 "A chilling kids story that will give even grown-ups goosebumps" | 2009-10-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2S94GQRQVVBXY |
There are authors that I love for their use of language -- a gifted wordsmith doesn't always have to have a great story to keep my attention. And then there are writers that are actually storytellers. Neil Gaiman falls into the latter category. In his telling of "Coraline", he uses a clipped, choppy style that absolutely drove me crazy... until I got sucked into the imaginative and undeniably scary story.
This is the stuff of nightmares: Coraline is a young girl with less-than-attentive working parents. Like any spunky heroine, Coraline goes on adventures that quickly get her into trouble. The story begins when Coraline and her family move into a new home, an old rambling estate broken into three flats. Of the 14 doors in the house, only 13 go anywhere... or so it seems.
There are lots of things that go bump in the night in this book, but Gaiman really goes outside of the box with his scares. If Stephen King took a stab at retelling "Alice in Wonderland," it might read something like "Coraline." Even as a "grown-up," it touched on a level of buried-deep fear and revulsion that will stick in my memory banks for awhile. (insert shiver here)
The book jacket touted "Coraline" as a book for all ages. While I agree that any adult reader will be reeled in by the dark and imaginative fairy tale and that even young readers could probably handle the vocabulary and length of the novel... I'd strongly disagree with the editors' recommendation for readers as young as age 8. As a kid with a wild imagination, this would have kept me up nights. Lots of them. As an adult with an imagination that has only slightly tamed over the years... it still might keep me up tonight. |
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 "Creepy Coraline" | 2009-10-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2TCA14XLTD14M |
This is a book that begs to be read aloud. I read it once and now I can't wait to read it to my little cousins. Neil Gaiman creates an alternate world in which Coraline is wanted by her "other mother". She must somehow figure out a way to get back into the real world with her real parents. She has the help of what she thought was a boring stone and also, the black cat. It was very interesting to see how Coraline gets out of the alternate world, and how she gets her parents back. And even after all this, how she takes care of her "other mother" for good. Even though this is a YA book and I'm 26, I was still a little scared while reading the story :)
This book is very creative and I can see why Gaiman is such a popular author. This was the 3rd book I've read by him and I can't wait to read more. |
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| "Very Enjoyable" | 2009-10-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A39PXVL09OSH4I |
Coraline Jones and her family move to a new house just before school starts with a couple of weeks. Their house is divided into three apartements, 2 retired actresses live in one and a 'crazy' old man lives in the upper one. Coraline Jones, the explorer, goes through the house and yard and discovers the well she's been told not to go close to and the abandoned tennis court.
Coraline finds a locked door in their parlour but when her mother opens it, they find that it leads to nowhere - just a wall. One day, when her mum and dad are out, she unlocks the door and finds that it has changed into a corridor. She goes in and at the other side finds another house, like hers, with the 'other' mother and father.
The other mother and father look like her parents but have black buttons for eyes. Their hosue is almost similar except for a few differences. Coraline leaves them and goes back to her house, but then returns. And when she returns, the other mother locks the door, and now Coraline needs to find a way to get back home.
This was my firs Gaiman book. I picked up 2 years ago but just got round to reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am going to read more Neil Gaiman books. I was quite engrossed in this book; the writing style, plot, kept me from shoving this book to the boring list |
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| "Those buttons give me the willies" | 2009-10-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2VWGLT380E60S |
This is a delightfully creepy adventure that I'd recommend to anyone, not just kids! It is humorous, imaginative, sinister, and even downright frightening. Neil Gaiman sure knows how to play with our imagination. The artwork is downright creepy, but fascinating to look at. You won't be able to look at shiny black buttons or a needle and thread in the same way again. Button eyes.... ran chills up and down my spine.
Coraline - the movie comes out in 2009. It looks like Dakota Fanning will do the voice for Coraline and Terri Hatcher will do the voice for Coraline's mother and "other mother". I can't wait to see it - especially since Henry Selick (The Nightmare before Christmas) is directing - I am a big fan of his. |
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| "A good, scary kid's book" | 2009-09-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3DO11EJ11FVJY |
Coraline Jones, ignored, unappreciated and outright bored, lives in a house with a crazy old man who trains rats in the flat above her, and a pair of retired actresses and their dog in the flat below her. In her flat there is a most wondrous door, which leads to nowhere, except at night, when it leads to a whole other world built just for her.
By now between the book and the movie, you've probably heard of it, if not seen or read it. But for those who haven't met Coraline and her creepy, button-eyed other mother there's a few things they should know.
Coraline isn't Gaiman's best work, or the prettiest as far as story or prose goes. What it is is incredibly imaginative and unlike any other scary kids book out there. The stand out element isn't the true bizarreness, but Coraline herself, strong, courageous and most importantly a very smart little girl.
This book is as much about how a child deals with the bad things in life as it is about parental abandonment or the scary things that go bump in the night. Like the Harry Potter series faces themes of losing the people you love, Coraline contains a subtle, encouraging message about being strong, fierce and bringing your own bravery into all the challenges you face.
For this reason alone it's a must-have addition to any child or child-oriented library. The other elements just add to the experience, making Coraline a potential children's classic for years to come. |
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