The Graveyard Book Summary
Description
Here you will find a The Graveyard Book summary (Neil Gaiman's book).
We begin with a summary of the entire book, and then you can read each individual chapter's summary by visiting the links on the "Chapters" section.
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Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024
Chapters
Chapters The Graveyard Book Summary Overview
A horrifying tragedy unfolds as a man named Jack murders a family, leaving only a baby boy alive. Upon finding the child missing from his crib, Jack follows him to a graveyard where he's intercepted by a mysterious figure, Silas. Meanwhile, the boy, named Nobody Owens by the ghost couple, Mr. and Mrs. Owens who find him, is granted sanctuary in the graveyard by the Lady on the Grey. As the years pass, Nobody befriends a living girl, Scarlett, encounters ghouls and other strange creatures, and learns about a treasure guarded by the creature called the Sleer. When Scarlett moves away, Nobody is left under the care of Miss Lupescu, who teaches him about the supernatural world. As Nobody grows, his adventures become increasingly dangerous. At eight, he meets a witch without a headstone and decides to buy one for her. This leads him to steal one of the treasures guarded by the Sleer, a brooch, and venture into town where he is trapped by a suspicious antique dealer. With the witch's help, he manages to escape, returning the brooch to the Sleer and creating a makeshift headstone for the witch. As Nobody continues to age, he discovers a plot by Jack to complete his unfinished job, leading him to desire a normal education to prepare himself for the pending confrontation. However, when he becomes involved in a school fight, his guardian Silas decides it's safer for him to leave school. At fourteen, the returned Scarlett assists Nobody in learning more about his past, unknowingly leading him to Jack. After a confrontation involving all the graveyard's ghosts, Nobody finally eliminates the threat by arranging for Jack to be taken by the Sleer. Tragically, this results in Scarlett fearing and forgetting Nobody, causing him to be alone once again. As he grows older, he feels his connection to the graveyard fading. Finally, he leaves, having outgrown the sanctuary of the graveyard and venturing into the world of the living. The ghost couple, though saddened, express their pride and love for the boy they raised, thus concluding Nobody's peculiar childhood in the graveyard.
chapter 1
Jack, a menacing man carrying a blood-stained knife, has murdered an entire family in the dead of night, except for a baby boy who's next on his list. Climbing the stairs to the boy's room, he cleans his blade, only to find a teddy bear in the crib instead of the child. He then leaves the house, following the baby's scent up a hill. That very night, the infant had escaped his crib and home, making his way to a graveyard atop the hill. Here, two spectral figures, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, examine him curiously. Hearing Jack trying to enter the cemetery, they initially think he's the child's father. But their assumption changes when an anxious ghostly figure—identified by Mrs. Owens as the baby's deceased mother—appears with two others, urging them to shield the baby. Caius Pompeius, a Roman ghost, questions the three apparitions about their burial location in the graveyard, leading Mr. Owens to believe they're newly dead. Despite their spectral state, the childless Mr. and Mrs. Owens resolve to protect the living boy, hiding him under their ghostly forms. As Jack calls out for the boy, a tall, mysterious stranger confronts him and expels him from the graveyard. The stranger then seeks out the ghosts debating about the child's future. Among the ghosts, Josiah Worthington opposes the idea of adopting the boy, while Caius Pompeius highlights their inability to feed him and Mother Slaughter wonders about his living arrangements. Mrs. Owens proposes granting the boy the "Freedom of the Graveyard." The stranger, called Silas and existing in a state between life and death, concurs. Silas agrees to serve as the child's guardian, with Mr. and Mrs. Owens as his parents. They name the child Nobody Owens and continue their discussion until morning. As dawn arrives, The Lady on the Grey appears, a familiar figure to the graveyard's residents. She implores them to show kindness, convincing them to accept Nobody and grant him the Freedom of the Graveyard. Silas inspects the murder scene at Nobody's former home while Jack, in the town below, seethes over his failed mission to kill Nobody and decides to keep his failure a secret from the Convocation. Jack departs as he hears sirens in the distance.
