Coraline

by Neil Gaiman

Book Overview

This edition of New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman's modern classic, Coraline--also an Academy Award-nominated film--is enriched with a foreword from the author, a reader's guide, and more.

"Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house...."

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 wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.

Neil Gaiman's Coraline is a can't-miss classic that enthralls readers age 8 to 12 but also adults who enjoy a perfect smart spooky read.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380807343
• ISBN13: 9780380807345
• Release Date: April 2012
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 162 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Love

My daughter loves the book.

Creepy, but in a good way!

I didn't have the good fortune to grow up with Coraline outside of the movie. Decided to fix that and man I'm glad I did. That was deeply unsettling, but a very quick read and I loved every moment of it.

Childhood classic for me

This was the first “scary” book I read as a kid. There is so much nostalgia tied to it for me. Better than the movie, and I love the movie too!

One of my favorite books!

Ever since I was little, I was obsessed with the movie Coraline and knew it was based on the book. It honestly took me way too long to get around to reading this book since I am such a huge fan. If you do not like any horror then I would not recommend reading it, but if you enjoy it then this is a must read. It’s a simple read and it’s very engaging and enjoyable to read. I was able to get it for quite cheap; however, I wished it came in better condition. It’s still readable and I would rather reuse books so I’m satisfied with my purchase. I learned a lot about what came from the book that is in the movie compared to details that were left in the book and were not mentioned in the movie or added details in the movie that were not in the book. 100% would recommend!

Love it!

Love it!

I hate saying this.. but the movie is better!

This book was okay, but the movie is better. I hate saying that, but it didn’t have very much detail & was super underwhelming

This is my favorite

I read this book in School and think it's better then the movie, ordered for my kids to have in the collection,its a must

Coraline's Story

Coraline is a fairly quick read, but it is fairly intense. As a big fan of the film and also of Gaiman, I was not disappointed.

Will always be one of my favorite books (and also movies!)

It's been a while since I've read Coraline, but I loved it very very much when I was younger. I have reread it about 3 times, and loved it each time. It's an incredibly unique story, about a girl named Coraline who steps through a door and discovers a world very similar to her own, but only better. Or, so it seems. This book makes me so happy and I can't decide if I like the movie better than it. I found this book at the bookstore, and am giving it another go. Hopefully it is as magical and amazing as it always was to me!

A Children's book that anyone can read.

This book is said to be written for children. And while the reading level is probably that of a child, the content most definitely is not. Remember, this is Neil Gaiman we're talking about here. The creator of Neverwhere and the Sandman graphic novels is not about to tone down the creepy factor just because he's writing for kids. The only thing missing from this book that would make it for older readers is the violence and language that is commonplace in Gaiman's books for adults. Anyway, the plot: Young Coraline Jones has just moved into an apartment filled with strange old people. So, for lack of anything else to do, she starts exploring her new home. What she finds is a door in her family's drawing room, a door that leads to an alternate world. In this strange new place, Coraline meets her Other Mother and Other father, who look just like her real parents, except that they have buttons for eyes. Coraline's Other Mother would like nothing better than to have Coraline for her own child. So, she kidnaps the real parents and hides them. With the help of a black cat, Coraline must rescue her real parents, as well as the souls of several other children that the Other Mother has stolen, all while trying to get home in one piece. This book is written with a slow, deliberate voice that is almost childlike, which makes the story seem even creepier. The scary moments of the book (and there are many of them) are not so much nasty or terrifying as they are odd and unexpected. If you are a true Gaiman afficionado, Coraline feels like a toned-down version of the author's even weirder graphic novel "The comical tragedy or tragical comedy of Mr. Punch". If you aren't a Gaiman fan, or even if you haven't read any of his books, this is definitely a good book to get started on, since it gives you sort of a feel for his other books. If you like Coraline, it's likely you'll enjoy Gaiman's other novels as well. If you don't...Well, then I suppose you can always go to Stephen King for your horror fix.

