Coraline

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Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house--a house so huge that other people live in it, too... round, old former actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers ("We trod the boards, luvvy") and the mustachioed old man under the roof ("'The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,' said the man upstairs, 'is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed.'") Coraline contents herself for weeks with exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomes bored--so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that--sometimes blocked with a wall of bricks--opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe. Now, if you're thinking fondly of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you're on the wrong track. Neil Gaiman's Coraline is far darker, far stranger, playing on our deepest fears. And, like Roald Dahl's work, it is delicious.

What's on the other side of the door? A distorted-mirror world, containing presumably everything Coraline has ever dreamed of... people who pronounce her name correctly (not "Caroline"), delicious meals (not like her father's overblown "recipes"), an unusually pink and green bedroom (not like her dull one), and plenty of horrible (very un-boring) marvels, like a man made out of live rats. The creepiest part, however, is her mirrored parents, her "other mother" and her "other father"--people who look just like her own parents, but with big, shiny, black button eyes, paper-white skin... and a keen desire to keep her on their side of the door. To make creepy creepier, Coraline has been illustrated masterfully in scritchy, terrifying ink drawings by British mixed-media artist and Sandman cover illustrator Dave McKean. This delightful, funny, haunting, scary as heck, fairy-tale novel is about as fine as they come. Highly recommended. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

In Coraline's family's new flat there's a locked door. On the other side is a brick wall—until Coraline unlocks the door . . . and finds a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only different.

The food is better there. Books have pictures that writhe and crawl and shimmer. And there's another mother and father there who want Coraline to be their little girl. They want to change her and keep her with them. . . . Forever.

Coraline is an extraordinary fairy tale/nightmare from the uniquely skewed imagination of #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman.

Download Description

Contains half a dozen e-book extras, not available in the standard print edition, including facsimile pages of Neil Gaiman's Coraline notebook and additional illustrations by Dave McKean. Terry Pratchett: "Coraline has the delicate horror of the finest fairy tales, and it is a masterpiece." The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring... In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close. The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own. Only it's different. At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself. Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Neil Gaiman will delight readers with his first novel for all ages.

Customer Reviews:

I have read this book ten or more times........2007-10-18

This book is a huge love of mine both as a reader and writer. Even if you don't normally read YA fantasy give this one a try. Its just a fantastic, wacky, eerie tale. This is in my top ten children's stories.

Terrific Must Read!.......2007-09-02

Coraline is creepy, scary, and absolutely terrific! I haven't been able to find any other books in this genre that are as engaging and well-written.

Elegant and artfully creepy.......2007-08-25

If Coraline is a children's book, it's only because of the length at 26 years old I was completely drawn into the story and and coudn't put it down. the summer holiday's are getting boring for Coraline. she and her parents have recently moved to the country, to one of the flats in an old renovated house. observing the neighbors and exploring everything in sight has been interesting, but it's getting old, and Coraline's parents; who both work at home aren't doing much to entertain her. In fact she's quite annoyed with them. Coraline craves adventure, and by stepping through a mysterious door in her apartment, she's about to discover that some adventures a better left alone.

Despite the scare factor or maybe due to it, this book has some powerful positive messages, and the scary bits are so well crafted that their full impact didn't hit me right a way. Who new black button eyes could be so cringe worthy. My over all impression of Caraline is that it play's out like a very Tim Burtonesque silent movie, I highly recomend the Coraline experience.

Caroline goes to the movies. Oct. '08

The Scariest Kids Book Ever!.......2007-08-18

This book was really creepy! I am an adult and I was scared. It is a great first horror book for your kids too, but don't be surprised if they want to sleep in bed with you for a couple of nights. Don't let this through you though. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Neil Gaiman is the greatest storyteller of our time, both for adults and children.