chapter 2
Raised in a graveyard, Bod realizes the many extraordinary powers he possesses, such as seeing in the dark, camouflaging from the living, and mastering techniques like Fade, Slide, and Dreamwalk. His mentor Silas teaches him letters by letting him trace alphabets on tombstones. Bod befriends a girl his age, Scarlett, who stumbles upon the graveyard while her mom is occupied. They bond over learning alphabets from tombstone inscriptions. At home, Scarlett's parents dismiss Bod as her imaginary friend. Scarlett learns from her parents about the Celts being older than the Romans. When Bod questions Caius Pompeius, the oldest grave inhabitant, about this, he divulges that someone older than the Celts lies buried atop the hill. Curiosity leads Bod and Scarlett to explore Frobisher’s mausoleum, allegedly housing the graveyard's most ancient resident. In the dark room under a coffin, Bod guides Scarlett, describing an ancient corpse and a purple entity, the Indigo Man, warning them to leave. Realizing the Indigo Man is imaginary, Bod dismisses him, causing him to vanish. Emerging from the room, they encounter the Sleer, an entity guarding a brooch, a goblet, and a knife for its master. Alarmed, Bod ushers Scarlett upstairs, only to find her parents and a policeman looking for her. He vanishes and later informs Silas about the day's happenings. Bod doesn’t meet Scarlett for weeks. When she does return, she reveals her move to Scotland and encourages Bod's bravery, urging him to venture beyond the graveyard one day.
chapter 3
The ghoul-gate is a neglected grave in every cemetery, typically colder than the others. As six-year-old Bod is left upset by Silas's departure for an investigation, he is placed under the care of Miss Lupescu. Bod finds her meals hard to stomach and her lessons about different beings tedious. After a week of enduring this, he confides in his adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, who overlook his concerns. Feeling unappreciated, Bod wanders about the graveyard, eventually falling asleep on a rundown grave. Three ghouls named Duke of Westminster, Honorable Archibald Fitzhugh, and Bishop of Bath and Wells wake Bod. They sympathize with his feeling of abandonment and invite him on an adventure through the ghoul-gate beneath them. They venture through a hole in the grave, ultimately reaching a place with a red sky and overturned graves. Two more ghouls, the 33rd President of the United States and the Emperor of China, join them. The ghouls' city, Ghûlheim, strikes Bod as horrific. During their journey, Bod sees flying creatures called night-gaunts. Recalling Miss Lupescu's teachings, he tries to seek their help, but is stopped by Archibald Fitzhugh. The group rests as the sun sets, with the ghouls trying to convince Bod to join their ranks. They seem unafraid of everything until a distant howl sends jitters through the group. Bod is later awakened by the Bishop of Bath and Wells arguing with the Emperor of China, as some ghouls have vanished. The remaining ghouls press on towards Ghûlheim, growing increasingly fearful after hearing distant howling. Suddenly, they're attacked by night-gaunts, and Bod is thrown into a bag by Victor Hugo during their hasty escape. When a monstrous dog-like creature rips the bag open, Bod falls out and down some stairs, watching as the beast approaches. He falls over the edge, into a void, where he hears Miss Lupescu's voice. To his surprise, Miss Lupescu, who is a night-gaunt, saves him. She tells Bod she's saved him three times before and that, as a Hound of God, she can move between Hell and Earth. After transforming back into a woman, she takes the injured Bod back to the Owenses. By the time Silas returns, Bod has grown fond of Miss Lupescu and agrees to more lessons next summer.
