The Graveyard Book

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“New Setting, Similar Story”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of Gaiman’s use of pastiche by reimagining one of the chapters of The Graveyard Book in a new setting.

The Graveyard Book is a pastiche of The Jungle Book—Gaiman’s book contains elements of plot, characterization, and structure inspired by Kipling’s work. In this activity, you will demonstrate your understanding of this technique by choosing a chapter from Gaiman’s book and proposing an imaginary text that uses Gaiman’s plot and characters in a new setting.

Create a T-Chart

• If you don’t know what one looks like, check here.
• At the top of your chart, label the left-hand column The Graveyard Book.
• Divide each column into two sections: one for characters and one for plot. Label the sections.

Fill in the Left Side of Your Chart

• Choose a chapter from The Graveyard Book.
• Under “characters,” list the key characters in this chapter.
• Under “plot,” list the key events.

Fill in the Right Side of Your Chart

• Imagine a new setting that is neither the graveyard nor the jungle. Choose a setting that is complex, interesting, and isolated from the human world.
• At the top of your chart, label the right-hand column The _________ Book. (Replace the blank with a one-word description of your setting.)
• Under “characters,” list and briefly describe the characters in your new story, making sure that each corresponds to a character from Gaiman’s story.
• Under “plot,” list how the key events from Gaiman’s plot would be translated into your new story in your new setting.

Share and Vote

• Share your story idea with your small group.
• Vote for which imaginary new story you would most like to read.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity can be completed individually or with a partner. Students can create their charts on paper or, if they have individual computer access, online—the linked site in the “Create a T-Chart” section contains a template they might use for this purpose. You can choose any sharing and voting system that works for your classroom: You might have students post their work in an online classroom space and ask them to vote by “liking” posts, or you might have them read their work aloud to a small group and then vote by secret ballot. (If you are concerned that students will vote for their own work in this situation, simply ask them to write down their top two votes.) You can control the length of time the final step takes by enlarging or shrinking group size.

Differentiation Suggestion: Literal thinkers may struggle to imagine the story in a new context. You may wish to allow these students to work with a partner. Students with conditions like anxiety or perfectionism may find choosing among infinite options an unreasonable burden. You may wish to prepare a list of new setting suggestions in advance for these students and offer it to them if they struggle to complete the right-hand side of their charts.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The graveyard functions as its own little world, walled off from the larger world around it.

• What are the main similarities and differences between the graveyard and the outside world? (topic sentence)
• Give two examples from the book that support the similarities you noted and two examples that support the differences.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how the similarities and differences between the graveyard and the outside world support one or more of the book’s thematic concerns: Family, the Ones Who Love You, The Loneliness of Unusual People, and Life is for Living.

2. The Lady on the Grey is a mysterious and powerful figure.

• What might this character personify? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three pieces of evidence from the book that support your interpretation. Explain your ideas carefully.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this personification supports the book’s larger meaning.

3. Bod learns important lessons from many characters in the book. To respond to this prompt, choose one character Bod learns from.

• What does Bod learn from this “good” or “bad” character? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three pieces of evidence that support your interpretation. Discuss and provide context for the scene(s) as you explain your ideas.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how the lesson Bod learns from this character supports one or more of the book’s thematic concerns: Family, the Ones Who Love You, The Loneliness of Unusual People, and Life is for Living.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Each chapter in the book is structured like a separate short story. How would the focus of the book be different if it were a continuous narrative? In a book with a graveyard for its setting, what is appropriate about having an “ending” in each chapter instead of just in the book’s conclusion? What does this format communicate about life? Write an essay analyzing the relationship between the book’s structure and its setting. Comment on how this structure supports the book’s larger meaning. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the book, making sure to cite any quoted material.

2. Read Rudyard Kipling’s story “Kaa’s Hunting” from The Jungle Book. Which chapter of Gaiman’s book parallels this story? Not all chapters in The Graveyard Book closely resemble something from The Jungle Book—why do you think this story seemed important enough to mimic? What lessons do the two stories both teach? Write an essay analyzing the common elements of plot and theme in these two stories. Show how including this chapter in The Graveyard Book supports one or more of the book’s thematic concerns: Family, the Ones Who Love You, The Loneliness of Unusual People, and Life is for Living. Support your ideas with cited evidence from both “Kaa’s Hunting” and The Graveyard Book.

