The Graveyard Book

How it reads

The Graveyard Book is young adult (supernatural fantasy, specifically), and its dominant mood is hopeful. Whatever it puts its people through, it believes things can get better. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in a small town setting, in the present day, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are family, identity and friendship. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. At 312 pages it's a quick read. It's a mega-bestseller — the book everyone seems to have read.