*Review* Coraline by Neil Gaiman

 

Genre: Middle Grade Horror

Published: April 24, 2012

Pages: 212

This edition of New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman’s modern classic, Coraline—also an Academy Award-nominated film—is enriched with a foreword from the author, a reader's guide, and more.

"Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house...."

When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous.

But there's another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.

Neil Gaiman's Coraline is a can't-miss classic that enthralls readers age 8 to 12 but also adults who enjoy a perfect smart spooky read.

This is one of the rare books that I simply bought and read (eventually, because according to Amazon I bought the Kindle edition in June of 2016, and only just recently read it). I was also far more familiar with the film adaptation before I even picked up the book (or rather my phone) to read. This means I had very distinct images in my head to go with the story based on the movie. From what I remember of the movie, it stays pretty true to the book overall. 

While this book was written with children in mind, I was unfortunately already an adult when it was published. I say that because this is exactly the kind of book I would have loved as a child. It's creepy and a little bit scary and reminds me a bit of the Goosebumps and Fear Street books I loved growing up. 

This book was (obviously) an easy, fast read for me, as it should be considering that I am an actual adult (legally speaking). But that also made it a great palate cleanser after two months of focused reading. Sometimes it's nice to just have a quick, simple read, amiright? 

Overall I give Coraline 4.8732 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Neil Gaiman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Norse Mythology, Neverwhere, and The Graveyard Book. Among his numerous literary awards are the Newbery and Carnegie medals, and the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner awards. He is a Professor in the Arts at Bard College.