Coraline

Rating:
Summary: An Unrecommended Book
Review: When I first picked up Coraline, I was pleasantly surprised at all the awards and reviews on the inside of the cover. But, as the book progressed, I was more and more disappointed. Neil Gaiman has the ability to weave together just the right words to create the most horrible images; if you are looking for a twisted and unnerving story, then Coraline is for you. But as this book is geared for children, I know if I had read this when I was younger it most certainly would have given me nightmares. Actually, the book sounds like it is based on a very bad dream, and the illustrations only add to the disturbing nature of the story. One of the most disquieting images Gaiman creates is that of the "other mother" who is unaturally tall, has skin as white as a spiders belly, sharp pointed teeth, black buttons for eyes, and worst of all, twitching hands with long red nails like daggers. Equally disagreeable, Coraline finds beings behind the mirror in the hall that were once children, only deprived of their souls and hearts by the other mother and then forgotten. There are several good things about the book, however, one being that Coraline shows real bravery and wit, and Gaiman is very talented in creating imagery that sticks in ones mind. But other then that, I would only recommend it to someone that is a fan of very scary, unnerving books, and certainly not to anyone older then thirteen. So, unless you are one of that select group of people, I would not recommend Coraline to you.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful fun!
Review: Although touted as scarier for adults than for children, I found this book to be utterly fantastic. After buying the audio book, I also bought two copies of the hard cover, one for my niece and the other for my Mom for Mother's Day. (Please ignore the irony of that. It was a genuine gift bought for some one who would appreciate it.)

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderfully Witty Spooky Tale!
Review: I feel in love with Neil Gaiman's writing with Neverwhere, and have read most of his books since then. While I was in the bookstore last night I saw this book, and even though it is for ages 8 and up, I thought, "Why Not", and purchased it. I am glad I did, it was a great story. I finished a more lengthy novel late last night and picked this up as some light reading before I started yet another lengthy novel, and I was pleasantly rewarded. This story about a young girl Coraline and her adventures in exploring lead her into some tough spots, but along the way we have a great entertaining ride, that IS spooky at times (I know when I was 8 I would have been scared, so maybe it would be better suited for children a little older), and wonderfully witty! I love the way Neil Gaiman writes, and especially the dialogues between characters, they seem to have such a great report that many books, young adult and adult alike, lack. The eerie illustrations by Dave McKean are well suited for this book, and added a little excitement as I quickly turned though the pages to see what would become of Coraline!

Rating:
Summary: Postively Freaky!!
Review: I picked this book up the other day at our local bookstore and was told by the two pushy sales clerk that I had to read it. Okay.. well my sister's name is Caroline is I thought it was funny they played on her name. So I started reading it last night and couldn't put it down. 2hrs later, I was done and was like wow. The book is very well written and I look forward to reading more by the same author. The illustrations had a whole Tim Burton thing going on, even though it wasn't him, still felt like it. Very Good. For the mature child.

Rating:
Summary: A delightful scare.....
Review: Coraline Jones, a self-proclaimed explorer, discovers a world of wonder and horror just beyond the old wooden door in her family's living room. With the turn of a lock, Coraline is swept into an apartment that looks eerily like her own, complete with a duplicate set of parents. In this new place, the food tastes delicious, her parents are attentive, and her bedroom is filled with magical toys. However, Coraline soon realizes that her new parents have evil intentions and may never let her leave.

The huge building where Coraline lives is filled with memorable characters. Miss Forcible and Miss Spink, the elderly women on the bottom floor, entertain Coraline by recounting their former days as actresses. In the attic apartment, Mr. Bobo spends hours training his mice for a circus act. However, the young heroine herself emerges as the tale's most remarkable character despite being surrounded by eccentric adults. Coraline is forced to rely on her courage and cleverness to save herself, her real parents, and the souls of three children from the sinister realm behind the door.

This complex tale of alternate realities is filled with vivid imagery that may be too frightening for some timid readers. In addition, the rough pen and ink illustrations by Dave McKean help make the scenes even more chilling. However, Coraline is an extremely exciting story that will delight children who enjoy a good scare and teach them to appreciate the pleasures of everyday life.

