Unfamiliar with the name Neil Gaiman when I saw it on the cover of my July/August 2013 issue of Poets and Writers magazine, I didn't read the article that was written about him. If I had, I may have searched out his books sooner.

But having remembered seeing his name in print, I found "The Graveyard Book', the 2009 Newbury Medal winner, at my local library. And I wasn't disappointed. A very engaging book, The Graveyard Book has it all: murder, mystery, ghost and ghouls, and the most frightening of all, the order of the Jacks of All Trades.

Bod, short for Nobody, the toddler is given the name by his adoptive 'graveyard' parents. Told to remain in the graveyard for his own safety, Bod learns the ways of the ghosts that reside there. This training is invaluable when Bod encounters some of the evil waiting for him outside the safety and security of the graveyard walls.

Definitely a 'can't put it down' book, you'll quickly reach the end where the mysteries will all unravel for you.

I rate 'The Graveyard Book' 5 out of 5 stars.

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