A very readable children’s story, with flashes of cleverly drawn observations of human nature. I personally preferred Gaiman's The Graveyard Book (which I felt had more consistent depth). But I did like what Gaiman had to say about parenting, and boundaries, and the idea that perhaps getting all that you ever wanted in life was perhaps not what you really wanted at all. And like other reviewers here, I'm intrigued by the suggestion that Coraline is a book that children experience as an adventure, while it gives adults nightmares ... ( )

Creepy, quirky, and all things to be expected of a Gaiman novel, this is one of those books that I wish had been available to me as a young 10 to 12 year old when all I had to fall back on was the Nancy Drew series. There was certainly nothing this twisted and delightfully dark on the shelves of the school library. As a heroine, Coraline is such a likable, brave girl who takes matters into her own hands when her parents are kidnapped by a dark force that should scare her shitless. Young girls, force-fed Barbie worship and Twilighty longing for a an undead mate, need exposure to more of that. I also like that Gaiman sidesteps the whole "it was just a dream" scenario and ends with enough evidence that Coraline's experience was just what it was--a daunting quest undertaken by an undaunted little girl. ( )

I ♥ This book! ( )

This was excellent. Perfect level of creepy without going too far (i.e., without slipping into too-scary-to-be-enjoyable). Coraline herself is instantly engaging, and all the characters are unique and appealing (or fascinatingly horrible) and believable within the context of the story. Gaiman does such wonderful things with suspense and surprise and disturbing imagery, and there are nice little bits of humor throughout to help offset the horror elements. Coraline is both the (unintentional) source of her own troubles (her annoyance with her boring existence and her inattentive parents leads her to go through the door) and her own (and others’) savior, and even the help she gets from others results from her own actions/interactions with them. Her transformed attitude after her escape is earned and believable. My one complaint is probably just that at the very end, I had trouble believing that the trap Coraline arranged for the other mother’s hand is truly going to keep it trapped forever. I didn’t feel as safe as I think we are meant to by the very end of the story. ( )

Coraline has recently moved to a new apartment with her parents. Their apartment is one of four in a house that contains a kind older gentleman who lives upstairs and who is always talking about his mice and their soon to come show. Her other neighbors are the two older ladies who were once actresses and who have become somewhat eccentric. Coraline is lonely as her parents are very absentminded and sometimes treat her as a nuisance. But she has her neighbors and they are sweet and treat her well.

One day while exploring the apartment, she discovers a door way that opens unto a brick wall. Though this development proves to be unexciting, she on another visit discovers that the door rather than having the brick wall leads into a hallway. She follows the hallway and ends up in an apartment that looks exactly like hers with a few differences and most surprising of all is that the two adult inhabitants like exactly like her mother and father. In this version of her world, her parents are extremely attentive, cooking her delicious meals, allowing her lovely toys and a more beautiful room the one in her world. But Coraline is an unusually perceptive girl and though she is at first impressed with this new life, she wants to go home. Her look alike parents, "the other mother" and "the other father", try to bribe her with promises of all the good things that will be hers, but Coraline insists that she wants to return home. When she refuses all overtures her other mother somehow manages to kidnap Coraline's real parents. When Coraline returns home, she searches all over for her parents but they are nowhere to be found. She then realize what her other mother has done and she vows to rescue her parents.

I listened to this as an audio book and Neil Gaiman does the narration. Gaiman is a very good reader and I was immediately engaged. The story was quite creepy and there were moments where I was not sure how it would pan out for Coraline. Coraline may be a child but she was a very intelligent one who was not swayed by nice things realizing that though her parents were absentminded and sometimes careless of her feelings, they genuinely loved her. She rejects the offer of having whatever she wants and she tells her other mother that life is not supposed to be all about getting whatever you want because when you are denied something sometimes its for your own good. I really, really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by Gaiman.

