Coraline (edition 2004)

The author
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960 is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. Gaiman's writing has won numerous awards, including Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker, as well as the 2009 Newbery Medal and 2010 Carnegie Medal in Literature. He is the first author to win both the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman) For more information on Neil Gaiman visit http://www.neilgaiman.com/

The synopsis
Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.

The review
This book is written for children but even for adults it is very entertaining. The characters are very well placed and I especially loved the cat. The story is not to long but this is a good thing cause it is kind of scary and you really want to know if it ends well.
I very much enjoyed the artwork too. ( )

Words cannot describe how immensely amazing this book is. ( )

It was creepy and reminded about how much I dislike button eyes. Overall, a good story. ( )

YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults 2002. RGG: Spooky, horror story about a young girl's bravery to save herself, her family, and other children. Pretty scary. A bit confusing.

A good children's story, definitely good of Gaiman. I'm yet to find out what grown-ups love about him. ( )

Summary: Young girl, Coraline, moves into her a new home with her boring parents. She discovers a tiny door that leads into an alternate reality where she finds a more fun version of her parents. Her alternate reality parents want to make her part of their world and when they try to sew buttons on her eyes she decides her boring parents and boring reality is what she really wants.



Personal Reaction: The story is geared more towards older students and a little on the odd, creepy side. The moral of the story, however, is pretty simple, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Coraline wanted to her parents to be more fun and give her everything she’s always wanted. When she finally gets those parents, it turns out to be something she regrets.



Classroom Extension:

1) Have students explain the moral of the story

2) Have the students write about their own alternate reality. ( )

Meh, it was okay. Sort of a kids horror, though I wouldn't give it to any child I liked. It would be enough to give a kid nightmares of creepy things under their bed and doors that lead to other "places". But, it wasn't especially good or engaging. I didn't find the idea terribly original either. It was just, okay, for me. ( )

I bought this for my sister a while ago, and always meant to read it, but in the end I ended up reading it on the HarperCollins site, when they put it up as a free browse inside thing. It's up right now as I write this, but I don't know how long for. It is/was here, though.

Coraline is, I think, aimed at the youngest audience of all Gaiman's books that I've read. That doesn't stop it being slightly creepy, slightly weird, and full of trademark Neil Gaiman observations about things. I loved all the little comments about parents being dumb -- when you're little, parents are, aren't they? It's not often a child knows better, but sometimes they do. I'm still right with Coraline in thinking it's ridiculous to buy something huge in the hopes the kid'll grow into it someday. That's just tempting fate (as proved by me being a mere 5'3", after all my parents' hopes of me being very tall!).

Coraline's pretty short and easy to read, and wasn't even too bad to read on the screen like that. I wish there was more of it, in a sense, since I pretty much swallowed it down in one gulp, but on the other hand, it's just right as it is. It reminded me a little of MirrorMask. ( )

creepy. ( )

Coraline discovers an alternate reality though a small door that at first, seems to open onto a bricked up wall in the new house that her family has moved into; but in fact leads her to her Other Mother and Other Father. Coraline's Other Parents extend a tempting invitation to remain in this Other place which is very much like the one she has left; but much better in terms of the food, care and, attention from parents that Coraline craves.

There is a temptation to view Coraline as something of a dark and distorted version of Alice in Wonderland: there is the young female protagonist, a looking glass, an enigmatic cat, a prandial setting in which the absurd reigns... and yet, to insist on this analogy would diminish Gaiman's work as merely derivative ---- which it certainly is not, at least not in the pejorative sense. There are certainly multiple influences, literary in form and style that have come to bear in this young adult tale; but it would be more apropos to consider Coraline as the extension of literary tradition. e.g. that of the Knight's Tale or even of the troubadour tradition.

