KidLit Forum

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is a British writer who discovered his love for books by reading C.S.Lewis, Edgar Allan Poe, G.K.Chesterton. Gaiman began his writing career in England as a journalist. His first book was a Duran Duran biography. He writes books for readers of all ages: M is for Magic (2007); Interworld (2007), co-authored with Michael Reaves; The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish (1997); The Wolves in the Walls (2003); the Greenaway-shortlisted Crazy Hair (2009), illustrated by Dave McKean; The Dangerous Alphabet (2008), illustrated by Gris Grimly; Blueberry Girl (2009); and Instructions (2010), illustrated by Charles Vess., Coraline (2002).
Coraline the book
Coraline was one of his best writing which won the British Science Fiction Award, the Hugo, the Nebula, the Bram Stoker, and the American Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award.
Coraline was adapted also as a musical by Stephin Meritt in 2009.Nevertheless, this book was very famous, it was considered too frightening for children.
Coraline was first published in July 2002 by Harper Collins Publishers and contains 13 chapters. The book started with a dedication: “I started this for Holly/I finished it for Maddy." and continuing with a quote by G.K. Chesterton:"Fairy Tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
Summary
Coraline Jones feeling bored and unloved goes exploring in her new house which has twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. The fourteenth is locked which raise her curiosity. After unlocking the door, Coraline finds a passage to in another house just like her own. For the first things seem marvelous in the other flat is another house just like her own, but there are another mother and another father. The only problem is that they all have black buttons in the place of their eyes, and if Coraline wants to stay, they say, she’ll have to sew the buttons in, too. When she decides she doesn`t want to stay her other mother closed her behind of the mirror. Coraline had to escape and find her real parents soul with the help of the black cat who was stolen by the other mother.
The story is told in the third person but we get several things from Coraline`s point of view.
Characters: Coraline Jones, mother, father, the other mother and the other father, the black cat, rats, Miss Pink, Miss Forcible, Mr. Bobo, the three kids.
Coraline learns to beat her fears hence she never gets scared of anything anymore.I think that this story helps children to understand fears and desires.In spite off that the story has a very strong message: “be careful what you wish for.”

This is the list of ingredients that make "Coraline" begin like a great fantasy book:
-strange old house unexplored
-parents away
-curious and adventurous girl
-strange door in the house that hides a totally new world

The story of "Coraline" is one of the darkest stories we had to read for our seminars. Coraline goes through horrifying situations but manages to get away from these due to her courage and goodness. She finds an unusual door in the house. Behind that door she is astonished to see that there is an apartment exactly like her own. In the apartment there are two people that look exactly like her parents but they have got buttons instead of eyes. This empty eyes and expressionless faces of her “other parents” are the creepiest things in the whole book. She has to run away from her evil “other mother” who attacks her and lays traps in order to stop her. Her real parents have been taken away from her and she has to find a way to bring them back and restore the piece they had before the unfortunate discovery she made.

NEIL GEIMAN- ''CORALINE''
CORALINE is a dark story about a little girl who is an ''explorer'' like all girls of her age.She has to find means to entertain herself because her parents do not give her enough attention.
Even though the story is dark and creepy it is very interesting and I think every child from our days would recognize him/herself in it.
The language used is simple and easy to read and the action captures the reader.
I think the book appeals to children as well as to adults.