I am not sure how appropriate this would be for a very young child as it may frighten them unduly. I think it is probably best for the 12 and above crowd. ( )

read this review and others at http://readingforsanity.blogspot.com/... ( )

Coraline, a vivacious and curious only child, has moved with her parents into a large old house that has been subdivided into four units. She has odd neighbors whom she occasionally visits, but she feels alone for the most part. Her parents, although home, seem always to be working, and there are no other children around. It is while following her father's suggestion of counting windows and doors throughout the house that she discovers a little locked door in the one room in the house that is rarely used. Her mother finds the key, but it opens only to a brick wall separating sections of the house - or so Coraline thought at first. What Coraline later finds in the dark and without her parent's knowledge is that this door leads to her other world. Coraline's other world is ruled by her Other Mother. At first, she is charmed by her Other Mother and Father even though their eyes are simply black buttons. They take great interest in her and make true home-cooked meals. While she might enjoy the attention, she soon discovers how sinister Other Mother is and she is forced to save herself and her true parents from the world through that little door.

Coraline was a much different reading experience for me than The Graveyard Book or Neverwhere. While Other Mother is a creepy, evil character, she isn't developed in the same way as Gaiman's other villains. Her edge comes from her physical presence, while the ghouls or Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemaar make themselves apparent through their dialog. I found more delight in the Vandemaars and Bishops of Bath and Wells, but writing the Other Mother this way did bring spunky Coraline firmly front and center. What wasn't there for me in the way of banter, Coraline made up with her bravery and ingenuity. She is not afraid to get up and chase a shadow through a strange house and, when push comes to shove, she puts others before herself. She takes responsibility for her own problems and throws a thrilling tea party, too. In those ways, she was very real to me.

Who can remember daydreaming about having the perfect parents? I most certainly can. The parents in this fantasy fluctuated from kings and queens to Luke and Laura (yeah, I’m dating myself here). While I never had a problem with my mother’s cooking like Coraline did, there were many things that my Other Mother would have done better and with more finesse. What Coraline points out so beautifully is that often the characteristics and actions we prescribe to our “perfect parents” would in fact prove detrimental to us, at least to some extent. One of the things I remember longing for in my parental dream team was the permission to stay up as late as I desired. Had my parents allowed me to do that, they wouldn’t have been parenting at all. There’s no possibility that I could have performed at my best at school if I was exhausted all of the time. Regardless, getting whatever you want eventually loses its luster precisely because it’s not what you really need. You need parents who love you, take care of you, and provide you with the discipline you need to lead your most healthy, productive life.

Coraline reaffirmed my preference for reading a novel before seeing the film. We rented and watched "Coraline" a couple of months ago. I enjoyed the movie a great deal and loved what Tim Burton did with the animation. However, there was a character in the movie that played a prominent role that did not exist in the book. I spent a third of the novel waiting for him to arrive on the scene only to realize that he would never come. It was a distraction and I wished that I had come to this novel with a clean slate. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel a great deal and read it in less than 24 hours. I look forward to the day when I can read this with my daughters - and not just to put the fear of the Other Mother in their hearts (hey, they probably think they’ve already got one… LOL!) ( )

I wanted to love Coraline, and undoubtedly there are some great elements here. But I've come to realize something is lost in Gaiman's writing when there isn't a visual component to the story. Only half the equation of a brilliant writer is here. Unfortunately, that only equals an average writer. ( )

Coraline is a simply lovely story for children. It's a lovely blend of adventure, imagination, and scare. A tale about how getting everything you want, might not be what you imagined it to be. And most importantly Coraline shows us just exactly what bravery is. "...when you're scared but you still do it anyway, that's brave." ( )

Coraline Book Review
Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. 2002. Harper Trophy: NewYork.
Genre: Supernatural Fiction
Themes: Horror, family relationships, parental love,

Age / Grade Appropriateness: Book is labeled 8 and up, but this seems young to me,

more appropriate to 10 and up.

Awards: 2003 Hugo Award for Best Novella, 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novella,

Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book 2003, 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work

for Young Readers, ALA Notable Children’s Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults,

A Publishers Weekly Best Book, A School Library Journal Best Book, A Child Magazine

Best Book, A Guardian Unlimited Best of 2002 selection, A BookSense 76 pick, A New

York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, An IRA/CBC Chrilden’s Choice, A Blue

Ribbon winner, and A New York Public Library “One Hundred Titles for Reading and

Sharing” selection.

Censorship Issues: Very scary and gruesome.