Hard to administer a grade for a child's book read by an adult, but..........2007-08-08

A children's book (12 and up), I read this primarily for its intriguing synopsis and its "easy factor". Even though I'd heard it was disturbing and much more mature than a kid's book, I wasn't quite expecting some of the elements that Gaiman introduced to his audience. For instance, a woman that sews buttons onto children's eyes, and who also gets rid of her husbands when she gets tired of them. I loved some of the themes the author approached, such as disposability, materialism, and the fallacies of love and obsession. Unfortunately, the themes were VERY lightly touched upon, and there were a lot of scenes that I wish had been expanded and described in more detail. There was too much repetition of ideas and words, but the originality of Gaiman's characters was spellbinding - most definitely a modern, if scary, fairy tale. But then again, most of the original fairy tales were disquieting in nature. (The sketch drawings interspersed within the text only adds to the intensity of the book). For kids, this is a beautiful story. For adults, however, it seems to be lacking.

Average customer rating:

My favorite "gift" book--
Dark little fairy tale
The Trecherous World

Coraline
Neil Gaiman
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

ASIN: 043957773X

Customer Reviews:

My favorite "gift" book--.......2007-07-01

I work(ed) in a middle school and now work in a high school. I always keep copies of this book to give to students. No matter their age, they all seem to love it. My grown-up daughter has her copy on her "Gaiman Shelf", too. Gaiman is an amazing author; I've read everything he's had published and have never been disappointed. I love being able to introduce newer readers to his work. Fun, creepy book with wonderful illustrations.

Dark little fairy tale.......2007-01-16

Coraline is the story of a girl named Coraline who lives with her work-at-home parents. The family has just moved into an apartment in an old house. During the day, when her parents are working Coraline goes exploring in the neighborhood. One rainy day she explores the apartment and finds a door which sometimes opens onto a brick wall but sometimes leads to an apartment similar to her own but more colorful. Here her "Other Mother" is an excellent cook, her clothes are more stylish and fun and everyone pronounces Coraline's unusual name correctly. Before she realizes it Coraline is trapped in the other apartment with her Other Mother and the situation is not all butterflys and rainbows as it first appeared to be. Coraline must use her ingenuity to set things right and return to her own apartment.

This was a pretty good read for me. I'm young but living on my own, so I'm much older than the target audience. The language was simplified a bit much for me. Everything Coraline does is broken down and simplified. Obviously it was written that way to be accessible for children, but I think it will bother other adults too. The story was good with nice visual flourishes and a cohesive plot.

The major strength that I found in the book is the contrast between kindness and love vs possessiveness. The Other Mother is out to please Coraline, but for her Coraline is more of a doll. She insists that Coraline stay with her, and when Coraline chooses not to it turns out that Coraline didn't have a choice as far as the Other Mother was concerned. The Other Mother plays with Coraline and pays attention to her as she would to a pet and it becomes obvious that she will discard Coraline once she looses interest. In the other apartment the situation gets more obviously sinister the longer Coraline has been there. The Other Mother and her possesiveness contrast with Coraline's parents who are preoccupied with other things and don't pay much attention to Coraline. The lack of attention gives Coraline a chance to be independent and go exploring (although her parents are aware of where she is they aren't watching her all the time). As Coraline realizes during the course of the story, the lack of attention doesn't imply a lack of love. As she considers ways to outsmart the Other Mother, Coraline remembers how when she was younger she and her father walked into a wasps' nest. Her father told her to run ahead and stayed behind for a little while so the wasps would sting him not her.

Another streangth is Coraline using her smarts to fight magic. In the other apartment things are very different. Animals talk and buildings and people can change shape at the Other Mother's whim. Coraline trys to find rules in this world to outsmart the Other Mother. I found Coraline to be a satisfying heroin. She has a balanced personality and isn't all smiles all the time.

I would recommend this book. If the promotional material sounds interesting to you, then you will probably like the execution.