Rating:
Summary: Coraline
Review: Neil Gaiman's first book for young adults is a grippingly creepy tale. Coraline and her rather distracted parents have recently moved to a new home in the country. When Coraline ventures into the mysterious closed up door in the parlor, she enters into a nightmarish world of the "others"...another mother and another father. These creatures mirror her parents, but seem more attentive to Coraline than her real parents in a weird yet compellingly attractive way. Gaiman's description of the odd duo with their paper-white skin and black button eyes adds to the building horror of this strange other world. Young Coraline finds her real parents' lives jeopardized by these creatures. It is up to her to be brave enough to save them and she is scrappy enough to do so. Aided by a peculiar cat, she enters into a bizarre bargain with the "other mother". This is the stuff of nightmares and will send chills up the spine of readers looking for a spooky story. Although recommended for 8 and up, I think this is more suited for middle school ages and up.

Rating:
Summary: Please Read This Review and This Book
Review: This is a wonderfully awesome book. It's about a cranky girl names Coraline (not Caroline) who finds a magic doo to another world. There, she finds out she has an other mother and an other father. Things seem wonderful at first, but then they start to go sinister, starting with the kidnapping of Coraline's real parents. I would reccomend this book to anybody. It's a perfect mix of fanasy and horror so that it isn't enough to give anybody nightmares, but it won't bore you to death. The characters are developed enough to be interestng, and the plot is very original. Please read this, and if you like it I would reccomend The Series of Unfortunate Events of which there are currently nine books out. READ CORALINE! YOU'LL LOVE IT!!

Rating:
Summary: Gaiman's best book to date
Review: "Coraline" is one of those rare young adult novels which works well for both children and adults. I read it first to myself and then to my kids, and I was surprised to find that they were as delighted by it as I was, even though they were not as disturbed by some of the imagery of the book that got to me. The Dave McKean illustrations throughout the book serve to enhance the story rather than distracting from it, and as with most Gaiman/McKean collaborations, the pictures are almost ideally suited to the printed words, and vice versa.

The story is simple, and at its basic level, it's one we've heard before. A young girl, bored and trapped inside on a rainy day, explores her house and finds a hidden passage into an alternate version of her house, in which things seem... different. Wrong, somehow. Though at first the differences are vague, they become more and more clear as the story progresses. When the inhabitants of the alternate house, specifically the twisted other-mother, somehow trap Coraline's parents, she finds that she must face the potential danger to get them back. Her companion for much of the resulting adventure is a cat, which can talk when it's of a mind to do so.

Lewis Carroll would be proud... "Coraline" is a book easily in the tradition of his Alice books, with all of the wonder and magic that he somehow captured, coupled with Gaiman's canny observations, witty dialogue, sprinklings of literary reference, and all-around good writing. There's plenty of story here to keep kids enchanted with the story, and plenty of meat for adults to chew on as well. "Coraline" is truly a book for children of all ages.

Perhaps it is only the perspective of an adult which makes some of "Coraline" so disturbing. Specific images from the book (long fingernails clicking against black-button eyes, for example) have stuck with me as both especially memorable and intensely chilling. Gaiman has a talent for such things, and I've come to admire him for it.

It is also Gaiman's best book to date, and this is coming from an avowed fan of Neil Gaiman. I enjoyed "Neverwhere" and adored "American Gods," but "Coraline" is a novel of another caliber entirely. In it, Gaiman walks the fine line between children's fantasy and adult terror, and what emerges is a story which is capable of addressing both, while not diluting the wonder or the horror.

Truly, a great book to be treasured for everyone in the family.

Rating:
Summary: Better than a movie with a wonderful childhood moral!
Review: I had the good fortune of reading this book aloud to my daughter. It struck a dark chord which enthralled us and the further I aread, the more I loved its dark, mirky tone. It had the plus of bringing to light that what you think that you want is not so great and by the time the book was over, the main character, and my daughter, both learn to realize that they should love their parents the way they are, if only slightly imperfect. A wonderfully dark tale with a rewarding moral.

As a bonus, it is unimaginable that this book could be a movie, emphasizing the long known reality that books are better than movies and worth the effort.

Rating:
Summary: Creepy contemporary classic
Review: I found this book a bit derivative of other classic childrens' books -- specifically the Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland and some of the original Oz books -- but in stealing from only the best, Gaiman has created a satisfyingly fanciful and truly frightening book.

Since I felt parts of the book were lifted from other classics, I thought it was especially fitting that the villain of the piece is a monster who cannot create anything -- she can only copy things that already exist.

I read a library copy of "Coraline," but I don't think it'll be much longer before I buy a copy of my own. It definitely warrants rereading.