Something Wickedly Weird by Chris Mould

It was this book's great cover illustration that first caught my eye and begged me to page through it. Inside I was greeted by more pen and ink drawings all just as grim and sepulchral, but drawn with a hint of irony, which make the drawings simultaneously ghastly and endearing in an altogether delightful way. The story is, as one would guess from the drawings, wonderfully macabre and when at it's best reminded me of The Graveyard Book; unfortunately, the book was not always at its best and frequently felt formulaic and predictable. It is the story of Stanley, a young boy who inherits a manor on a small island off the coast of England from a long lost great uncle. Upon arriving things are clearly amiss. Over the course of the story Stanley encounters werewolves, pirates and even a talking fish. The story is in fact "wickedly weird," and overall enjoyable. Don't expect this one to win the Newbery Award, but do expect it to delight children between the ages of 7 and 11 who have a taste for adventure and the bizarre.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

"It takes a graveyard to raise a child."

The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens, an orphan raised by the denizens of an ancient graveyard in England. When he was little more than a baby Nobody, or "Bod" for short, had the good fortune of wandering out the front door of his home, then down the street and into a graveyard. While conventional wisdom would hold that this would be bad luck indeed, it is important to take into account Bod's circumstances. His family had just been murdered by a man named Jack, who was just one small child away from completing his task. Young Bod had no way of knowing the graveyard would provide sanctuary, but that's just what happens. When Jack comes for Bod, Silas, a mysterious inhabitant of the graveyard who is neither alive nor dead, leads Jack quietly off into the night. Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a long-dead couple who have waited centuries for a child, adopt Bod. And soon the graveyard accepts him of one of its own, that Bod might come of age living among the unliving.
Jack, however, still searches....

Neil Gaiman's latest book is grim reinterpretation of Rudyard Kipling's the Jungle Book set in a graveyard and I loved every second of it. The story is always engaging and frequently exciting. Gaiman masterfully paints a picture of a fantastic and imaginative world, while mixing in just the right amount of action and adventure. With this book Gaiman has done a wonderful job of opening up a genre usually reserved for older audiences to children. Longtime fans of Neil Gaiman won't be disappointed, the dark subject matter and macabre pen and ink illustrations are reminiscent of other Gaiman favorites, such as Coraline and the Sandman.

Give this one to young fans of horror and the supernatural grades 5-9.