Coraline

By Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell

The bewitching classic children's novel by Neil Gaiman, featuring spellbinding illustrations from Chris Riddell and an exclusive new introduction by the author

'I was enthralled ... a marvellously strange and scary book' Philip Pullman
'A masterpiece' Terry Pratchett

There is something strange about Coraline's new home.

It's not the mist, or the cat that always seems to be watching her, nor the signs of danger that Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, her new neighbours, read in the tea leaves. It's the other house – the one behind the old door in the drawing room.

Another mother and father with black-button eyes and papery skin are waiting for Coraline to join them there. And they want her to stay with them. For ever. She knows that if she ventures through that door, she may never come back.

This deliciously creepy, gripping novel is packed with glorious illustrations by Chris Riddell, and is guaranteed to delight and entrance readers of all ages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Aug 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781408832110

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author and creator of many beloved books, graphic novels, short stories, film, television and theatre for all ages. He is the recipient of the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, and many Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Awards. Neil has adapted many of his works to television series, including Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett) and The Sandman. He is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and Professor in the Arts at Bard College. For a lot more about his work, please visit: https://www.neilgaiman.com/

Reviews for Coraline

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I bought this for my sister a while ago, and always meant to read it, but in the end I ended up reading it on the HarperCollins site, when they put it up as a free browse inside thing. It's up right now as I write this, but I don't know how long for. It is/was here, though.

Coraline is, I think, aimed at the youngest audience of all Gaiman's books that I've read. That doesn't stop it being slightly creepy, slightly weird, and full of trademark Neil Gaiman observations about things. I loved all the little comments about parents being dumb -- when you're little, parents are, aren't they? It's not often a child knows better, but sometimes they do. I'm still right with Coraline in thinking it's ridiculous to buy something huge in the hopes the kid'll grow into it someday. That's just tempting fate (as proved by me being a mere 5'3", after all my parents' hopes of me being very tall!).

Coraline's pretty short and easy to read, and wasn't even too bad to read on the screen like that. I wish there was more of it, in a sense, since I pretty much swallowed it down in one gulp, but on the other hand, it's just right as it is. It reminded me a little of MirrorMask.

[thebecks-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 Stars

Ok... I know what you're thinking, "THREE AND A HALF STARS?! For Coraline?!!" But yes. 'Tis true.

It's not that I didn't like it; I did. Quite a bit. And as usual, Neil's reading of it was great, full of wonderful characters and fantastic storytelling. But there was just something about it that was kinda... I dunno. Not quite right?

There were times when I seriously wondered how old Coraline was meant to be. Is she meant to be a very smart 5 year old, or an average smart 9 year old? I could go both ways depending on the situation.

The story might've said what her age was, but I don't think so. I think knowing one way or the other would have been better, because I kept wondering whether the ease or struggle of each situation was realistic or not. Is it realistic for a 9 year old to not be able to reach the top of a fridge even standing on a chair? I guess it's possible, if she's very short, but much more realistic for a younger child. Would a 5 year old have interacted with the Beldam the same way? I don't know, but that seems like the actions of an older child.

This aspect kinda took me out of the story at inopportune times, and I would find myself wishing I could be sure. I thought of even going with a median age of 7... but that just didn't seem right either. Although, that's probably what Neil was going for and I'm just too dense to see it.

I did really enjoy the "Other" world and the darkness of the story. I really enjoyed Coraline's intelligence and wit and perseverance and poise in the face of danger. I really liked the Cat, although, as much as I love cats, and the character of the Cat, I thought it was again unrealistic. Real cats take no interest in the piddly life or death affairs of humans. Now if it were a dog that had helped Coraline, that would have been believable. Dogs are friendly and helpful. Cats are selfish jerks who don't give two tinkles in the litterbox about humans. They know it, and we know it, and they know we know it, and it amuses them to no end that they know we know that they know and yet we still try to cuddle them and make them love us with promises of food and treats. That's their game.



See??

