The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Intended for the "young reader", Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book portrays the uncertainties of juvenile life in an incredibly artful way. The story is simple: a toddler escapes when his family is brutally murdered and retreats to the only safe place he's knows - the graveyard up the hill. There he is discovered and adopted by the ghosts and "undeads" in residence.

Not knowing his real name, they call him Nobody - Bod for short - and assign him his adoptive ghost parents' surname of Jones. What follows are the vignettes of everyday life for a boy growing up.

The language is simple but the emotionalism is strong and the presentation nothing short of elegant. True literature for the youthful reader, but read it yourself before passing it on to some young person you care for.