Year 7 English get creative with The Graveyard Book

Our Year 7 English classes are studying Neil Gaiman's Gothic coming-of-age novel 'The Graveyard Book' and students have been showing their understanding of the text by producing their own creative work inspired by the book, including diary entries and alternative cover artwork.

Diary entry of Bod

Do you ever feel that you’re alone? In this dark room. Trapped. That there’s no getting out. That no matter how hard you scream, cry for help no one can hear you. Well, this is my life. I have a family, but no one understands me. I’m different from them. No matter how hard I try to be like them, I stand out, like a king parrot in a murder of crows. Even friends, that are meant to stay with you, be there for you, grow up with you, aren’t (“No one would play with him that night. No one wanted to play, or talk, to run and climb beneath the summer moon” page 65). I continuously have that urge screaming at me to blend in, fit in with everyone else. But that just isn’t possible. I’ll never be the same.

All I want is people who understand me.

I wonder what life would have been like if I hadn’t grown up in a graveyard. If I had a real, living family, went to school, had a normal life. I know there’s no point. That I should be grateful for what I have (“You are ignorant, boy,” – Ms Lupescu page 63). That the ghosts of a graveyard were all able to agree to keep me, care for me. But I so badly want to be normal.

I wonder what would happen if I ran away. Escaped from the only home that I’ve ever known and ran away, as far as my legs could take me. Away from the lonely, sad town, the place where no one understands me, away from Ms Lupescu the evil demon (“Her front teeth were slightly crooked” page 59). Travel outside the graveyard, get a lift from one of the buses that pass by further down the road, and spend the rest of my life with these fun people who understand me, feel my pain. Spend the rest of my life being free, no rules, having the best food ever, doing whatever I want, whenever I want. Going to the best place possible on Earth and living there forever (“A city of delights, fun and magic, where you would be appreciated, not ignored.” Page 69).

I know that my family back home would miss me, feel confused, disappointed, angry, sad. Like Silas and Mr and Mrs Owens. But they’ll understand. They must. Really, they don’t have a choice. My mind is made up.

Freya G

Diary Entry : When Bod meets Scarlett  

Monday: Today Silas gave me a game and while I was playing a girl came up she was wearing a yellow jacket and asked if she could play with me. It was fun. She told me I was five. The girls name is Scarlett Amber Perkins. Scarlett said that she and her parents live in a flat down the hill, I wonder if someday I could visit it. We started to play together and it was fun, I think she is my friend. I've never had a living friend before  

Saturday: Scarlett has come to the graveyard every day this week. We played hide and seek one day and another we watched the rabbits eating, my favorite was the day we climbed trees. Her dad teaches Particle Physics, I don’t know what  that is but Scarlett tried to tell me. She should never become a teacher I still don’t know what it is but we made a new game called Teachers. One day we tried to count the gravestones but she had to leave early because her grandparents were coming over for dinner, I kept counting after she had gone there are more than 50 there was more but I can't count any higher Silas said I will learn but I want to know NOW!  

Wednesday (Next week): Today Scarlett asked me if I knew who the oldest in the graveyard is. I think its Caius Pompeius but when I asked him he told me  that the was the second person here. Caius Pompeius said that anybody who went into the tomb never came out or did but scarred for life. Maybe me and Scarlett should go down there I don’t think that it would be to scary. I'm brave and anyway this is MY home.  

Sunday: It was so scary these things called The Sleer came around us in the darkness and I think they were trying to catch us, but the indigo man was scary too. I don’t understand Scarlett's parents came to find her and took her home they were very mad. But I didn’t tell you what happened. So in the morning Scarlett came over and we talked to the ghosts for a bit then I told her about the cave we used the key to get in.  Then we had to find the hole behind one of the coffins in the morgue it took a while but we found it and went through Scarlett was scared because she couldn’t see so I told her what I was seeing soon enough we came to a curve and found thee indigo man lying on the ground he stood up and tried to scare us and we Screamed but we figured out how to get past him. Then we were in the home of the sleer. The Sleer coiled around us until my head was foggy. We ran all the way back to the outside of the hill. That’s where I last saw Scarlett.  

Monday (Two Weeks Later): Scarlets gone Silas says that she won't come back, that’s about the most he told me about it. I miss her.

Elida R

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