Anyway... This was an enjoyable story, and I definitely recommend it for those looking for something fun and short.

[weeturtle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think I liked the movie a little better, but I think that's only because I saw it first, so I knew where the story was going.I like the little illustrations in my edition, scratchy and creepy, not unlike the aesthetic in the film. A blurb on the back of the book compares the door in Coraline's flat to the closet in Narnia, and I think it works as a reflection of the two stories, except while Narnia is genuinely wonderful, the place on the other side of the door only appears that way.Coraline herself is also a quirky character and I enjoyed her doings, plus those of the cat.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I am certainly going against the trend, but I hated it. It was written for younger readers, who might enjoy it, but I found it flat and uninteresting I actually preferred the illustrations to the story. A primary aged reader might find "Coraline" scary; I thought it was just plan weird and I honestly don't understand why it has received some many four and five star reviews. Definitely not for me!

[nu5bibliophile · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Easy and quick read. Short story. A fun, and dark children literature.

[tess_schoolmarm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I know this is written for children, but even knowing that, this book was still just too fantastical and yet flat at the same time. However, both of my granddaughters love it. (Ages 8 and 12) There are parallel worlds that collide and Coraline must work to get her "real" parents back. 208 pages

[tmullins-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very creepy!!

[ainjel-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is terrifying. The uncanny haunts every pages, making you question not only Coraline's world, but your own world. It's scary yet enjoyable by those old and young alike. It would be a great book to read with a young one who's entering their spooky phase and likes Halloween and all things ghostly because there's nothing too overtly terrifying in it--- in fact, I think it might be more scary for the adults than the kids! A great adventure story with a wonderful young protagonist.

[perizada_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Curiously terrifying.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On a dreary day during the school holidays, Coraline must entertain herself indoors since both of her parents are busy. Coraline is curious about a door in the drawing room that doesn't seem to go anywhere … except suddenly it does. Coraline finds herself in a place that looks very much like her house with people who look very much like her parents...until they don't. Coraline's courage will be tested as she tries to find a way back to her real home and to a reunion with her parents.Coraline's problems will resonate with many elementary aged children. She's lonely and bored, her adult neighbors can't get her name right (they insist on calling her Caroline), and her father insists on cooking from recipes that are never to Coraline's liking. Children may fantasize about what life might be like if their parents indulged all their wishes and didn't spoil all their fun. Gaiman's story may help children to see that such dreams might prove to be nightmares. Think Wizard of Oz with a 21st century twist.

[extrajoker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

first line: "Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house."While I personally feel that Neil Gaiman's genius is best showcased by his endeavors for adult readers, I still really enjoyed Coraline.It's like the goth child's answer to Roald Dahl.With maybe a splash of Edward Gorey's aesthetic.And, of course, Gaiman's own imaginative stamp.

[kw50197 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed Coraline very much. Simple language with vivid imagery.

[snukes-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very fast and easy read, being written in a style for a younger audience, but still having all of Gaiman's flare for the creepy. In fact, I don't know if I could have read this as a child. The whole story has the feel of a nightmare - not the kind that scares you for obvious reasons (though there are a few of those too), but the kind that is terrifying and you can hardly even say why.

[dolphari · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A children's book in the author's eerie style. Coraline goes through a boarded-up door to find a parallel world. This world was created by a sinister being masquerading as Coraline's other mother. She tries to persuade Coraline to stay with her, but Coraline knows something is wrong. With the help of a talking cat, she rescues her real parents, sets free the souls of some other children the being has already destroyed, and realizes that she is happy to return to her "boring" life.

[milomidnight · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Perfect, creepy childrens tale that helps children find the courage to fight the monsters in the dark, and realise that, perhaps, not all the creatures there are monsters.Adore this book. Gaimans audio book of him reading it is a permanent companion when I travel.

