The Graveyard Book, written by Neil Gaiman, begins with a brutal murder. Jack Frost, a villain, kills a husband, wife, and sister, but he is unable to kill the baby of the family. This baby turns out to be the main character of this novel, Nobody "Bod" Owens. While his family is being murdered, Bod leaves his house and wanders to the graveyard.

When Bod arrives in the graveyard, he is saved by Mrs. and Mr. Owens, a ghost couple. With pleas from Bod's newly dead family members, Mr. and Mrs. Owens agree to take care of Bod and promise to protect him from Jack. Bod is given "Freedom of the Graveyard," which means he can move about the graveyard with ease. A downside to this freedom is that he can not be seen by most humans.

Despite not being able to be seen by most humans, Bod does make a few friends during his interesting childhood. One friend is a mysterious man named Silas. Silas is able to leave the graveyard freely and can move between worlds. Bod also meets a little girl named Scarlett Amber Perkins. Her parents believe she has an imaginary friend because they are unable to see Bod.

Bod has many adventures throughout the novel, including being taken prisoner by ghouls, learning new languages, being in several fights, learning to protect his friends, and having to avenge a murder.

The main character of The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, is Nobody Owens. Nobody, called Bod, is an orphan who escaped the murder of his family. His parents and siblings were killed by "the man Jack," and Bod survived by wandering away and into a graveyard. When he arrived there, a lady ghost protected him and decided that he should live in the graveyard but have the freedom to walk among both living and dead. This lady ghost and her equally spectral husband raise Bod in the graveyard, and he learns many supernatural powers from his ghost companions. Though Bod's childhood is unusual, he makes friends with both the living and the dead, and is well provided for by Silas, who can move among the living with ease. Throughout the course of the book, Bod must confront the man who killed his family as well as the fact that he cannot stay among the dead forever.