Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
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Book Reviews of Coraline
Book Review: Coraline Review for Master's in Education Class
Summary: 5 Stars
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (Harper Collins Publishers, 2002) is a Supernatural Fiction, estimated to be a 5th grade reading level by the Fry's Readability Formula. However, it is aimed at 6th to 8th graders. Coraline is about a young girl moving with her parents into an old house divided up into apartments. She's unhappy about her parents' inability to spend time with her due to a new work project. Coraline begins to pass time exploring and meeting her quirky new neighbors. One day, Coraline discovers a locked door which her mother reveals opens to a brick wall. Her mother tells her that the other side of the wall is an unoccupied apartment. Fascinated by this door, Coraline returns by herself another day with the key. This time when she opens the door, it opens to a dark corridor which Coraline follows to an apartment that is the mirror image of her own. Life seems better on this side of the door, everyone is nicer, her room is prettier, people pronounce her name properly and there is gourmet cooking for dinner. Coraline explores further, and finds strange analogues to her own world. There she meets a person that looks much like her mother, except for her long sharp fingernails and black button eyes. She tells Coraline that she's her "other mother", and Coraline may stay in this world forever. The "other mother" leads Coraline into the kitchen, telling her she must complete one task before they can be a family. She shows Coraline a needle and thread and two buttons, which she wants to sew over Coraline's eyes.
Frightened, Coraline escapes through the corridor to her true home and discovers her parents are missing. Coraline finds them trapped inside a mirror, imprisoned by the other mother. Coraline decides she will have to return through the corridor and outsmart her other mother to win her parents back. Upon her return to the "other mother's" home, Coraline is locked in a closet where she meets the ghosts of children the "other mother" has "loved" in the past, and realizes her future if she doesn't escape and defeat her "other mother".
As an adult, I even found this book to be an engaging story proving to readers that even though the grass may appear greener on the other side, upon closer examination that often is not the case. One aspect of the book which parents may view as negative is the horror aspect of the book, including a disembodied hand, which may prove to be too much for more sensitive children. However, the ultimate theme of the importance of love and family prevails. Another issue is that the novel is short, 162 pages including illustrations. I felt that Gaiman could have elaborated the story further in certain areas, thus further developing the characters and their motives.
Book Review: Cat Club Review: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider
Summary: 4 Stars
In the "This book is so great" notes in front of Coraline one of the reviewers compares it flatteringly to Alice in Wonderland. I think the comparison is faulty. Yes, there are some "Wonderlandesque" bits, but Mr. Gaiman's work is much more reminiscent of a different (and I think better) master: George MacDonald. The book it reminds me most of is the somewhat difficult but highly rewarding Lilith, though MacDonald is heavier on the symbolism and lighter on the plot. Still, like MacDonald, Gaiman manages a surreal reality while still maintaining a sense of order about it, unlike Carroll who (though I dearly adore his books) is haphazard and quite obviously on something a little bit stronger than coffee (if you get my drift).
Coraline is about a bored, imperfect little girl by the same name who is living in a boring, drab world with boring parents who don't pay much attention to her, surrounded by people who won't be convinced that her name is not Caroline. Then her urge to explore takes over and she finds a strange door, bricked shut, in their flat. One night the bricks disappear and she steps through to a flat like to her own, only more wonderful and more ominous. The other flat is kept by her "Other Mother" who wants to keep her (As the cat says, maybe she wants something to love or maybe she wants something to eat. It is hard to tell with creatures like that.). When Coraline suspects harm she flees, only to have her real parents come up missing. Now Coraline must venture back into that strange world to find them, risking her own freedom and life for their sakes.
As a main character, Coraline goes through a believable character arch which any child could learn from, from self-centered and sulky to other-serving and brave. She is driven by her memory of when her father sacrificed his comfort/safety for her (a truly moving flashback passage details this) and her own quick mind. Also believable is the Cat. I love a believable cat character, and this one (unnamed by its own choice) takes the cake!
The only disappointments are symbolism which is either much too vague or put there purely as a whim (Why, oh why does one of the children she finds on the other side of the door have wings and eat flowers?) and an extended ending where she escapes and then doesn't and then saves the day for a second time, which is interesting, but really not that necessary and let's just say if I was making a screen play of the book (which would fit very well on screen) I'd probably leave it out for flow purposes.
However, all in all Coraline is an enjoyable, true hearted adventure, and both Coraline and myself were much better at the end of the book than we were at the beginning.
Book Review: Genius Children's Adventure Horror
Summary: 5 Stars
I had ordered this book long ago when on a whim I was determined to get all of Gaiman's books. I noticed that it was a childrens book so I mentally filed it away. When I saw the advertisements for the movie... I knew that with a 7 year old I would have to watch the film and ripped the book off the shelf to make sure I'd read it before watching the film.
How weird it all is... I read it in just about a half an hour or so... and it was creepy. Little Coraline is bored... both of her parents work at home, but they are always busy with work and rarely have time to play with her. She wanders about their house (a flat converted from a much larger house) and visits with the neigbors. Even when she is visiting with the neighbors, they don't seem to really notice her, everyone talks at Coraline rather than to her. She enjoys exploring and eventually comes across a door in her flat that opens to a brick wall. Her mother explaines that it used to be a door that went into the neighboring flat, but now it's bricked up in case they rent it out.
