The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman

Illustrator: Dave McKean

Text copyright: Neil Gaiman 2008

Illustration copyright: Dave McKean 2008

HarperCollins Publishers

Fascinating - Bewitching - Supernatural - Spooky - Goulish

Interest Level: Grade 6-8

Reading Level

Grade Level Equivalent: 5.4

Lexile Measure: 820L

DRA: 60

Guided Reading: X

Type of Book: Chapter Book

Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Suspense, Fantasy

Delivery:

-Independent Reading

-Small Group (Book Club) Read

Summary:

A novel following the life of Nobody Owens, a boy adopted and brought up by ghosts, ghouls and other super-natural beings after his family is ruthlessly murdered and the killer is still out there.

Electronic Resources:

Online chapter by chapter reading:

http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx

Vocabulary:

1. Anorak: A pullover jacket or coat with a hood.

2. Dowdy: Net of stylish or neat; old fashioned manner or dress.

3. Macabre: Grizzly, gruesome, horrible, disgusting, involving death.

4. Revenants: Ghosts.

5. Pearlescent: Having a play of lustrous, rainbow-like colors.

6. Lummox: A clumsy, foolish person.

ELA Teaching Suggestions

Comprehension:

Before Reading: Have group that is going through and using The Graveyard Book answer a pre reading worksheet where they write out what they characterize ghosts, vampires, werewolves, goblins etc. to be like. (What they think?) Encourage them to use expressive words like: terrifying, eerie, etc.

During: Each week, when students meet for book club, have them go over their “stop and jots” that they make in their book along the way. (Ex. Questions they have, Predictions, Words they don’t know, How something made them feel.) –Periodically, have the group of students draw out story maps in their reading journals of what has happened so far. Inform them to leave room so that they can add onto it as they progress through the novel.

After Reading: After completing the book have students go back to their old characterizations and create new ones with the impressions they got after reading the book. Again, encourage them to use high level words to describe their characters.

Writing Activity: 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3
Write [short] narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

-Students can create their own short scary story by composing a 140 character "tweet."
-A Short Scary Story:
Ex.
As the sun sank behind the the tree line, I heard my mother calling to me from downstairs.
"Hunny, come down here. I haven't seen you in forever!"
My mother died when I was 13.. I'm 20 now. #LookingForTheLightSwitch