78 pages 2 hours read

Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CHAPTER 1

Reading Check

1. How old is Nobody when his family is killed?

2. What is the killer’s name?

3. How many people have been buried in the cemetery?

4. Who cries out that Jack is “trying to harm my baby!” (15)?

5. Who is the cemetery’s founder?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does the toddler escape from the killer? Who protects the child?

2. What is ironic about the excuse the killer gives for being in the graveyard when Silas confronts him?

3. What is different about Silas from the other graveyard residents?

4. How do Mr. and Mrs. Owens feel about the child, as opposed to the rest of the ghosts?

5. What event finally ends the long argument over what to do with the child?

Paired Resource

Adoption

  • This poem by Alison Kolodinsky conveys the love an adoptive parent feels for their child.
  • This resource relates to the theme of Family, the Ones Who Love You.
  • Who is the speaker of this poem? What is the main idea? Do you think the Owenses feel this way about Nobody?