Jim, Who Ran Away From His Nurse and Was Eaten by a Lion by Hilaire Belloc

The title pretty much gives you the whole story. Jim is well cared for, but runs away during a visit to the zoo and a lion eats him. The book is very well executed, with the text running through flaps and fold-outs very fluidly. The illustrations are adorable, appealing to modern sensibilities while retaining a stylistic feel appropriate for the time when kids commonly went on outings with nurses.

There is a warning on the cover stating: 'Contains a dangerous beast and a miserable end'. It should also mention graphic images, as the book do not cut away during the devouring of unfortunate Jim. It's a book I'd expect from Edward Gorey were he still around and writing. Quite delightful for those who can stomach it.

"Now just imaging how it feels when first your toes and then your heels, and then by gradual degrees your shins and ankles calves and knees are slowly eaten bit by bit. No wonder Jim detested it."

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by Scott

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens, an orphan raised by the denizens of an ancient graveyard in England. When he was little more than a baby Nobody, or "Bod" for short, had the good fortune of wandering out the front door of his home, then down the street and into a graveyard. While conventional wisdom would hold that this would be bad luck, it is important to take into account Bod's circumstances. His family had just been murdered by a man named Jack, who was just one small child away from completing his task. Young Bod had no way of knowing the graveyard would provide sanctuary, but that's just what happens. When Jack comes for Bod, Silas, a mysterious inhabitant of the graveyard who is neither alive nor dead, leads Jack quietly off into the night. Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a long-dead couple who have waited centuries for a child, adopt Bod. And soon the graveyard accepts him of one of its own, that Bod might come of age living among the unliving. Jack, however, still searches....

Neil Gaiman's latest book is a grim reinterpretation of Rudyard Kipling's the Jungle Book set in a graveyard and I loved every second of it. The story is always engaging and frequently exciting. Gaiman masterfully paints a picture of a fantastic and imaginative world, while mixing in just the right amount of action and adventure. With this book Gaiman has done a wonderful job of opening up a genre usually reserved for older audiences to children. Longtime fans of Neil Gaiman won't be disappointed, the dark subject matter and macabre pen and ink illustrations are reminiscent of other Gaiman favorites, such as Coraline and the Sandman.

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by Patrick

Something Wickedly Weird: The Wooden Mile by Chris Mould

This book's great cover illustration caught my eye and begged me to page through it. Inside I was greeted by more pen and ink drawings all of which were just as grim, but also drawn with a hint of irony, which make the drawings simultaneously ghastly and endearing. The story is, as one would guess from the drawings, wonderfully macabre and when at it's best reminded me of The Graveyard Book; unfortunately, the book was not always at its best and frequently felt formulaic and predictable. It is the story of Stanley, a young boy who inherits a manor on a small island off the coast of England from a long lost great uncle. Upon arriving things are clearly amiss. Over the course of the story Stanley encounters werewolves, pirates and even a talking fish. The story is in fact "wickedly weird." Don't expect this one to win the Newbery Award, but do expect it to delight children between the ages of 7 and 11 who have a taste for adventure and the bizarre.

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by Patrick