-Ms. McConnel

This book is about a child that is raised by ghosts. There is a murderer after him that killed his family. The child grows up trying to be a ghost. He learns how to fade and has never met a living person until he's six. His teacher helps him understand that he is not an ordinary boy. This book is great for readers who like ghosts or mystery.

-C. McCoy

Something Upstairs

Something Upstairs
by Avi

As far as Kenny Huldorf was concerned, Los Angeles was a perfect place to live. All his life he had lived in perfect spring and summer-like weather. So moving to Providence, Rhode Island wasn't his idea of happiness. When Kenny got to the new house, he drifted from empty room to room. He remembers a feeling that the house somehow wasn't empty. He stepped into the attic and felt unease, then a faint rustling sound started. As Kenny was leaving, he saw a stain. As he looked at it, the thought came that it was blood, human blood.

Tap. Tap. Kenny looks at the time. 2:35 a.m. He went into the attic. A boy was rising out of the stain on the floor! His name was Caleb, and he was murdered in 1800! Caleb asks Kenny to help him find his murdered and stop him from killing Caleb. Kenny is faced with the decision that will affect his life because he will have to travel back in time, and if he gets hurt or loses something, Kenny will be trapped in the past forever. Will Kenny help Caleb? Will he become a prisoner of the past?

The only way to find out is by reading "Something Upstairs" by Avi.

This book was suspenseful and unpredictable. At first I thought this book would be boring and Kenny would simply do something to save Caleb, but it had lots of twists in the story. I would recommend this book to someone who likes a good ghost story.

-O. Casbarro

Everlost

EVERLOST
by Neal Shusterman

What if you woke up only to find out you were dead? Neal and Allie are both killed when the separate cars they are driving in collide head on. After nine months they wake up still wearing the clothes they were killed in and the chocolate candy Neal was eating smeared, eternally, all over his face. While they feel that nothing about themselves has changed they soon realize they no longer have to breathe, eat, or sleep. They also no longer feel pain except in their hearts and yearn for the lives they lost and the family and friends they loved. It seems like they are stuck between life and death like other kids in Everlost and if they are not careful they will sink into the ground and wind up in the center of the Earth to be lost forever.

This book is a wonderful read from an author who has a great imagination and the talent to put his ideas into words.


-Mr. Tim Dale