The Trecherous World.......2006-10-18

This book is about a girl named Coraline who lives in an old house with a lot of people. There is a drawing room and in it is a door that leads to a terrifying different world where everybody has big black button eyes. Coraline meets her other mother who looks like the normal one but has black button eyes and is evil. She wants to keep Coraline and give her button eyes. Coraline dashes away to the normal world where she then finds out that her parents are gone. She automatically knows that the other mother took them. She goes back and asks for her parents back but the other mother says no way! Coraline and the other mother make a deal. The deal was if Coraline can find 3 kids souls and her parents souls the other mother would let her go and stop stealing peoples souls. If coraline didn't find the souls she would have to stay in the other world and have black buttons sewn onto her eyes. The other mother swore on her right hand. Coraline tries to find the souls but the other mother's powers are very strong. They start to slow her down. Will Coraline find the souls or will she have to stay in the other world and get black button eyes?

Average customer rating:

Coraline
Dave McKean
Manufacturer: First Scholastic Printing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0439576881

Average customer rating:

Coraline
Neil, Illustrated By Dave McKean Gaiman
Manufacturer: Scholastic Book Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S8HAIY

Average customer rating:

Coraline
Neil Gaiman
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEKT6W

Average customer rating:

Dark little fairy tale
CORALINE NEIL GAIMAN-DAVE MCKEAN
Button Eyes? uh. .
Coraline...Not Caroline

Coraline - Diamond Distributors
Neil Gaiman
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Customer Reviews:

Dark little fairy tale.......2007-01-16

CORALINE NEIL GAIMAN-DAVE MCKEAN.......2006-09-02

A CHILLING, LIFE LESSON TALE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES. A MUST READ.

Button Eyes? uh. . .......2005-05-13

My English I class read this book last April, and no one really liked it, including me. The book isn't that catchy, it's just plain creepy. Coraline enters another dimenson through a door, which just beyond is the strangest world she's ever been in and I, a avid reader, had never read anything like. Though some people may like the children in the closet's souls locked inside marbles, the "mother" wanting Coraline to sew on button eyes, and the hand of the mother that sounds like something off the Adam's family, I (nor the seventy other kids in English I) didn't find it intresting or funny, but strange and demented.

Coraline...Not Caroline.......2003-02-12

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, is by far one of the absolute most fasinating,intri, and exceptionally weird book I have ever read. From the first page, Neil Gaiman makes Coraline and her surrondings come to life. Coraline is a 12-14 aged girl, and seems to be more of a tomboy, and loves to be different. Everywhere she goes is a place to explore. Coraline and her parents moved into the house, it was an old house. Coraline lived in the middle flat, Mr.Bobo, the crazy old man, lived on the top, and on the bottom were Miss Spink and Miss Forcible. The first time they met, Miss Spink told Coraline that once upon a time, in their time, she and Miss Forcible were famous actresses. The crazy old man upstairs claims to be training a mouse circus, one that send messages to Coraline. One day Coraline's mom shows Coraline the door (for Coralines curiousity) just to reveal red bricks. See, a long time before, when the house was just a house, the door led somewhere, now that there are flats, the wall was simply bricked up. Then late at night Coraline finds the key, and opens the door once more, only to reveal no bricks but a passageway to another world, the other world, where her other parents are, with button eyes, and talking animals. Thats it, I can not let myself spoil anymore of this marvolous story for you. So go run to your nearest bookstore or library and grab a copy, because it's Coraline not caroline.

Neil Gaiman Coraline.(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine

Average customer rating:

Corlaine

Neil Gaiman Coraline.(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine
Anita L. Burkam
Manufacturer: Horn Book, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Horn Book Magazine, published by Horn Book, Inc. on November 1, 2002. The length of the article is 3302 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Neil Gaiman Coraline.(Book Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Anita L. Burkam
Publication: The Horn Book Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2002
Publisher: Horn Book, Inc.
Volume: 78 Issue: 6 Page: 755(2)

Article Type: Book Review, Children's Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Corlaine.......2006-12-15

I think coralline is a brilliant book I give it 3 stars. It has a very eerie atmosphere in some parts of the story. It's like a parallel world, and almost like a nightmare. This book will send chills down your spine I highly recommend it, It can be enjoyed by adults and children of all ages.

