The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Have you ever read Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book? I know you've probably seen the movie. Since my son Rex is obsessed with it, I've seen it a dozen times in the last two months, but I'm asking about the book here. I, myself, have not read it, but reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman has piqued my interest. See, the idea for Gaiman's book it based on Kipling's. In The Jungle Book, as you may be aware, Mowgli, the main character is a man-cub raised by wolves in the jungle. Similarly, the main character of The Graveyard Book, Bod, is adopted. However, in the case of Bod, it is not wolves in the jungle, but ghosts in a graveyard that take him in after his family is killed. Bod's story parallels Mowgli's in many ways, and like Kipling, Gaiman is able to create a unique and interesting world for Bod as he grows. The reader follows Bod as he explores the graveyard, grows, learns about his world and the outside world and discovers the truth of his first family. I enjoyed this book, although it was not what I expected. I had been anticipating reading it for months, and I was surprised that I was not immediately drawn in and addicted. However, once I began to connect to Bod and imagine his world and experiences, to visualize the graveyard, I couldn't wait to return to him each time I was called away. The Graveyard Book is thoughtful, original and interesting. It is a book with many layers, and one can read it for pleasure or spend time dissecting it to discover deeper treasure. It has left me thinking; I love when a book does that.