English 1 Reading Guide: The Graveyard Book

Reading Guide: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
Genre: Supernatural, 950 Lexile
While an assassin slips from room to room, slaughtering his family, a toddler escapes from his crib, “bottom bumps” his way down the stairs, and wanders out into the nearby graveyard where the cemetery ghosts decide to adopt him. His adventures are amazing.
1. What did the man named Jack do to the family while they slept? (page 7)
2. What did Jack find when he looked in the baby’s crib? (page 9)
3. What happened to the baby? (pages 10-11)
4. Where did the baby go? Who agrees to take care of him? (page 15)
5. Who is Josiah Worthington? (page 20)
6. What does Josiah think about Mrs. Owens taking care of the baby? (pages 21-22)
7. Who is Silas? How will he get food for the baby? (page 23)
8. What do the ghosts decide to call the baby? Why do they choose this name? (page 25)
9. Each of the dead had an opinion as to whether the living child should be allowed to stay. What did they decide? (page 31)
10. Why must Nobody remain in the graveyard? (page 37)
11. Freedom of the Graveyard gives Nobody some special abilities. What things can he do in the graveyard? (page 38)
12. What does Nobody (Bod) do in the graveyard? (page 39)
13. Who does Bod meet in the graveyard? (page 41)
14. Who do Scarlett’s parents think Bod is? (page 43)
15. How do Scarlett and Bod spend their days? (page 44)
16. Where do Scarlett and Bod go? (pages 50-52)
17. What do they find? (pages 55-56)
18. Where does Scarlett’s family go? (page 59)
19. Silas is Bod’s guardian. Who does he put in charge of Bod? How does Bod feel about her? (pages 66-67)
20. What does Miss Lupescu teach Bod? (pages 70-71)
21. How did the Owenses’ react when Bod complained about Miss Lupescu? (page 73)
22. What are ghouls? (page 82)
23. What do the ghouls want Bod to do? (page 85)
24. How does Bod escape from the ghouls? (pages 89-90)
25. Who/what brought Bod to safety? (pages 93-94)
26. Who is buried at the edge of the graveyard? (page 99)
27. What lies beyond the edge of the graveyard? (page 100)
28. Who is buried there? (page 103)
29. What is slipping and fading? (page 105)
30. Who helps Bod when he falls from the apple tree? (page 108)
31. How did this person die? (pages 110-112)
32. Why did Bod go back to the Indigo Man’s tomb? (page 116)
33. Where does Bod go next? (page 120)
34. Why did Abanazer Bolger lock Bod in a room? (page 124)
35. Who comes to Bod? (page 125)
36. What reason does Bod give Liza for trying to sell the brooch? What is Liza’s reaction? (page 131)
37. What does Liza do to help Bod? (pages 132-133)
38. Why does Albanazer put something in Tom’s drink? (page 135)
39. How does Bod escape? (page 136)
40. What did Bod find when he entered the antique shop? Why does Liza tell him to take the card with the word Jack written on it? (page 137)
41. How does Silas react when he finds Bod? (pages 138-139)
42. What did Bod do with the paperweight? (pages 141-142)
43. What is a Macabre? (page 149)
44. Who did Bod see coming up the path? (page 150)
45. What were the white flowers for? (page 151)
46. Who participated in the Danse Macabre? (page 158)
47. What does Josiah Worthington tell Bod about the dead mingling with the living? What does Bod realize? (page 163)
48. How does Silas react to Bod’s desire to discuss the Macabre? (page 164)
49. The men in black suits are mad at Jack, why? (page 168)
50. What did Bod mean when he told Silas he was asking the wrong question? (page 181)
51. Bod goes to school? How does he spend most of his free time? (page 182)
52. Who are Nick Farthing and Maureen Quilling (Mo)? (page 183)
53. What advise does Bod give to Paul? (page 185)
54. How does Bod get rid of Nick and Mo? (pages 188-189)
55. What does Bod do to frighten Nick? (pages 194-196)
56. Mo brings the police to the graveyard accusing Bod of breaking things in her backyard. What did the police do? Why? (page 200)
57. What happened on the way to the police station? (pages 202-203)
58. Who told Silas what happened to Bod? What does Bod decide to do? (page 205)
59. Scarlett returns. She gets on the wrong bus and ends up at the graveyard. Who does she meet there? (page 222)
60. What does Scarlett’s mother do when she returns with the man? What does the man tell them his name is? (page 225)
61. What advise does Nehemiah Trot give Bod? (page 232)
62. Why does Scarlett go to the library? (page 241)
63. What does Scarlett learn about Bod’s family? (page 244)
64. What does Scarlett tell Mr. Frost? (page 245)
65. Who lives in bod’s family house? (page 245)
66. Scarlett takes Bod to meet Mr. Frost. What do they talk about? (page 252-253)
67. Who is Mr. Frost? What does he try to do? (page 255)
68. How did Bod get away from the man called Jack? (page 256)
69. Who does Scarlett run into as she tries to escape from Jack Frost’s house? (page 257)
70. How does Scarlett get into the graveyard? (page 261)
71. Where does Bod hide Scarlett? (page 263)
72. How did Bod get rid of Jack Ketch? (page 267)
73. Who are these men that are after Bod? (page 270)
74. Why did the man named Jack kill bod’s family? (page 270-271)
75. How did Bod get rid of the 3 Jack’s? (page 272)
76. Bod sees the Sleer for the first time. What does he see? (page 283)
77. What did the Sleer do to Jack Frost? (page 284)
78. How does Scarlett react to what Bod has done to the men? (page 286)
79. What does Silas tell Scarlett? (page 287)
80. Silas takes Scarlett home. After talking to Scarlett’s mom what does she decide to do? (page 288)
81. Silas tells Bod he needs to leave the graveyard, why? (page 302)
82. What does Silas tell Bod about the Honour Guard? (page 302)
83. What does Silas tell Bod about himself and his past? (page 303)
84. What does Silas give Bod? (page 303)