Volume One | Musings of the Monster Librarian

Book Review: The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, Volume One by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell

The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, Volume 1, by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell

Harper Collins, 2014

ISBN13: 9780062312556

Available: Hardback

So let’s say a beautiful story, the kind you never forget, isn’t good enough for you. So someone decides to translate it into a visual medium. but one artist isn’t enough. Here Russell decides to give artist teams each a chapter to create.

The Graveyard Book is awesome, and in Russell’s graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Newbery Award-winning novel, other artists have distilled that exquisiteness into a new form. Sometimes the tale is exceedingly grim (it begins with a blood covered knife and a crime scene) but at its heart, it’s about choosing how to live. Not recommended for young children, but highly reommended for teens and adults.

Contains: Graphic violence, dark themes

Reviewed by Michele Lee

Editor’s Note: I think the illustrations in the original book are more shocking and leave more to the imagination than the graphic novel, which is, well, much more graphic. Either way, it’s a compelling story, with impressive artwork, and it’s pretty neat to see it adapted into another format– fans of Gaiman’s who love his comic books and graphic novels but have never encountered The Graveyard Book are being given an incredible opportunity. I do want to emphasize that, as Michele notes, because it is much more graphic and detailed, the graphic novel is not child-appropriate. Handle with care– and enjoy!

MonsterLibrarian.com’s Top Picks for 2011- Young Adult and Children’s Books

So here we are- part two of the Top Picks list for 2011.

Each book on the list below was reviewed in the past year, although not all the books were published in 2011. If the book made a Top Picks list in the past, it won’t be on this year’s list (Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson, was first reviewed in 2009 and made the list that year, so it’s not on this year’s list).

Books that made this list were chosen by our reviewers as exceptional examples of compelling writing, creativity, and original illustration or presentation. Many of them provided considerable food for thought as well as entertainment value. The choices were made only from books reviewed for the site, so there are many fine titles that do not appear here. The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for 2011, listed below, have not been ranked in any order(although I tried to list them alphabetically). We created lists for adult books, young adult books, and kids’ books. I previously posted the Top Picks for Adult Fiction in 2011. You’ll find the Top Picks booklists for young adults and children below. Enjoy!

Note for librarians and readers: As with all recommended reading lists, not all of The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for 2011 will be appropriate for or appreciated by every reader. Please take the time to check out reviews of these titles at MonsterLibrarian.com before making a decision about reading them or recommending them to others.

The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for Young Adults, 2011

A special mention goes to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs, chosen as a top pick by four different reviewers independently of each other.

Abarat series by Clive Barker (Abarat, Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War, and Abarat: Absolute Midnight)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires, Book 9) by Rachel Caine

Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely) by Melissa Marr

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 1 by Alexander Gordon Smith

Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Nickel Plated by Aric Davis

Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore

Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls) by Maggie Stiefvater