By: Neil Gaiman Publisher: HarperTrophy Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: HarperTrophy Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 208 Publication Date: August 01, 2003 Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Release Date: August 05, 2003
When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous.
But there's another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.
Coraline will have to fight with all her wits and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.
Amazon.com: Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house--a house so huge that other people live in it, too... round, old former actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers ("We trod the boards, luvvy") and the mustachioed old man under the roof ("'The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,' said the man upstairs, 'is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed.'") Coraline contents herself for weeks with exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomes bored--so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that--sometimes blocked with a wall of bricks--opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe. Now, if you're thinking fondly of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you're on the wrong track. Neil Gaiman's Coraline is far darker, far stranger, playing on our deepest fears. And, like Roald Dahl's work, it is delicious.
What's on the other side of the door? A distorted-mirror world, containing presumably everything Coraline has ever dreamed of... people who pronounce her name correctly (not "Caroline"), delicious meals (not like her father's overblown "recipes"), an unusually pink and green bedroom (not like her dull one), and plenty of horrible (very un-boring) marvels, like a man made out of live rats. The creepiest part, however, is her mirrored parents, her "other mother" and her "other father"--people who look just like her own parents, but with big, shiny, black button eyes, paper-white skin... and a keen desire to keep her on their side of the door. To make creepy creepier, Coraline has been illustrated masterfully in scritchy, terrifying ink drawings by British mixed-media artist and Sandman cover illustrator Dave McKean. This delightful, funny, haunting, scary as heck, fairy-tale novel is about as fine as they come. Highly recommended. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson
Could anything by Neil be anything less than wonderful? Wonderfully written, beautifully illustrated. May we all appreciate what we have now, before we end up on the other side, with the singing rats and the button eyes... ;o)
clever, beautiful, gothic fairy tale that appeals to the bratty, scared child in us all I had to read some Neil Gaiman to get the bad taste of a horrible, previous book out of my mouth. This is Gaiman's Alice in Wonderland served up in a beautiful dark and gothy style. Coraline opens a door in her new flat to discover a slightly twisted version of her own world, where her other parents (with black buttons for eyes) are interesting and interested in her, where she can have anything she wants. It doesn't take long for Coraline to realize that she doesn't want her desires fulfilled. With a black cat and three lost souls, Coraline must save her real parents from her other mother. Gaiman is a master of effortless, complex, and highly imaginative images and tale. He captures the true spirit of childhood and the child's eye of parents and the world. Coraline is more than a dream. It's a poem. Grade: A
Like Alice in Wonderland meets Tim Burton I first came across this book on tape in the bargain bin somewhere and I bought it because it looked interesting, and I love dark fantasy. I'm 26 and I knew I'd be too old for it but I love that genre so who cares. I loved this book so much I bought it in print, because having it on tape wasn't enough. It's like Alice in Wonderland meets Tim Burton. Neil Gaiman has a remarkable way of making scary surroundings dark and sinister and yet fantastically safe and inviting. A darling and superb read.
IF YOUR IMAGINATION IS LIMITED TO REALITY, AVOID - OTHERWISE... One of the best of Neil's work. Coraline was clearly written in a manner more approachable for yonger minds. It is dark, in much the same way Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is, and requires an ability to imagine worlds outside of our reality. Some of the reviews less enthusiastic about this book seem to be written by people who think imagination is limited to envisioning yourself winning the big game. If you hate concepts like parallel existence, the possibility that sprites, faries and elves could have or still do walk our earth, and genearlly find sci-fi and fantasy a bit confusing - avoid this book. If you are of a broader mindset - this is a must have. It is also a great book to share with anyone ten and older.
I chose Coraline as my first Neil Gaiman book ever. I expected much more than I received. Although I'm aware it's written for children, the whole thing was not at all magical or addicting or complex, I felt as though I read the entire story waiting for something to happen, and in the end, I was left unsatisfied.
My biggest beef with Coraline is the lack of appeal of any of the characters. Coraline herself seems like she *could* be interesting (with her choices of green gloves, orange boots), but we're never given the chance to really get to know any in-depth traits about her. All the other characters--the weird neighbors, the other parents, the cat--come off as annoying and unfriendly. They're just so grossly underdeveloped. The most potential was lost by the short addition of the three other children. It could've gone somewhere. It never did. I don't know those kids, because I was never properly introduced through characterization or plot development. So in the end, I just didn't care.
When a writer writes, he should have a reason for every line he includes, every character, every character trait, and every piece of dialogue. This story left so much unexplained. Too much of it was pointless. I found myself completely bored while reading it. I even took a few-month break in the middle (and it's only a 100-something page book!) because I couldn't muster the desire to finish the thing. I went back to it, though, and re-read it. When I was done, I was still totally unimpressed.
As an appendix at the end of my copy of Coraline, Neil Gaiman in an interview said that at first, he expected the story to be 5-10 pages in length. I think that would've been a very sensible option.
2 stars instead of 1 because of Coraline's vaguely charming dad, the only character who is remotely tolerable.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tony's Online Tips
Trevor