Plot Summary: Coraline moves into a new house that she explores from top to bottom. Her parents are very caught up in their work and when Coraline asks them what she can do, they suggest she visit the neighbors. The neighbors are Mr. Bobo, who trains rats to play musical instruments, and two former actresses, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, who live with a bunch of dogs. None of the neighbors ever say her name right and call her Caroline instead of Coraline. During her explorations, she discovers a locked door that opens to a brick wall separating her flat from the one next door. She uses the key one day to open the door and now the brick wall is gone and she enters into a house like hers, but better. The mother and father in this house seem happy to see her and want to entertain her. The food is delicious, the toys magical and the parents attentive. They seem great and so much better than her real parents, except for their creepy button eyes and that they want Coraline to stay forever on their side of the door. Coraline goes back home and discovers that her real parents are missing and that she will have to go back to save them. Her only help is the black cat, who can talk on the other side and a stone with a hole in it. She discovers that her parents are in a snow globe and that the other mother had stolen the souls of three children. She challenges the other mother to a game, that she can find the children’s lost souls and her parents and will go free or if she cannot the other mother can sew buttons onto her eyes. She looks through the stone and finds glowing marbles that contain the lost souls and tricks the other mother into opening the door so she can run through with the snow globe. While closing the door the other mother’s hand is caught and ends up on Coraline’s side. She lures it with the door key and makes it fall into the well.
Critique: This is not typical young adult literature. It is more of a cautionary tale to make the most of what you are given. It is a novella, so it is a quick read, with a quick resolution to Coraline’s problem. Everything about this story is creepy, especially the images you can imagine from the descriptive writing and the stark pencil drawings. Coraline is a strong character that children can relate to.
Curriculum Uses: The novel could be compared to the movie or students could write an alternate ending. This novel should be welcome in the middle school section of thrills and chills.

Genre: Fantasy
Media: Computer Generated
Appropriate Age: Intermediate and Middle School
Review: This book is a wonderful example of fantasy, because the protagonist, Coraline, finds herself in an other-world when she walks through a door in her home. All the people in this other-world have buttons for eyes, and Coroline's "other parents" try to convince her to leave her real parents and stay with them forever.

Character Analysis:
The "other mother" is the antagonist, and is the creator of the "other world" that Coraline finds herself in. The "other mother" creates the world for Coraline, so that she can convince her to stay, and care for her, or rather become her "slave". Coraline must discover key to the "other mother's" tricks so that she can free the other "slaves" and escape back to her real home.

Frightfully delightful. Coraline is like a darkly twisted Alice in Wonderland. Reading this right before bed gave me a fair share of creepy dreams. The story took a bit to grab me, but I was soon engrossed in Coraline's explorations. Neil Gaiman's writing is wonderfully lyrical. I would love a peek into his brain because his imagination is so detailed and unique. ( )

a classic scare tale for children. review before reading to them. ( )

Well, I am writing this, mainly, so that I can quote two lines, and both of them are not a part of the story.

Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.
—G. K. Chesterton

this is the quote Neil Gaiman's Coraline begins with, and proceeds to live upto. It is frightening story, and it is a book about fear, and the kind of things people like you and me, people who have enough imagination to be afraid of dreams, are afraid of.

It doesn't take imagination to be afraid of nightmares, they are frightening on their own, though I grant you, it takes imagination to dream up nightmares. But dreams are a different story. You want them to come true. You want to go chasing them, you want parents who will spend time with you, and cook food you love, and everything you want given to you without any payment, without any meaning. Dreams are rose coloured glasses, and if you are imaginative enough, you will be terrified of the distorted view you get through them, because it is so hauntingly beautiful. Desirable.
And this is a book which looks at rosy dreams, looks at it till the pinks become as terrifying as only pink can be, and says,

"Because," she said, "when you're scared but you still do it anyway, that's brave."

So we come to the second line I wanted to quote

It was a story, I learned when people began to read it, that children experienced as an adventure, but which gave adults nightmares.

Because children have not yet seen that, how people mistake dreams for reality, and step into storybook worlds which act on their own logic, which defies any attempt to reason.
And we add one more thing to the list of things they don't tell you but you must know now that you are grown up, dreams are terrible things, and getting all we want is not only something that's not gonna happen, but also meaningless, uninteresting, and dangerous.