Poster from the Premiere of Coraline at Cody's Books in Berkeley, July 2 2002

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Poster from the Premiere of Coraline at Cody's Books in Berkeley, July 2 2002
Neil Gaiman
Manufacturer: Cody's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K7MF74

Product Description

Advertisement for the complete reading of "Coraline" which Gaiman gave to celebrate the release of the book.

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Coraline
Neil Gaiman
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HKLPKW

Abarat and Other Fantasy Tales for Teens: Abarat, City of the Beasts, Coraline

Average customer rating:

all three are great
Good/okay/bad

Abarat and Other Fantasy Tales for Teens: Abarat, City of the Beasts, Coraline
Clive Barker , Isabel Allende , and Neil Gaiman
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Latin American | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Urban | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

all three are great.......2003-10-30

Abarat is great. It is almost worth getting for the pictures but it is good anyway. City of the Beast is my favorite of the three. There is the story of the people as well as them together. It is an interesring story that can make you think if you want it to. My least favorite of the three was Coraline because I don't like horror stories. It was still worth reading. It was a story I would recommend to people who like fantasy/horror. I would recommend all three of these.

Good/okay/bad.......2002-12-17

Three major adult authors. Three young adult books that, the publishers continually remind us, can be read by the parents as well as the kids. Whether they're masters of the surreal or the horrific, these authors have produced some weird and wacky books, and it's quite a mixed bag.

"Coraline" is Neil Gaiman's chilling foray into Young Adult lit, a deceptively skinny book about the grimly resourceful Coraline, a little girl who finds herself in a battle with her clawed, button-eyed "other mother," who has abducted her parents and threatens Coraline as well...

"Abarat" is one of Clive Barker's few delvings into children's lit, and the result is not entirely satisfactory. Candy Quackenbush (nice name...) tries to escape her small-town life, with her alcoholic father and depressed mother -- but she stumbles onto a twenty-five island chain called Abarat, where every island (but one) represents an hour of the day, and two devious rivals are trying to take control.

"City of the Beasts" is, like "Coraline," Isabel Allende's first tiptoe into young adult lit, and the strain shows. Young Alexander Cold is sent to stay with his chilly grandmother, who is venturing into the jungles in search of a mythical "Beast." He and his friend Nadia begin a strange journey into a magical realm.

Some authors, like Gaiman and his fellow authors Michael Chabon and Carl Hiaasen, manage to deftly and easily shift into the young adult/children's realm of literature. Some of their contemporaries, however, don't succeed because of the constant awareness that they're writing for children. One thing to always recognize is that a good novel is a good novel, and that children can read and comprehend on the same level as adults. (Just keep it nice and clean!)

"Coraline" is spooky, creepy, grotesque and a delightful read for people who like a few gruesome thrills. Gaiman gets a little stilted at times, but otherwise he manages to keep it flowing nicely along with the likeable heroine. Barker does a pretty good job, but often he doesn't really feel like he's writing for kids; it gets fairly gruesome and dark in places. The pictures are pleasant to look at, though. And Allende falls flat on her face with "City," scrabbling to get her Big Message across (basically, it's: Save the Rainforest) as she hits readers with stilted dialogue, two-dimensional characters, and utterly laughable plot developments. Someone needs to tell Allende that the kiddies appreciate quality too.

Gaiman is good, Barker is okay, and Allende needs to read some young adult lit before she tries writing it. Fans of the above should check these out, and fantasy buffs will find a trio of stories that vary from the good to the bad.

Book Description

John Host uses the debate about Victorian social stability and orthodoxy to deconstruct the very idea of social order and address the problems of historical evidence.

Labor Histories: Class, Politics, and the Working Class Experience.

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Labor Histories: Class, Politics, and the Working Class Experience.
Eric Arnesen
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M481XC

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Labor Histories: Class, Politics, and the Working Class Experience.

Manufacturer: 0
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ICIL1A

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Labor Histories: Class, Politics, and the Working-Class Experience
Eric (Editor); Greene, Julie (Editor); Laurie, Bruce (Editor) Arnesen
Manufacturer: Univ of Illinois Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MOSHT0

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