Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
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Book Reviews of Coraline
Book Review: GREAT read-aloud
Summary: 5 Stars
This has been an excellent read-aloud for my fifth grade classes over the last few years (as well as my own pre-teens). The descriptions of the characters and setting by Neil Gaiman are very well done. My students have learned to really use their imaginations to envision Coraline's "other" life beyond the drawing room. We were excited to hear of the movie coming out, but we were all terribly disappointed with that version....they held true to many of the "creepier" aspects, but added some scenes that took away from the true ambiance of the original story (original setting in England, so they had to remove any of the British vocabulary and settings to make it Americanized---yuck). Although a well-made 3-D movie, it just wasn't as magical as this wonderful book. I would suggest any parent get this and read it aloud to your child (10+)even if you have seen the movie (use it to compare both versions)Book Review: This one is ok....
Summary: 3 Stars
Not one of my favorite Gaiman outings.... started out feeling like I was reading one of those old "Dick and Jane" books... you know: Jane has brown hair. See Jane run. Jane likes toys.... it got better towards the end, but the writing felt very basic. I think my expectations might have been part of the problem though too - the local store I picked this up from had it in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section; if it had been in the Young Adult (or even children's section) I think that I might have been expecting writing a little more simple. But that's not what I expect from what I find in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section. I did find the story itself interesting though. I can see why they turned it into a movie. It took all of about 90 minutes to read, so it's quick and cute if you have 90 minutes to kill. But I would prefer to re-read Stardust if given the choice between the two.Book Review: It's Coraline, not caroline
Summary: 4 Stars
The story is about Coraline Jones. She's an inquisitive little girl, an explorer, that doesn't seem to get a lot of attention at home. On one of her explorations, she finds a door in the house that leads to nowhere, it's literally bricked up. Upon opening the door another day, she finds there's a passageway behind it. When she enters the passageway, she finds herself back in her house, but is it? She meets her Other Mother and her Other Father. They seem the same as her real parents, but they're much more attentive and they have black buttons for eyes. After enjoying a day with her Other parents, Coraline goes back home and the real adventure starts. Cute story.
This was my first foray into Neil Gaiman's writing and I was not dissapointed. I love the worlds that Gaiman creates. I'm a definite fan!
Book Review: clever, beautiful, gothic fairy tale that appeals to the bratty, scared child in us all
Summary: 5 Stars
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: ABook Review: A Children's Book?! Hardly....
Summary: 5 Stars
Ah, the English. Known for Toffee, the Beatles, and one of the rare modern-day monarchys, they are also known for another thing:Scaring the bejeeze out of small children.
It started with Grim's Fairy Tales, and is kept up by folks like Roald Dahl and now, Mr. Gaiman. This book is creepy. REALLY creepy. I have always enjoyed horror in my movies and my books since I was really small. However, I can sincerely say that, had I read this at any age under 16, I would STILL be afraid of the dark. Some of the imagery in this book is so good that it just sticks in your head and shows up at strange moments (3AM when the heater comes on, for example).
Mind you, it's a GREAT book. Just don't let anyone (child or otherwise) read this who is even a bit skittish.