And it is always a delight to read about heroines like Coraline. I can't say I grew up reading about girls like her, because stories like this generally have heroes, not heroines, but back when I was a kid, I didn't really notice stuff like that. I grew up wondering if I was brave. And I never noticed how much immersed in the stories of great women my childhood was- it had really been just a part of the background- untill the day when I said offhandedly that I knew ?Lisa Mariter, because I tend to know about women like that.

Also, the other mother. In this book, both the main characters are women, and if it hadn't been a children's book, I would have complained that the other mother isn't frightening enough. You see, she is pure evil, so evil, that she is never a real temptation. But this is a kid's book, and I don't mind an unidimensional villain. But in a better book, she would have been realer than the real mother, and then we could have had conflict, and a test of courage and we could have faced the questions. What is reality? What is temptation? What is happiness? What do we want? Truly want, when we can have everything we want, as long as we ask or it, what is it that we ask for? And how much do choices matter? People judge us by the choices we make, but did we want to become the choices we made?

Were- are- dreams worth the price we pay for them? I guess some are, some aren't. And if one is practical enough, one can make the right guesses, and live happily. And I have come to like this phrase, cynicism is the refuge of the hopelessly romantic. If you are practical enough, you can keep your dreams and your romance, you can protect them from reality. And maybe protect reality from them.

Btw, on the subject of choices, I am going to choose medicine. I am old enough to not hold grudges, actually, I found that as soon as I was no longer in my parents' power, I no longer resented them, but I have not forgotten. I won't take good advice if the only basis for it is misogyny. I can be better than the best of them, and I won't take away from myself the chance to prove that if need be. That is all.

It is not really a dream, I do not want to become a medicine resident, in fact, it is a resolve. And I won't make a song-and-dance of it, but I will stand by my resolve. It has been recently bothering me that I might be brave, but ever since I became brave enough to accept change I have not had occasion for resolve.

And to end, here is a final quote

-- As for believing in fairies . . . many years ago I wrote the copyright notice for a comic called The Books of Magic, in which I said words to the effect of "All the characters, human or otherwise, are imaginary, excepting only certain of the faerie folk, whom it might be unwise to offend by casting doubts on their existence. Or lack thereof." A position I still wholeheartedly support and defend ( )

D-It pains me that I don't really like this book. I have a limited edition hard cover and I've read it twice. I've seen the movie (in 3-D) twice in the theater and once on DVD. I flew to New York to see the off-Broadway musical. I have tried really REALLY hard to love it.

But I don't.

I much prefer Clive Barker's _Thief of Always_ and Gaiman's own _Graveyard Book_.

So there you have it. ( )

Curiously terrifying. ( )

Coraline is an extraordinary young lady who has just moved with her family into a new home. Inside her mysterious new flat is a locked door that leads to a brick wall... most of the time. Sometimes though, the door leads to a creepy alternate reality, where Coraline's "other" mother and father live in a flat almost like hers, but not quite. And thus begins Coraline's adventure.

Along the way, she meets the ghosts of other children who were stolen away from her world by the other mother, and a guide in the form of a snarky black cat. Coraline is a fast-paced, deliciously creepy young adult novel. It was a fantastic read, and definitely not just for kids! ( )

If you've ever had a nightmare that your parents were not who you thought they were, this book is for you. Gaiman twists a brilliantly chilling tale in a delectably described alternate world, where parents have buttons for eyes and will give you all the attention you have ever desired...so long as you never leave. Only Gaiman succeeds so well in creeping me out with all my worst childhood nightmares. ( )

Coraline ventures through a magical doorway in the wall of her family's apartment. At first, she thinks she has discovered a better life with a weirdly similar family, but soon she discovers that horror lies beneath.