The tenth anniversary edition of Coraline also includes interviews with Neil Gaiman at the end of the book: the first set of questions & answers are from when the book was first published and the second set of questions & answers are on the occasion of the book's tenth anniversary. Gaiman mentions that Coraline is a book about bravery and it is; but more than that, though Gaiman himself does not draw the correlation, Coraline speaks to the classic tales of heroism and quest that are usually reserved for boys. Coraline is a Knight's Tale for girls: Coraline is an Everygirl who wants for nothing extraordinary, but is cast upon a mission or quest for three things - three things that will engender True Love from a Mother figure and, who ultimately must confront a dragon. The leitmotif of the dragon is introduced in the epigraph by G.K. Chesterton and reinforced with descriptive phases in regard to the antagonist and again underscored in the interviews.
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
Coraline is a fairy tale, a Knight's Tale, a very dark tale that draws on some fine literary traditions; but presents the reader with novel and creative images that make it uniquely the work of Gaiman.

For parents: The imagery in Coraline is very dark and may not be appropriate for children who are prone to fearfulness or nightmares, especially of rats, actors and/or the door in your house that leads to the crawl space. Parents may also have to answer questions about parental love, neglect and abuse, smother love, abstract concepts of creativity and parallel universes.

Redacted from the original blog review at dog eared copy, Coraline (10th Anniversary Edition); 10/08/2012
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I was looking for something for my niece to listen to with me. She is definitely not old enough for this one, she would have nightmares, but I really loved it. I'm always a sucker for a brilliant kid. She also has moxie. I was sold from the first couple sentences. ( )

The blurbs peppering Coraline's cover had me looking at the book somewhat askance. Basically they boiled down to "THIS IS THE MOST TERRIFYING THING SINCE THE BLAIR WITCH DECIDED TO GO TO CLOWN SCHOOL OMG DO NOT OPEN THIS FRIGHTENING BOOK!!11!"

Well, really, they just claim things like "one of the most frightening books ever written."

Which I don't particularly think is 100% true. It's creepy, but it's a delicious sort of creepy. I liked it; it reminded me of fairy tales (the Grimm sort).

Gaiman created a winning heroine in Coraline, too. She's one of the more likeable fictional kids I've run across recently. ( )

So far, all of the audiobooks I've listened to that have been narrated by the authors have been excellent, and Coraline by Neil Gaiman was no exception. I liked the character and her adventures, her imagination and fear and bravery. My only qualm was the fuzzy implication that "it was all a dream" (when she wakes up in the chair with the cat after coming through the door) - I actually said out loud, "No, Neil! You're better than that!" But it was left open-ended and I prefer to believe her adventures were real (well, as real as fiction gets). I'd like to see the movie. ( )

3.5 Stars

Ok... I know what you're thinking, "THREE AND A HALF STARS?! For Coraline?!!" But yes. 'Tis true.

It's not that I didn't like it; I did. Quite a bit. And as usual, Neil's reading of it was great, full of wonderful characters and fantastic storytelling. But there was just something about it that was kinda... I dunno. Not quite right?

There were times when I seriously wondered how old Coraline was meant to be. Is she meant to be a very smart 5 year old, or an average smart 9 year old? I could go both ways depending on the situation.

The story might've said what her age was, but I don't think so. I think knowing one way or the other would have been better, because I kept wondering whether the ease or struggle of each situation was realistic or not. Is it realistic for a 9 year old to not be able to reach the top of a fridge even standing on a chair? I guess it's possible, if she's very short, but much more realistic for a younger child. Would a 5 year old have interacted with the Beldam the same way? I don't know, but that seems like the actions of an older child.

This aspect kinda took me out of the story at inopportune times, and I would find myself wishing I could be sure. I thought of even going with a median age of 7... but that just didn't seem right either. Although, that's probably what Neil was going for and I'm just too dense to see it.

I did really enjoy the "Other" world and the darkness of the story. I really enjoyed Coraline's intelligence and wit and perseverance and poise in the face of danger. I really liked the Cat, although, as much as I love cats, and the character of the Cat, I thought it was again unrealistic. Real cats take no interest in the piddly life or death affairs of humans. Now if it were a dog that had helped Coraline, that would have been believable. Dogs are friendly and helpful. Cats are selfish jerks who don't give two tinkles in the litterbox about humans. They know it, and we know it, and they know we know it, and it amuses them to no end that they know we know that they know and yet we still try to cuddle them and make them love us with promises of food and treats. That's their game.



See??

