The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman****

One of these days I promise I won't read young adult literature every month - it really seems to sneak into my repertoire much more than I expect. But, when it's young adult literature that's this interesting and well-written, I'll tell you right now: I will always make an exception.

This book is an archetypal "bildungsroman" (that's smart-speak for "coming-of-age-story" ... don't worry, I had to ask) but the environment (should be obvious) of a graveyard is only the beginning of how Gaiman uses the archetypes as a springboard to further the medium into something truly unique and singular. Our main character's guide is a vampire, for crying out loud (though I love that Gaiman didn't feel the need to include the word once throughout the 300+ pages). It's a classic example of an author showing instead of telling us something. Add a diamond-edged wit to an already intriguing plot and an exceptionally sympathetic cast of characters (the dead are the ultimate outcasts) and you have a real winner.

We were lucky enough to get an advance copy of this book somehow (signed by the author, no less!), and one of the nifty things about those is the handy facts on the back that help buyers determine the genre, audience, etc. It's printed right on the back that it's a 5th-grade reading level. I would have loved to get my hands on something like this when I had been in the 5th grade! If I had, I'm sure it would have inspired me to believe in myself a little bit more - to be more grateful for the family I've been given and the natural talents I have, the confidence to get through 6th grade again, knowing that no matter what those mean boys said to me, I knew what I was worth. I can see this book as being a real 5-star selection for me if I had read it then. As it is, I found it incredibly entertaining and absorbing - a great diversion. And, if I was needing to turn in a comp lit essay, I'd compare/contrast this book with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in a heartbeat.