NEW YORK, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Neil Gaiman has won the John Newbery Medal literary prize for his work, "The Graveyard Book," the U.S. Association for Library Services to Children said.
The association said the author -- who is known mainly for his science-fiction, fantasy and graphic novels geared toward adults -- was awarded the prize for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children because his 2008 book was a "delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing" and featured "magical, haunting prose," The New York Times said.
The novel is about a boy raised by ghosts in a cemetery after his family is killed.
The association also bestowed the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children to Beth Krommes, the illustrator of "The House in the Night," a book penned by Susan Marie Swanson, The Times said.
