Parents' Guide to

The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 1

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Gorgeous adaptation catches all the magic of original novel.

The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 12+

Great, but be aware of images in opening pages.

I'm a bookseller, and I love Neil Gaiman's books, including The Graveyard Book, which I shelve in our Middle Grade section without hesitation. In it, it is implicit in the first couple of pages that a famiy has been murdered, but the language is oblique. The graphic adaptation is very good, but, well, graphic in its visual depiction of the aftermath of the murders. I do recommend it, but I also give a heads-up to preteens.
2 people found this helpful.
age 16+

Giving my 10.5 year old nightmares - absolutely TERRIFYING opening.

I am not sure how this rated as age 9+. I picked this up at the library for my 10.5 year old, based on the positive, age 9+ reviews from common sense media. I like Neil Gaiman, and thought I'd introduce my daughter to some of his work ( I realize this is an adaptation of his work - my daughter loves graphic novels.). The first page features a bloody knife. The second page features scenes of: a little girl lying in a bed with her throat slit; an adult woman laying in bed with her throat slit, and a man laying face down on the floor, dead, with a knife wound in his back. All three of the scenes are bloody. And bloody terrifying. I had a hard time looking at the images - so you can imagine how my 10.5 year old felt. In hindsight, I should have previewed the book and not given it to her, but as I said, Common Sense Media rated it age 9+-- so when she grabbed it from me at the library I let her run off with it. I agree with many of the reviews on this site and use it often, but I think they COMPLETELY missed the mark on this one. This is a very dark, scary book, appropriate for teenagers perhaps but NOT anyone younger. Unfortunately I am not going to read the book, so I can't give it an accurate overall review (take the 2 star rating with a grain of salt), but I wanted to warn others about the very disturbing, terrifying opening scenes of this book.

This title has:

Too much violence
2 people found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This graphic novel adaptation by P. Craig Russell (with the assistance of six other accomplished artists) brilliantly redefines the story for a different medium.

The episodic plot is perfect for this kind of collaborative project, with each chapter offering a different look that stills feels part of a unified vision. Rowdy ghouls, ghosts from various eras, a kindly vampire, and a vigilant werewolf are only a few of the supernatural characters depicted with elegance and wit. Readers will want to get their hands on Volume 2 as quickly as possible.

Book Details

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