3. Read the epigraph at the beginning of Gaiman’s book and research the origins of the nursery rhyme. How long a history does this little rhyme have? How has Gaiman altered it slightly? What is he communicating by using this rhyme? Where else in the book do you see a similar message? Write an essay analyzing the ways in which this epigraph sets the stage for the book that follows. Show how including this epigraph in The Graveyard Book supports one or more of the book’s thematic concerns: Family, the Ones Who Love You, The Loneliness of Unusual People, and Life is for Living. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the book, making sure to cite any quoted material and any ideas borrowed from outside sources.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What do Silas and Miss Lupescu have in common?

A) They are nonhuman.

B) They are alive.

C) They are werewolves.

D) They are vampires.

2. Which of the graveyard’s occupants functions most like a mother to Bod?

A) Liza Hempstock

B) Miss Lupescu

C) Mrs. Owens

D) The Lady on the Grey

3. Which is the most accurate characterization of Silas?

A) Strong, quiet, and generous—but also capable of being dishonest

B) Wise, brave, and kind—but also capable of being ruthless

C) Jolly, nurturing, and understanding—but also capable of being judgmental

D) Curious, funny, and thoughtful—but also capable of being impulsive

4. Which of the following is most devoted to fighting against evil?

A) The Honor Guard

B) The ghouls

C) The Jacks of All Trades

D) The Sleer

5. Which is the most accurate characterization of Scarlett?

A) Reserved, dignified, and intellectual

B) Confident, athletic, and outgoing

C) Clever, curious, and imaginative

D) Determined, ambitious, and practical

6. Which character is most like a babysitter or teacher whose strictness hides a caring and compassionate nature?

A) Abanazer Bolger

B) Jack Frost

C) Liza Hempstock

D) Miss Lupescu

7. Which characters do not represent the dangers of the world outside the graveyard?

A) Mo and Nick

B) The Indigo Man and the Sleer

C) Mr. Hustings and Mr. Bolger

D) The Jacks of All Trades

8. Which statement is most clearly supported by the plot of this novel?

A) Sometimes loving a child is not enough to ensure a healthy childhood.

B) Children are better off emotionally when raised by their birth parents.

C) Adoption is a serious commitment that many undertake too lightly.

D) Any competent and loving group of people can successfully raise a child.

9. Which ghost is most in charge of running the graveyard?

A) Mr. Owens

B) The Indigo Man

C) The Lady on the Grey

D) Josiah Worthington

10. Which object most clearly represents Bod’s naivety?

A) The funerary chapel

B) Liza’s headstone

C) The brooch

D) The assassin’s knife

11. Who is the most ancient person buried in the cemetery?

A) Caius Pompeius

B) Josiah Worthington

C) The Emperor of China

D) The Lady on the Grey

12. Which statement is most clearly supported by the plot of this novel?

A) Fitting in with other people means compromising your values.

B) Unusual gifts can be a blessing but can also isolate you from others.

C) Being self-sufficient is more important than having a strong community.

D) Healthy people work to eliminate their more unusual qualities.

13. Which of these characters was once a human being?

A) Mother Slaughter

B) The Sleer

C) The Lady on the Grey

D) The Indigo Man

14. Which of the following is demonstrated through Silas’s character?

A) Taking responsibility for others helps people overcome their selfish natures.

B) Tender-hearted people often disguise this vulnerability by trying to seem tough.

C) It is foolish to trust others to do what you should do yourself.

D) Even those who have done great evil are capable of being reformed.

15. Which of the following is demonstrated through Scarlett’s character?

A) Being nosy can lead to terrible unintended consequences.

B) Honesty does not guarantee that others will trust you.

C) Unfair biases can cause people to hurt the ones they love.

D) Heartache often results from a lack of clear communication.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is ironic about Jack’s attempt to prevent the prophecy from coming true by killing Bod’s family?

2. In what sense does the Macabray fulfill one of Bod’s deepest wishes, at least for one night?