Somewhere in contemporary Britain, "the man Jack" uses his razor-sharp knife to murder a family, but the youngest, a toddler, slips away. The boy ends up in a graveyard, where the ghostly inhabitants adopt him to keep him safe. Nobody Owens, named because he "looks like nobody but himself," grows up among a multigenerational cast of characters from different historical periods that includes an opinionated young witch; and Bod's beloved mentor and guardian, Silas, who is neither living nor dead and has secrets of his own. As he grows up, Bod has a series of adventures,  both in and out of the graveyard, and the threat of the man Jack who continues to hunt for him is ever present. Bod loves his graveyard family and they love him. This is a surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.  A Newbery Medal winner.