Suddenly strange things crawl through the night, and a door that once lead to a wall of bricks, opens to a long dark hallway... to a world disturbingly similar to the one she just left... only with frightening and sinister undertones. Coraline shows her strength, intelligence, cunning and determination to find not only her parents, but also to get back home.
As an adult I thought to myself - this book will scare the crapola out of little ones! In the back Gaiman states that the book was frightening to adults and an exciting adventure to children. Perplexed, I handed it off to my 7 year old... expecting it to look as though it had been through a chipper shredder when handed back to me. Much to my surprise... not only did he read it, but there were no nightmares... he was thrilled with it and can't wait for the movie. I'm still perplexed as to how this book brings out such completely different emotions in children and adults. I don't know that the movie will be able to pull it off... I have a hunch that the movie might encourage leaving the light in the hallway on at night.
Still... if you are an adult, don't let that stop you from reading this wonderful book. I wouldn't compair it to Narnia other than a door opens into another world. Think of it more like Alice in Wonderland... and not the Disney version either... or The Wizard of Oz, focused on the scenes with the flying monkeys and the witch.
Highly recommended, excellent novel.
Book Review: Down the Button-Eyed Rabbit's Hole
Summary: 4 Stars
Coraline tells the story of a young girl named Coraline, and the house that she lives in. Her parents, both working from home, don't have enough time to pay attention to her, and thus, she is prone to exploring. Upon discovering a mysterious door in their flat, she has her mother unlock it, revealing a brick wall behind.
But late at night, this door opens to a parallel world where her parents both have more than enough time to spend with her, she gets to eat delicious food, and her crazy neighbors are actually a bit more entertaining. Though, things aren't quite good in this other world. Everybody has buttons for eyes, which is a bit unsettling, and the other mother is just too sweet.
That, and the cat that followed her into the other world tells her that the other mother has more to her than meets the eye.
Returning to the real world, Coraline discovers that her parents are trapped in a mirror, and must return to the other world to try to save them (as well as the children who were trapped by the other mother previously). She and the cat return to face off against this world that suddenly got a whole lot more creepy.
Coraline is a creepy story; probably one of the more creepy tales written specifically for children. It's like a very dark, modern Alice in Wonderland.
This is a good story, and according to Gaiman, one that he's most proud of. And me, being a big fan of Gaiman's writing, can agree that this book is one to be proud of.
Though, I must also admit that I did enjoy the film better. This rare but possible occurrence has happened too with another film originally written by an author I like: Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.
It's good, though, that a filmmaker is able to take an already enjoyable work and make it even more enjoyable. Though, the two are both still good works in their own right. Nevertheless, with the film being as good as it is, everybody wins.
Gaiman, it seems, though, has a penchant for "other worlds." Neverwhere took us to the London Underground, Coraline to the Other World, Stardust to the Faerie Land, Sandman to Dream, and MirrorMask took us to City of Light/Land of Shadows (and MirrorMask, if Coraline is Alice in Wonderland, would be Through the Looking Glass). But when something works, it works.
Definitely worth a read if you like Gaiman, or even are a fan of Carroll's Alice. Additionally makes a wonderful gift for a young person, especially one that's not your own.
Book Review: A great read for older kids
Summary: 4 Stars
I decided to read this book before I saw the movie (which I still haven't seen, but that's beside the point), because typically if you do the opposite, it kinda ruins the book. I'm somewhat familiar with Gaiman and his dark, almost Tim Burtonish style, and Coraline fit right in.
The story features Coraline, who most people call Caroline because they misunderstand her name. She lives in an apartment building with her parents who, though loving and kind, are a bit distracted and busy and thus can sometimes ignore Coraline. Two other tenants live in the building, a crazy old man who runs a "mouse" circus out of his apartment, and two elderly has-been-celebrity ladies. One day, while bored, Coraline discovers a door in her living room, and asks her mother what it goes to. Her mother tells her "nothing," then unlocks it to show Coraline it leads to a brick wall, then explains that beyond it is an empty, unrented apartment, and that the apartment building used to be one, giant house that the owners separated into several apartments. Later that day, her mother has to go out, and so Coraline uses the opportunity to unlock the strange door again. Only this time, instead of a brick wall, there is a hallway. Coraline goes through it to discover a mirror world basically identical to hers, with a mother and father who look just like hers--except their eyes are big, black buttons. The world provides Coraline with everything she's ever wanted--food she likes, a colorful bedroom and, most of all, a sense of individuality and self-expression. But, while the strange alternate world seems fun and exciting to Coraline at first, she eventually discovers its dark side--and the drawbacks to having "everything you ever wanted"--and must plan an escape back to the "real" world.
Coraline is a wildly imaginative and fun story--but I would be wary to read it to young kids. This is definitely for the 8/9 or older crowd, just because of some of the topics (like, for instance, dead children, missing parents, or sewing buttons onto your eyeballs). I was reading Stephen King when I was about 10 years old, and I think I came out okay, so I have nothing against letting children read dark stories, but I think it could cause some nightmares in the younger crowd.