Anyway... This was an enjoyable story, and I definitely recommend it for those looking for something fun and short. ( )

I audio booked this one because I enjoyed The Graveyard Book read by Neil Gaiman so much I figured this one had to be well done too. I was not disappointed. Like The Graveyard Book, the concept of this book is very creepy and almost disturbing. Young Coraline discovers a secret parallel world spearheaded by some evil thing that is known as “The Other Mother”. The Other Mother is the creator of this other frightening world where she traps children by promising them goodies and free reign.

I loved the audio book on this one. The gothic music playing in the background and Neil Gaiman’s voice added to the disturbing plot and at times my skin crawled listening to the story. I wouldn’t recommend this one for young children but children who don’t mind getting a little scared will like this one.
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What I like about a Neil Gaiman book for children is that it is clearly for children of many ages and especially those who like a good creepy-as-fuck tale about monsters under the bed or behind a locked door in this case. I particularly liked two elements in this book. One was the familiar curious child what gets into bother, especially in this case where the kid is not only curious, but also very smart and incredibly ballsy.

The second element was the cat, bored and above it all, existing as one entity in all places, unlike some boring old humans who have versions in the real world and in the buttons-for-eyes world. Ah, actually, a third element. The sad little dead, but not properly dead children Coraline meets in the buttons-for-eyes reality. That was very creepy.

I suppose the only thing that dampened my enjoyment was the lack of an explanation about the other mother. A fan of sci-fi and fantasy television, I have no problem handwaving the existence of alternate creepy-as-fuck realites, but I kind of wanted a reason for the existence of the other mother and for people having buttons sewed into the place of their eyes. Or maybe the lack of a reason is what makes it so creepy.

In any case - fun (but creepy) read.

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have it somewhere in the house. ( )

The thing that I love about Neil Gaiman is that his writing is effectively creepy and disturbing, and yet, manages to have a tone of hopefulness in all of that darkness. It’s extremely more apparent in his children’s books than the adult novels (and much more than his short stories), and part of the reason why I love his books.

Coraline’s the kind of book that would have freaked me out if I had read it when I was seven or eight (still wigged me out pretty bad when I first read it a few years ago), but I would have liked it because Coraline’s such a relatable character. She’s a normal little girl who’s not enchanted with staying inside all day and wants to see more of her new home. I like the fact that while Coraline’s precocious, she’s not terribly annoying—it does feel that way at times whenever she complains about having nothing to do, but when you look at the fact that she’s just moved in to this house, with no other kids, I can see why she’s frustrated with all of the adults around her.

She’s also intelligent without feeling like a smarty know-it-all. Coraline doesn’t know exactly what the beldam is or what she entirely wants (although a few other characters glean that information), but she’s willing to fight for her family even if she doesn’t know everything. Yes, there are parts when things feel like Coraline gets handed plot points—such as the seeing stone—but she has to work and figure out how to use said plot points in her quest. I love how she ultimately defeats the beldam in the end with the fake tea party (although the rabid cat throw was pretty awesome too).

I’ve heard a lot of criticism regarding Coraline’s parents—for example, my aunt said she felt they were neglectful to the point of questionability. I don’t see that. If you honestly never got ignored by work-at-home parents at all, then good on you and your childhood. But the fact that Coraline’s parents are distracted with work and their recent move, it feels more realistic and helps move Coraline in her growing up.

As for the other side characters, I generally really like them. Ms. Forcible and Spink are two of my favorites, in all of their kookiness, but you see that they do care about Coraline in a neighborly, dotty-aunt type fashion. Mr. Bobo doesn’t really show up that often to grow into his own character, but I like him all the same. (And I love the line regarding him at the end: “Honestly, how many chances do you get to say the name ‘Mr. Bobo’ out loud?”) And the ghost children are fantastic, for the little that they show up in the book. And the cat. Just…the cat.

