Recommended Listening

This week: Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.
 
One night, a mysterious man named Jack breaks into a house in a small English town and kills the family inside, with the exception of the baby, who managed to crawl out of his crib, out of the house and into the local graveyard.Jack tries to find the baby, but is thwarted by the ghosts and guardian of the graveyard.  The baby is adopted by two of the resident ghosts, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, and given the name Nobody (Bod for short).  Bod Owens grows up in the graveyard and interacts with its colorful residents, visiting with ghouls, taking lessons from a werewolf, and befriending the ghost of a witch along the way.  As he grows older, Bod becomes increasingly interested in the worldoutside the graveyard, knowing he must someday confront his past and the man who killed his family.
 
This Newbery-winning book is a quirky take on the coming of age tale and a very fun listen.  The story is full of charming, colorful characters and entertaining dialogue.  The story is read by the author,and he delivers a great performance, perfectly setting the mood for the story and bringing the characters to life.