Coraline Jones has just moved into a new flat where she is bored with her distracted parents and quirky neighbors. One day Corline finds her way into a world parallel to her own, complete with an “Other Mother” and “Other Father” who have buttons for eyes but are willing to give her whatever she wants. Corline soon sees the dark side of the “Other” world and must fight to save her family. This is a great book for those looking for a scary story; Gaiman achieves the perfect balance of scariness and dry humor. The spooky atmosphere is amplified by Dave McKean’s scratchy pen and ink drawings. Recommended for a middle school audience, though older readers will also enjoy this tale. ( )

Coraline's parents never listen, but she is lucky enough to find a door that lead to another world with an "other mother" and "other father" who give her everything she could possibly want. . . but there's a catch!
The painstaking detail of this movie is truly staggering. everything is perfect down to the tiny stitches in Coraline's sweater. The stop-motion is seamless, so it's easy to believe you're watching real actors.
The movie is wonderful. It's dark, and would probably scare the bejesus out of small children, but older ones will appreciate the story. Gaiman has always been well known for mixing the fantastic with the mundane, and this is a perfect example. This is a great addition to any collection, especially as it can be used as a gateway back to books. A child who loves this movie will appreciate the graphic novel as well. ( )

Neil Gaiman's Coraline has won just about all the awards there are to win, and deservedly so. It's a creepy little book, full of just the right amount of suspense and spookiness to keep a young child up late at night. Gaiman's sparse writing style works well for this sort of tale, and the way he sets up Coraline's quest (the easy route vs. the correct one) is very nice.

It's hard to really like any of the characters here; even though it's impossible not to root for Coraline once she starts on her way (trying to escape from a bizarre alternate world), she's not exactly the most charismatic of heroines. I think I enjoyed the talking cat most of all; he's classic Gaiman.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2009/... ( )

Coraline is the story of a young adventurer who finds her way into a sinister alternate version of her own reality. In this reality she has other parents, an other room, and other neighbors, all of which are more interesting than her real life. She is told she could have what she wanted when she wanted it and life would always be interesting. But as Coraline says, "What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted?"

I think what I enjoyed most about this story was Gaiman's minimalist style of writing. Much is left to the imagination of the reader, which if done artfully, can increase the enjoyment of a book. It was strange for the motivations of the "other" mother to never be questioned though. And what is that cat? These unanswered questions annoyed me a bit. At the same time, it was a new experience to read a protagonist who just accepted the things that were happening to her without delving into the often times inexplicable psychology and history that provide the motivation for the plot.

In the Why I Wrote Coraline section at the back of the book, it says: "children experienced it as an adventure, but [it] gave adults nightmares." I find this quote intriguing and not altogether unbelievable. Coraline was begun for Gaiman's five year old daughter and finished years later for his six year old daughter. My first instinct would be to say the book is too scary for such a young age. Thinking back on my own childhood, though, tells me I'm wrong. Afterall, "Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be slain." Adults, on the other hand, when they read a story like this, are reminded that dragons might not be so imaginary. I think that's the problem. We grow up and being rational people, discount all of the old myths about dragons, fairies, witches, and the such not, and because of this, we can be more frightened by these stories. ( )

This was a good scary story for children, with plenty of suspense and a well thought through ending. This book reminded me very much of Clive Barker's [The Thief of Always], which I remember as one of my favourite reads ever. The writing in this book was perhaps not quite as perfect as I remember Clive Barker's being, but the story was every bit as good.

Coraline is a clever little girl who finds it hard to get her parent's attention. They have recently moved into a shared house, and in that house there is an odd little door that goes nowhere - having been bricked up some years ago. At least - it appears to go nowhere, until the day that Coraline discovers differently. ( )

Coraline Jones is an explorer, shipped off to a new place with lots of stuff to find and even more stuff that is hidden. For instance, there’s a pair of actresses who live on the ground flat who tell Coraline tales of their stage-life, while their canine-companions . And above, there’s an old man - one Mr. Bobo - who has a circus instrument-playing mice. It’s all quite fascinating - but Coraline isn’t at all happy with the chilly summer days and the blankets of gray mist. Lucky for her, her other mother has just opened up the door to a new realm - a place that Coraline can explore to her hearts content.

Neil Gaiman is a new author for me to read - I’ve heard of some of his books, such as The Graveyard Book (which I want to read) - and I really only picked up Coraline because I saw its movie counterpart and loved every haunting moment.

Now, keep in mind - Coraline is a children’s book, so the writing isn’t as descriptive or as in depth as one might like, but it’s okay, buffered by the audience aim. It was a good read though - and a quick one as it only took me a few hours to thumb through the entire book.

It wasn’t as good as the movie, in my opinion, but still worth the time to read it. For there are quite some differences. ( )