This is just a creepy, enjoyable read. I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone, but it’s still a lot of fun and manages to speak to anyone, no matter how old they are.
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Delightfully creepy! ( )

Z read the graphic novel independently several weeks ago, and then we read the source novel as a read-aloud. Z found the story "amazing" and was not terribly disturbed by the imagery, probably because he was able to connect the whole "alternate spooky world" with the original Alice In Wonderland, Wildwood, Narnia and other books we've tackled in the past. Personally, I find Neil Gaiman a pleasure to read aloud . . . he is sparse and concise and a lovely student of language. ( )

This is a cute enough horror/fairy tale, but I'm mystified by the awards it's received. Gaiman's setting is his usual "not here but not quite anywhere else" intersticial world whose distorted and malevolent denizens wish the protagonist no good. Like all hero's journeys, Coraline's includes guides and magical appurtenances (the latter lending a somewhat deus ex machina feel to the proceedings, but hey, it's a fairy tale). The description of the evil characters as having literal button eyes was jarring and took me out of the narrative repeatedly; they belong in a different story. True to his usual concerns, Gaiman gives us an inadequate, cool mother (it's asserted that she's emotionally attractive, but she comes off much less so than the father) and a frightening alter-mother, though it is refreshing to read something from him that is not about a sympathetic male protagonist with an unpleasant, inaccessible female love interest. ( )

I don’t remember when or why I bought this book, I do know why I read it, I was desperate to post that I had read a book in 2013 and I knew it was a quick read. I was not prepared to like this book, certainly not as much as I did.

As I said, it was a quick read, it’s written for children, a little scary but some children like to be scared. Coraline is a little girl who does what she needs to do even when she is scared. What I liked was that even though her parents may not have played with her as much as she wanted, and even though her mother wouldn’t buy her lime green boots, they were not neglectful and they did love Coraline. More than that would give stuff away. So that is all I am saying. ( )

A simple, but creepy kid's story.

I'm glad I"m reading this as an adult. If I'd read it as a kid, I would have made my parents get rid of my 3' tall Raggedy Ann doll before going to bed. ( )

The Good: Coraline is rather imaginative. It sort of showcases the dangers of boredom and idle curiosity. If written for an older audience, it quite possibly could have worked better for me as the story did have its merits.

The Bad: Weird. Not good weird, either. Creepy, but not exactly in way it's meant to be. I really like Gaiman's writing style, but Coraline wasn't working for me. And I can't imagine young readers really loving this either. It would give my 12 year old nightmares. ( )

Coraline is a fantastic and freaky tale of a young girl who has just moved into a new house.Coraline is a smart and obstinate girl, and her parents, though they love her, don't pay much attention to her. Coraline thinks her neighbors are strange, and there is a mysterious door that goes nowhere in her apartment. Her mother lets her open the door, and soon Coraline's neighbors begin to give her cryptic warnings of danger. One day, when her mother goes out of the house, Coraline opens the door alone. She finds another world through the door, a world that mirrors her own. The flat looks like her family's flat, and she has another mother and father there, as well as copies of all her neighbors. She finds the other world interesting and adventurous at first. But then the other mother tells Coraline that she wants her to stay with her forever, and tries to sew black buttons over her eyes. Coraline doesn't like this, and she runs back to her world.
When Coraline gets home, she realizes that her parents are gone. The black cat that Coraline has met in both worlds helps her to understand that the other mother has kidnapped her parents. So Coraline bravely goes back to the other world, which has become an increasingly unsettling place. The other mother is now much more frightening and gruesome. She munches on beetles, steals children's souls, and she lies to Coraline about her parents. On the cats advice, Coraline makes a deal with the other mother. If Coraline can find her parents and the souls of the three ghost children, she can take everyone home safely. But if she fails, the other mother can keep Coraline and sew button eyes on her.
Coraline has to overcome horrible obstacles to win the game and find her way back home, but her resilient spirit and the help of the cat and a special rock eventually lead her back home. Though she still has unfinished business, Coraline goes back to the real world with a whole new perspective on her life.
I would recommend this book to 10-14 year-olds who aren't easily frightened. Coraline deals with finding identity and contentment, and it teaches bravery and individuality. The use of language and imagery in this book is powerful, and even though I'm older than the intended audience, I was completely captivated. I would recommend this book to young teens, but I would enjoy teaching it to an older audience as well. David Rudd, a notable Children's Literature professor wrote an article on Coraline using psychoanalytic literary interpretation. His insights were (if possible) even more disturbing than the book, and would be valuable in teaching high school students about Freudian and psychoanalytic literary criticism. ( )