In Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel The Graveyard Book, the orphaned boy is named Nobody Owens.
The 2008 novel follows a toddler who escapes into a graveyard after his family is murdered. The ghosts and supernatural residents shelter him and give him the name Nobody Owens, often shortened to Bod. The name reflects both his unusual upbringing and the mystery surrounding his identity.
Bod grows up among the dead, receiving lessons and protection from figures such as Silas, the graveyard’s guardian. Although he has no ordinary family life, the graveyard community teaches him skills that help him survive encounters with the living world and the people who threaten him.
The title can mislead readers into expecting a conventional haunted-house story. Much of the novel concerns friendship, education, independence, and growing up. Bod’s name is also not Jack Frost, although Jack Frost is connected to the danger facing him. Gaiman’s book won the 2009 Newbery Medal.