[turtelina · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Coraline was quite an enjoyable read really! I like the idea of Coraline having to almost lose it all to realize what she really has! I cant see this book ever getting even remotely close to Alice in Wonderland like it sais on the back, but I will still go and watch it in 3D. If only to complete the picture I have of everything in my head.Enjoyable! Recommended as an easy inbetween read.

[stonelaura · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gaiman does a wonderful job of reading his own novella, with just the right British dry tone to match Coraline’s young, but quietly mature nature. When Coraline becomes bored around her own house and cant’ get her parents to pay enough attention to her she steps through the previously blocked door in the unused parlor. There she meets her “other mother” and her “other father” as well as a talking cat and some long-lost soulless children. When she realizes that her real parents have now gone missing she must use her wiles to outwit her scheming “other parents.” There’s a very quiet creepiness to the story, sort of like a perfect campfire tale.

[yulias.b1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book Coraline by Neil Gaiman is very intresting and different. The main character is Coraline who is an exploror, and she's very good at finding things. One day she came across a trap door that led to a different world. Coraline is supposably a very unhappy child. Her mother doesn't buy her what she wants and her dad is a terrible cook. They pay little atention to her and aren't very exciting. So she traveled to the world wanting to explor it. There, she met her 'other' mother and father. Who are intresting, cook deliciously, and are much nicer. They spoil her and want her to stay with them forever and all she has to do is let them sew buttons into her eyes, just like them. She refuses and goes back home, and her parents are missing! She goes on an adventrue and a exploration to find her parents and the lost soals of the other children. Her other mother is very tricky but in the end she is very happy with her parents and is appreciative with everything she has. My REVIEW ---- I think this book is very spooky. The pictures especially are creepy and almost give you nightmears. Coraline seems to be afraid of nothing. Which doesn't appeal to me since i am very scared of the slightest things. So i did not relate to her. I really enjoy the plot line and the ideas of the stroy. I really like the way Neil Gaiman writes. In the story I particulary liked the cat. Not only do I love cats but he is a very intresting character that really completes the stroy with his comments and help. The movie I did not particularly like because it was very odd so i was weary about reading the book but I enjoyed it.

[tullae_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my favourite adventure story for young people. It is also my favourite, most terrifying horror story for adults.

[apartmentcarpet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I heard about the movie first and the story sounded so interesting that I went and bought the book because I really enjoyed his Graveyard book. I was not disappointed. Coraline is a short, easy read, written for children. The entire book feels like a twisted kind of fairy tale, and even in the "safe" places, Coraline's world seems a little off-kilter. If I were a child, this would have scared the bejesus out of me, and I think that's a wonderful thing. I can't wait until my son is old enough for these kinds of stories.My only quibble, and it's a minor one, is that you can never quite tell how old Coraline is. She acts different ages in different parts of the book and it seemed a little bit disingenuous.

[cindyfesemyer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read tons of Neil Gaiman over the years, including his picture books which I happily read aloud to my kids when they were younger. Knowing that The Graveyard Book is not yet quite right as a read aloud for my nine-year-old twin girls (too scary right before bed or so thinks this somewhat overprotective mother), I'd hoped Coraline would tide us over until they're ready for older stuff from Gaiman. In fact, one of my girls brought the book home from the school library last week, which is what prompted me to finally read Coraline in the first place.And boy am I glad I snagged the book before she could get to it. Though I think my kids would have been OK either reading this book themselves or hearing me read it aloud, I think there are some pretty darn creepy and scary moments in the book that I would have wanted to downplay had I been reading it to them before bed. Gaiman paints a very spooky atmosphere, with perfect little details making the Other world just wrong enough to really creep you out. So, the short answer is: I'll wait another year before reading this aloud to my kids.That said, this is truly a modern twist on the classic fairy tale. Unlike fairy tales of yore, it's not a cautionary tale told by adults to protect and/or control children; rather it's a story about conquering fear. Children can instill in themselves, through the simple act of imagining themselves and their loved ones living in a slightly different reality, great fear--fear we adults have logiced ourselves out of but that is still quite real to kids whose imaginations haven't yet been quashed by the mundane details of living. I imagined crazy stuff as a kid. And that's precisely what Gaiman is doing in Coraline. He presents the reader with an altered reality that's full of creepy, spooky, scary moments. We feel damp drafts blowing through hallways, hear unsettling scratching at the door in the middle of the night and see dark movement out of the corner of our eye as we travel with Coraline through her Other world. And we feel pride when she bests her enemy and proves herself capable of taking care of herself and others in a word, either real or Other, that can be very strange and off putting.A great girl power read with a gothic twist. My daughters will love the book . . . when they're ready.