chapter 4
At eight, Bod becomes curious about Potter's Field, a part of the graveyard considered dangerous by Miss Owens. Silas tells him that it's a burial ground for witches, criminals and suicides. Bod continues his education with Mr. Pennyworth and Miss Letitia Borrows, who both warn him against visiting Potter's Field. However, while fetching an apple from a tree near the Field, Bod falls in. After his fall, he meets a resident of Potter's Field, Liza Hempstock, who protests that she was not a thief or suicide case, leading Bod to assume she was a witch. Liza shares her sad tale of being accused of witchcraft by the villagers, who killed her and left her without a grave marker. Moved, Bod decides to get Liza a headstone despite his limited funds. He retrieves a brooch from the Indigo Man's tomb, a treasure guarded by the Sleer, intending to sell it. Taking clothes from the gardener’s hut to blend in, Bod visits a shop run by Abanazer Bolger. When Abanazer sees the brooch, he locks up Bod hoping to learn about the location of more treasures. He calls his partner, Tom Hustings, excited about the prospect of profit. Meanwhile, Bod tries to find a way out. Liza appears, explaining that Potter's Field specters can leave the graveyard during the day. She overhears Abanazer contemplating reaching out to someone named "Jack". As Bod prepares to fight his way out, Liza scolds him for his reckless behavior and learns of his plan to buy her a headstone. Moved, she uses a spell to make him invisible. Abanazer and Tom, assuming Bod has escaped, argue over the brooch, leading to a physical fight. Bod gets out and finds the men unconscious. He retrieves the brooch and a black card bearing the name "Jack", at Liza's suggestion. Just as Bod is rushing back to the graveyard, he is intercepted by Silas, who had sensed his danger. Silas takes the black card as Bod fills him in on the day's events. Bod then returns the brooch to the Sleer and pays a final visit to Potter's Field. Borrowing some paint and a paperweight from Abanazer's shop, he leaves a painted tribute for Liza on a nettle-patch he imagines as her resting place.
chapter 5
Bod finds the graveyard inhabitants behaving oddly one winter morning. His ghost mother hustles him out of their crypt, singing an unfamiliar song about a "Macabray". Mother Slaughter, another graveyard spirit, echoes the same song but vanishes before Bod can inquire about it. His playtime plans with Fortinbras Bartleby are foiled as the boy claims he's busy prepping for the next day. Later, Bod encounters Silas in his crypt where he's presented with regular clothes and shoes. Silas tells Bod the Macabray is a dance involving the living and the dead, but as Silas is neither, he hasn't done the dance. The following morning, Bod is led by an odd smell to discover four living people selecting white blossoms. This unusual bloom is a first in 80 years and an old custom necessitates distributing these flowers to everyone in town. The Lady Mayoress, Mrs. Caraway, dismisses the tradition as absurd. That evening, Bod roams the deserted graveyard. Lured by the town's music, Bod slips past the gates and is handed a white flower to attach to his coat. He joins the townsfolk, captivated by the music in the town square. As the music ceases, the spirits from the graveyard start walking to the town. Josiah Washington invites Mrs. Caraway to dance. The music resumes, prompting the living and dead to dance together. Silas is seen in a shadow, watching the dancing with an unreadable look. Bod's final dance is with The Lady on the Grey, who assures him a ride on her horse when it's his turn. The following day, Bod eagerly waits to discuss the dance with the spirits but is rebuffed. Silas even denies witnessing it, frustrating Bod. However, he is thrilled when it starts snowing.
interlude
Inside a hotel's Washington Room, diverse individuals gather for a meal, listening intently to a speaker. Mr. Dandy, a man with silver hair, converses with Jack about his unfulfilled mission from years prior - the murder of Bod. He emphasizes the urgency of completing it. Jack maintains that he's pursuing leads, speculating that all clues are tied to an unsolved problem in San Francisco.
chapter 6
During a downpour, Bod hides under an arch in the Egyptian Walk, engrossed in Robinson Crusoe. The book's original owner, Thackeray Porringer, demands it back. Bod hands it over reluctantly, suggesting he read it to Thackeray, who responds by hitting him on the ears. At eleven, Bod is told by Silas about his parents' murder and that their killer is still on the loose. Bod decides to attend school to equip himself better. Unrecognized at school, Bod goes unnoticed until he advises Paul Singh on handling bullies, Nick Farthing and Maureen “Mo” Quilling. When Paul stands up to them, Mo deduces that Bod was behind Paul's courage. After school, Nick and Mo pursue Bod intending to intimidate him, but Bod's Fade and Fear tactics scare them off. Ghosts Amabella, Portunia, and Roderick Persson praise Bod but suggest other methods like Dreamwalking or Visitation. Roderick casually mentions the Honour Guard, which Bod doesn't understand but keeps in mind. Despite attending school, Bod's graveyard lessons continue, leaving him tired. After an eventful day, Bod finds himself cornered by Mo who claims she's not scared of him. Recognizing that he's gaining attention, Bod reports to Silas, who instructs him not to return to school. Defiant, Bod runs off to Nick's house. At Nick's house, Bod uses Dreamwalking to transform Nick's dreams into nightmares. Liza Hempstock catches him, rebuking him for his rash actions and persuades Bod to return. Heading back, Bod is stopped by police officers, one Mo's uncle, and is identified as a troublemaker and taken away. En route to the police station, the police car hits Silas. Bod screams that they killed his father, creating a distraction that allows Silas to rescue Bod. Back in the graveyard, Silas reveals Liza warned him about Bod's situation. Bod apologizes and promises not to go back to school. He later haunts Mo at school as payback. Silas suggests alternatives for Bod to mix with the living, like theater or football, hinting again at the unidentified threat lurking for Bod.
