Don't Judge a Book by it's Title

  Titles are the first thing readers know about a book. They are there before the book is even opened and they can help readers form an opinion about the book. Titles typically give away something about the book but that something often differs among books. Sometimes, titles are only vaguely related to the book, and sometimes, in the case of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, titles are visibly relevant to the story. 

 The Graveyard Book is a simple title that references the setting of the book. At first, when reading the initial pages of the book, I was questioning in my head why it was called The Graveyard Book. I figured eventually some parts of the book would take place in a graveyard. Maybe when the man Jack murdered more people, the graveyard would be referenced as a place where people go when they die. My initial thoughts were pretty quickly changed by pages 12 and 13 when I realized that the rest of the story (for the most part) would be set in the graveyard. On pages 12 and 13, when the setting is being described, I felt as though I had been transported there and I could see the fog and the moon and ”the abandoned funeral chapel” covered in ivy with the padlocked iron doors, and the headstones and moss growing on them. It was at this moment that I knew this book was going to be a lot more interesting than I had initially thought. In relation to the setting, I absolutely loved when a new ghostly character was introduced and their headstone was used to introduce them. For example, when Bod hurts his ankle in Chapter 3, “Doctor Trefusis (1870-1936, May He Wake to Glory)”  took a look at his injury (96). I just think that the introduction of characters using what was written on their headstones was a really creative way to intertwine the characters with the setting bringing the whole thing to life even more. 

 The title of this book definitely does tell the truth about the story. It gives readers a slight idea about the setting of the book while concealing the theme and characters of the story. I will admit, I wasn’t overly excited about reading this book based on the title alone. Scary stories are not something that I am usually drawn to, but the graveyard setting and theme of this book really has drawn me in and I cannot wait to keep reading to see what happens next.