Coraline

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Coraline Jones is bored. Her parents are too busy to play, and the weather isn’t cooperating, so she explores. Behind a locked door, she finds the entrance to a completely different world. Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline is compared to Alice in Wonderland or The Chronicles of Narnia on the book jacket, and while the comparison is fair, Coraline’s world beyond the locked door is different: it’s far creepier and in some ways more believable than Carroll or Lewis’s worlds are. Every child knows that there is a mysterious world beyond the mirror or behind the locked door no one ever seems to open.

Gaiman is a master storyteller. I have thoroughly enjoyed all his books I’ve read, and I love to read his blog and even keep up with him on Twitter. He’s a true dry wit, which comes through in his stories as well as his blogging. The characters and the world he creates in this book, as well as the others, however fantastic, always seems believable and real. If you’ve not read Coraline, you should definitely pick it up. It’s a quick read, and though it’s classified as a children’s or young adult novel, I wouldn’t let that classification stop you any more than it should stop you from reading the Harry Potter series.

R.I.P. ChallengeThis book is the first book I’ve finished in the R.I.P. Challenge. I also plan to read Bram Stoker’s Dracula (currently in progress), John Gardner’s Grendel (my next selection), and Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. If I actually complete the challenge ahead of schedule, I may continue reading the creepy books, which are a perfect way to usher in the fall weather.


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7 thoughts on “Coraline

  1. Isn't this story great? I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. It was my first Gaiman book but I'd love to read another. And, I definitely want to see the movie too.

  2. Ooh, I loved Coraline, a deliciously creepy story! I was disappointed when I saw the film previews (still haven't actually seen the movie itself) as the characters (particularly the button-eye parents) did not look as frightening as they came across in the book. The movie made the characters look too cutesy-creepy, in my opinion. What do you think?

    Oh, and have you read The Graveyard Book or Neverwhere yet? Two other wonderful Neil Gaiman books!

    1. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I can see what you mean. The Other Mother was a lot creepier in the book.

      I haven't read Neverwhere, but I loved The Graveyard Book.

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