[dom76-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dark fantasy novel. Great original story. Fast read, great writing.

[jehara_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book. It was a quick read. And so creepy!Coraline and her family have just moved into a new flat that is actually part of the second floor in an old three story house. Coraline is a curious, precocious, adventurous little girl. She has already explored the grounds and read all her books and played with all her toys and the rain is keeping her inside. She sets to exploring the flat and comes upon a mysterious door that opens onto a brick wall and is always locked. One day she passes by and finds it slightly ajar. She peeks through and instead of a brick wall she finds a corridor. She quickly discovers that she is in a replica of her own flat with some minor changes. And she discovers an other mother and an other father who claim to have been waiting for her and try to coerce her into staying with them. These other parents are paper white and have big black buttons for eyes. She quickly escapes from them back into her own flat only to discover her parents are missing. She must go back through the door into that creepy other place to rescue her parents. All she has for assistance is a talking cat and a lucky stone.A really good, creepy tale. I shall say no more.

[liscarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

All of Gaiman's novels so far have been delightful, and this one is no exception. Coraline is putatively aimed at a younger market, the eight and up crowd, but that's no reason for an adult not to sneak into the children's section and pick it up anyway.

Coraline Jones and her family have just moved into a flat in a big, old house. Two of the other flats are occupied, one by "the crazy old man" who tells her that he's training his mouse circus to perform for her, but the mice aren't ready yet, and the other by two old women, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, retired actresses who keep some indeterminate number of aging Highland terriers. There's a fourth flat, that's still empty. There's a door in the drawing room of the Jones' flat that used to lead into the part of the house that's now the fourth, empty, flat, but now it only leads to the brick wall that was put up to divide the building when it was broken up into flats. However, there is still a key that unlocks that door to the brick wall.

With all the adults around her affectionate but distracted--the retired actresses and the crazy old man even consistently call her Caroline, rather than Coraline--Coraline decides to explore. Her exploring leads her to try that door to the brick wall again, and this time there isn't a brick wall. There's a corridor, and Coraline goes down that corridor, and finds her "other mother" making lunch. Her "other mother" and "other father" are attentive, her other bedroom has a more interesting color scheme (though she privately concedes she wouldn't really want to sleep in the green and pink room.) There are pet rats, who sing a nasty little song, and a chestful of toys that seem strangely alive.

When she goes outside, the neighborhood cat, whom she has been unable even to get close to, talks to her, and warns her to be careful.

Everyone she meets, except the cat, has black button eyes.

Coraline, being a sensible child, decides to go back to her own flat, despite the urging of her other mother to stay, and to allow her other mother to sew on her black button eyes so that she can stay forever. But when Coraline gets back to her own side, her parents are missing, and they don't come home, and she can't get anyone to take her seriously when she tells them her parents are missing--except the cat. Gradually, she realizes what has happened, and what she needs to do. This is a nicely scary little book. Strongly recommended.

[chibimajo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Coraline is a typical young girl - nobody pronounces her name correctly, she likes to explore things, she likes to have fun and play. They have recently moved in to a new flat and school hasn't started yet, so Coraline gets bored easily on rainy days. This leads to the discovery of a door which goes nowhere. Except it does actually go somewhere. It opens into another world where Coraline's other mother wants to love her forever and ever and play with her and have fun with her forever. Now Coraline has to figure out how to get out and rescue her family and some friends she meets along the way.Read by Neil Gaiman, which was fantastic. They added music to it, and Neil's voices were a positive addition to the telling of the story.

