The Graveyard Book (2008) by Neil Gaiman

A boy raised in a cemetery by the ghosts who live there has many supernatural adventures in this #1 New York Times bestselling middle-grade/young-adult novel that won the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. The boy befriends the ghost of a witch, Liza Hempstock, helps improve her gravesite, and learns many useful magics during their friendship. Liza’s presence connects the story to The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

·       The Graveyard Book at SuperSummary

Max the Mighty (1998) by Rodman Philbrick

This sequel to the popular middle-grade novel Freak the Mighty follows the troubled teenage giant Max Kane as he helps a friend, Rachel, escape from a stepfather who beats her. Like the narrator in The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Rachel retreats into books when her problems overwhelm her; also like him, she uses things she learns from books to improve her situation.

·       Max the Mighty at SuperSummary