An Indomitable Young Lady

Neil Gaiman has shown as admirable knack for fiction for young adults and children as he has shown in adult fiction. I am tempted to attribute this to his experience writing graphic stories, but it is really something more than that. It is an ability to touch the sources of wonder and fear without the necessity of excessive gore and grimness. Not that bad things don't happen in Gaiman's tales, but they tend to go right to the heart, instead of the stomach.This tale is about a remarkable young woman named Coraline (who remains polite, even when you call her Caroline). Recently she and her parents have moved into one of those wondrous old houses that are sometimes converted into flats. Both Coraline's parents work at home, and sometimes she feels a bit ignored and bored. Nevertheless, she is encouraged to explore and so she does. First her neighbors. The Misses Spink and Forcible are two retired thespians who live together in the bottom flat, and up above is Mr. Bobo, who is an avid trainer of mice. Having run out of people, Coraline investigates the premises. Her flat is most unusual; it has 21 windows and 14 doors. Only one door is locked, and that only leads to a brick wall.Well, most of the time it does. On some occasions, it opens up on a world just like this one, where Coraline finds her other mother, other father, and even other neighbors. At first it seems quite nice, people pay more attention to one there, the toys are better, and, of all things, the cat talks. Soon Coraline finds all is not quite as it seems. Everyone has buttons for eyes, her other mother has strange hands that seem to have a life of their own, and there are a remarkable number of rats. In fact, if you dig deep enough, things are really most horrible. Coraline has much to do to make things come around right.With young people's fiction, adults are often driven to worry about what the stories teach and if they will have ill effects on their child. Coraline's plight, being stranded away from her parents amidst a world full of thinly veiled threats may be uncomfortable for a sensitive child. Yet things work out well in the end, and Coraline is an excellent role model, who understands what courage truly is and is in touch with what is really important to her. Equally, this is a work of art and it is never too early to encourage children to develop a sense of what good writing really is.Fortunately, this really is a book that an adult can enjoy as well. And I can't help but think that it might stimulate some interesting family discussions. I would recommend it to anyone who believes that children can benefit from new and unusual reading experiences. I also should mention the delightful illustrations from the pen of Dave McKean, a long time designer and illustrator for Neil Gaiman's graphic work.

Turn the Key

There once was a young girl named Coraline who moved into a new flat with her mother and father. The neighbors are friendly, if not a bit odd and a bit confused, repeatedly calling her "Caroline" by mistake. The little girl is a self-proclaimed explorer, taking walks around the neighborhood no matter what the weather. With both of her parents occupied by work, she counts the doors at home, and figures out how to open up a door which is supposed to open up to nowhere - more specifically, a brick wall...Coraline's curious nature is akin to that of Alice (in Wonderland), Anne (of Green Gables) and other historical young heroines. Far from being a damsel in distress, Coraline is witty, intelligent and aware. Her 'White Rabbit' comes in the shape of a black cat who has no name; as he wryly explains to her, cats know who they are so they don't need names, unlike insecure human beings."Coraline" is a fantastic read for all ages, genders and critters. This is a book to read late at night when huddled under the covers with a flashlight. The gothic feel of this book will please long-time Neil Gaiman fans as well as fans of classic dark fairy tales.

Delightful and Engaging!

I received the audio CD of Coraline in the mail yesterday in the early afternoon. I'd read the book, and heard parts of it read by the author here and there, so I put it on for background, while I did other things. The "other things" didn't even get started for roughly three hours. The recording begins with a verse from a quirky Gothic Archies tune in which Stephin Merritt sing-songs, "You are not my mother, and I want to go home," over layers of atmospheric dings and bonga-bongas. The song echoes the story's cohesion of humor and spookiness, and is split into three parts, playing a bit before each of the three CDs. The story itself is a delight. Coraline is a typical child-explorer, examining the house and grounds to which she recently moved, uncovering the strange personalities that inhabit her world, and discovering that a door in her home which was previously bricked-up actually leads to a misty echo-world where old, hungry, button-eyed creatures masquerade as her other parents, having parent-napped her real parents, while trying to convince her to stay there forever so that they can keep her soul . . . Well. Perhaps her story is not so typical. Not typical, also, are the fantastic characters who pop in and out of the story, such as the Slavic mustached man who lives in the upper flat and is training a mouse circus, and his other-self, or the pair of dotty, but kind, retired theater mavens who read tea leaves and worry about their dogs' tummies, and their less-benevolent, other-world counterparts. Like any true exploration story, Coraline has an assistant for the more dangerous times, in the form of a condescending, snarkily witty black cat. And like every true exploration story, there are acts of great courage and startling discoveries made along the way. Neil Gaiman is an engaging and expressive reader, as well as writer. He infuses the characters with a spark all their own, changing cadences and even accents, always to the benefit of the story. The pacing is smooth and quick, with minute dips and well-placed pauses that give the shivers a chance to manifest before the story is once again plunging on to the good stuff. Coraline is a story that begs -- no, demands -- to be read aloud. Usually the problem is that someone has to be the reader, while the listeners get to experience the full effect and thrill of the story. Let the author be the reader, and indulge yourself in the sheer delight of hearing a wonderful story told well.