Coraline

Coraline describes herself as an explorer. When she finds a mysterious corridor in her family's new flat, she must fight sinister forces determined to keep her parents, three lost souls, and herself prisoner forever. Neil Gaiman's performance seems effortless. His soft-spoken voice lends to the overall darkness of the story, and his British accent matches the setting. Reading clearly and at a moderate pace, Gaiman will leave teen and adult listeners alike captivated and continuously caught in the suspense. The Gothic Archies, usually featured in the Series of Unfortunate Events audiobooks, make an appearance here, adding haunting music to an already haunting tale. J.M.P. 2003 Audie Award Finalist, 2003 ALA Notable Recording (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

August 4, 2003

When a girl moves into an old house, she finds a door leading to a world that eerily mimics her own, but with sinister differences. "An electrifyingly creepy tale likely to haunt young readers for many moons," wrote PW
in a boxed review. Ages 8-up.

Starred review from January 15, 2009
Master fantasist Gaiman's creepy and wonderful 2002 all-ages novel "Coraline" won Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker awards. Acclaimed illustrator Russellwho previously collaborated with Gaiman on the beautiful "Ramadan" issue of "Sandman", the Eisner Award-winning "Death" from "Sandman: Endless Nights", and a superb comics version of Gaiman's prose story "Murder Mysteries"here presents an excellent graphic novel adaptation of Coraline's story. When she and her parents move into an old house, the imaginative, adventurous, precocious, and neglected young Coraline discovers a door that leads only to a brick wall. But when she opens the door one night, the wall has disappeared. When she goes through, Coraline finds a home just like her own, only better, where her other mother and father (who look like the real ones, except for the big black buttons they have for eyes) want her to stay forever. When Coraline decides against this, her other mother kidnaps her real parents, and Coraline must brave unknown dangers to save them. Russell appropriately mutes the bright colors he's known for and faithfully preserves much of Gaiman's text and his tone of understated horror (and humor). Because a "Coraline" film is scheduled for early 2009, expect much interest. Highly recommended.S.R.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2008
Gr 6-8-This adaptation of Neil Gaimans novel (HarperCollins, 2002) reads as though it were intended for the graphic novel format in the first place. Insatiably curious Coraline is an explorer dedicated to discovering everything she can about the area around her familys new home. When she comes upon a door in their flat that seems to go nowhere, enters an alternate world that at first is full of interesting things and delicious foodseverything that she has longed for. However, the dangerous creature therecalled the other mother intends to keep her forever. After Coralines parents are kidnapped into the other world, she sets off on a mission to rescue them. Russells illustrations suit the tone of the story perfectly, from the horrific black button eyes of the people in the other world to Coralines very telling facial expressions. The style is realistic, which makes the moments when the other world loses its solidity even more eerie. The pacing never lags, and Coralines transformation into a girl who understands that having everything you want is the least interesting thing of all is natural. For readers who enjoyed the novel, Coraline is sure to complement their reading experience. Those who come to the book first as a graphic novel will be just as captivated."Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2008
Russell, a 35-year veteran of comics and frequent collaborator with Gaiman, offers an adaptation of Gaimans 2002 novel Coraline (illustrated by Dave McKean), a tale of childhood nightmares. As in the original story, Coraline wanders around her new house and discovers a door leading into a mirror place, where she finds her button-eyed other mother, who is determined to secure Coralines love one way or another. This version is a virtuoso adaptation, streamlining passages that function best in prose and visually highlighting parts that benefit most from the graphic form. A master of fantastical landscapes, Russell sharpens the realism of his imagery, preserving the humanity of the characters and heightening horror, even as Gaimans concise storytelling ratchets up the eeriness. The adaptation loses none of Coralines original character; shes clever, resourceful, intrepid, and highly determined when it comes to doing what must be done. Comics fans will delight in this version, and readers familiar with the previous book will greatly appreciate the opportunity to explore the story in a successful new way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

August 1, 2002
Gr. 5-8. Coraline has recently moved with her preoccupied parents into a flat in an old house. The neighbors above and below are odd but friendly: Mr. Bobo trains mice; elderly Misses Spink and Forcible serve her tea and tell her fortune. No one lives in the flat next door. But Coraline knows better, and one evening she discovers what's there: a tantalizing alternate world, filled with toys and food (unlike any of the boring stuff she has at home) and weird-- though wonderfully attentive--parents, who happen to have black button eyes sewn on with dark thread. Although her "other parents" beg her to stay, she decides to leave, but by doing so Coraline sets in motion a host of nightmarish events that she must remedy alone. Gaiman, well known for his compelling adult horror novels (see "The Booklist Interview," opposite), seems less sure of himself with a younger age group. His "nowhere wonderland" setting (think Alice on acid) is magical, deliciously eerie, and well captured in the text and in McKean's loose, angular sketches. But the goings-on are murky enough to puzzle some kids and certainly creepy enough to cause a few nightmares (ignore the publisher's suggestion that this is suitable for eight-year-olds). What's more, Coraline is no naive Alice. She's a bundle of odd contradictions that never seem to gel--confident, outspoken, self-sufficient one moment; a whiny child the next. Gaiman's construct offers a chilling and empowering view of children, to be sure, but young readers are likely to miss such subtleties as the clever allusions to classic horror movies and the references to the original dark tales by the Brothers Grimm. Gaiman has written an often-compelling horror novel, but, as with so many adult authors who attempt to reach young readers, his grasp of his audience is less sure than his command of his material.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)