chapter 7
Silas is absent from the graveyard for a considerable time, leaving Bod in the care of the Owens and Josiah Worthington. Bod, now fourteen, is curious about the return of Silas and his family's murderer, whom Mrs. Owens reveals was named Jack. Meanwhile, Scarlett Amber Perkins moves back to town after her parents separate. One day, she accidentally ends up at the graveyard, where she meets a man, Mr. Frost, who needs help with grave-rubbing. Mr. Frost gives her a lift home, stirring up old memories of Scarlett's imaginary friend, Nobody. Back at the graveyard, Bod notes how he ages while the ghosts remain unchanged. His relationship with them evolves, and he seeks Nehemiah Trot's advice on interacting with girls, specifically Scarlett. Bod and Scarlett later meet and agree to see each other again. Elsewhere, Silas, Miss Lupescu, and Kandar are preparing for a mysterious encounter in the Krakow caves. Bod tells Scarlett about his family's murder, and she decides to investigate. She discovers that Mr. Frost's house is the same as the one where Bod's family was murdered. They agree to keep the investigation a secret from Scarlett's mother. After doing some research, Mr. Frost confirms there was a surviving child from the murder and invites Scarlett and her friend to his house. Bod seeks advice from the Sleer before leaving the graveyard to investigate his family's murder. He declines the Sleer's offer of protection, asserting that he is not their master. At Mr. Frost's house, it's revealed that Frost is actually Jack, Bod's family's murderer. Bod manages to trap Jack in a room while four men arrive looking for Frost. Two of the men follow Scarlett and Bod to the graveyard, while the other two confront Jack Frost. To protect Scarlett, Bod hides her in a mausoleum while the graveyard's ghosts assist in dealing with the men named Jack. With Liza's help, Bod manages to trap the men by the ghoul-gate. The men reveal they are part of an ancient magical organization and had killed Bod's family due to a prophecy. Bod opens the ghoul-gate, sucking them inside. Jack Frost finds Scarlett and threatens her with a knife, but Bod offers himself to save her. Jack Frost begins a ritual to kill Bod, but Bod declares himself the Sleer's master, who then captures Jack. Scarlett, terrified, calls Bod a monster, assuming he used her to trap Jack. Silas returns, erases Scarlett's memory of the events and Bod, and advises her mother to move back to Scotland. Silas consoles Bod and reveals that Miss Lupescu died in the Krakow battle. Despite Bod's questions about why Scarlett feared him, Silas remains silent.
chapter 8
At fifteen, Bod finds his connection with the dead weakening. One day, he can't summon Alonso Jones, a ghostly explorer, and even hurts himself trying to pass through Alonso’s tomb. He encounters Mother Slaughter, another ghost, who requests him to adorn her grave with flowers. He then visits his ghost parents, and Mr. Owens, his father, informs him that Silas is searching for him. On his way, Bod runs into Liza who plants a kiss on him, expressing the hope that he will remember her, leaving Bod puzzled. Meeting Silas, Bod learns that it's time for them to part ways and for Bod to experience the world of the living. Initially resistant, Bod accepts it as the right course of action. As he leaves the graveyard, his ghost mother encourages him to explore the world, singing a nostalgic song from his childhood as a farewell. Bod recognizes that he has lived among the dead for most of his life, but now it's time to embrace the world of the living.
