This is not a children's book but it might be considered a young adult book. I would classify it as an adult fairy tale due to certain sexual content and violence, and NOT a young adult book. It has won, however, many awards which might put it in the range of any age of reader.
This is a story which is about a young seven-year-old Sussex boy. I had to remind myself that the narrator was a boy since I was constantly assuming, he was a female due to the last Gaiman book I had read being Coraline, which is one of the best things I’ve ever read. He is a precocious boy with few friends but embarks on a complex adventure which comes with serious consequences for deliberative and hasty choices. The book delves into fairy, Celtic, Viking, and speculative mythology, time travel, possible worlds, detestation of overt witchcraft, and self-sacrifice. Stephen King writes to scare you with the hidden nature of human and supernatural evil and the violence which that evil entails. Gaiman tries to take you on a journey which will take you beyond the normal expectations of this world. Gaiman will usually do this from the point of view of a youngster whom is trying to establish an enduring parent relationship. This book has a lot of broken relationships and thus a realism which you don’t often find in Young Adult stories. There are many emotions of remorse, but not guilt, for the unnamed narrator. Another common theme in the book is the reliability of memory and how humans can keep it relative to other beings who exist. The Acknowledgments page gives an apology for the intrusion into the lives Gaiman’s personal family for disclosing so much of his own childhood. This book is very good and I only wish I had an illustrated copy, which apparently had been available. I am late to the party on reading this Gaiman work but it is now one of my favorite fantasy stories. ( )

very weird ( )

like much literature in which a child is the protagonist-some disturbing bits- a good read though ( )

4.5/5 this is a profound exploration into childhood. 2 themes stood out. #1 children tend not to relent on "gut feelings" regardless of how severe the reception. as we age, we're get better at conceding and ignoring instincts altogether. #2 when a child realizes they live at the utter mercy of adults, they're also forced to reckon with the futility of attempting any defence ( )

I wanted to read this book when it was first released, but was unable to because of school. Neverwhere being my favorite Gaiman story, I was unprepared for the way that this one reeled me in and wrenched itself onto Neverwhere's pedestal. ( )