[e5j · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was looking for something for my niece to listen to with me. She is definitely not old enough for this one, she would have nightmares, but I really loved it. I'm always a sucker for a brilliant kid. She also has moxie. I was sold from the first couple sentences.

[simonw11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A childrens novel, Coralines New Flat has a door that leads sometimes to a wall sometimes to her creepy Other Parents with button eyes.A well told tale. No doubt it is scary if you're eight.

[tanyatomato · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a fun and entertaining book that my son and I listened to on our road trip. We both enjoyed the imagery and the creepiness. And I love any book with a talking cat.

[alaina.loescher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book as a kid and I always will. I love how Coraline feels like an introduction into the horror genre for children. The book lis so tasteful about introducing gory themes such as the other mother attempting to sew button eyes onto Coraline. Also, it goes through many scary tropes in a kid friendly way.

[terpsichoreus · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I actually picked up a signed copy of this book when both Gaiman and I were living in Minnesota. I've read a lot of Gaiman, with mixed results. His stories always work of the principle of a small person trapped in a large, unknown world.There are plenty of older examples of this story type, and Gaiman has been steadily working through them. He took inspiration from Fairy Tales in Stardust, from European myth in American Gods, and African myth in Anansi Boys. Though Morpheus was no small man, the smaller story arcs dealt with normal folks. Sandman and Good Omens worked off of Christian mythos, while Neverwhere created myths from modern symbology.If Neverwhere is a rewrite of Alice in Wonderland, Coraline is in some ways an even closer take on Carroll, except that here, Gaiman is exploring a more overtly frightening world, evoking even Gothic ghost stories.Unlike his other stories, Gaiman has less depth to draw on here. He is not bringing in specific myths, but rather creating his own symbols. Since he is not bringing in many and varied elements to weave his tale, Coraline sets a much barer stage.When he does bring in mythological elements to his stories, he always put his own spin on them, so he cannot be faulted for a lack of creative force. Indeed, he is at his most engaging when he is exploring and subverting various world mythologies, of which he is well-versed.Even in the less mythologized Neverwhere, he drew on the visual imagery and history of London itself, a great city which traces its roots from before Rome, and is not without its own legends.By eschewing any particular tradition, Gaiman has little to play with. He has nothing to subvert, nothing to vaguely reference. He cannot play upon our expectations.All this tracks back to the reason that Gaiman explores these mythologies in the first place: his interest in exploring storytelling itself. Each time he writes, he places himself in a tradition, recognizing how the ancients used myth and symbol to create stories that instruct, inspire, and surprise.Coraline does not explore its own origins. It does not display the genre savvy play of Gaiman's other work. It is not an exploration of the ghost story, nor of Through the Looking-Glass. It is not a deconstruction of the Gothic.It is a simple little tale, and not without its charm. I found little frightening about it, simply because there was little that was either unexpected or unsettling. The most interesting element was the way he played with how we learn about identity.There is a point in childhood when we suspect that there us something that makes up identity beyond simply the appearance or form. The idea that a parent or friend could be replaced by a doppelganger is inherently terrifying. However, Gaiman does not capitalize on the history of stories involving doppelgangers or changelings.Neither did the portrayal utilize surprise or subtlety to develop an unsettling mood. Rather, he presented overtly frightening or alien elements and then character reaction.Horror is not capable of frightening the reader by simply showing things we know to be scary. Hearing a strange noise in the woods is not the same as being told that a character hears a strange noise in the woods. It only becomes frightening when the vividness of the description or the realism of the character's psychology allows us to tap into that sense of fear.This little story could have made a passable entry in a horror story collection, but is not original enough to stand on its own. I found this rather odd, since Gaiman is entirely capable of creating frightening stories, as evidenced by the fairy tale rewrite 'Snow, Glass, Apples' (from 'Smoke and Mirrors')