If you need a short escape then Coraline is a story that can help you accomplish that escape. I liked the story and the fact the the author read his own work.

The most memorial moment is when you think all is well and there is still danger for Coraline to face and overcome.

Coraline, Neal Gaiman is great at developing children into substantial characters.

I would have liked to listen to it in one sitting but even a short book like Coraline takes more time than I have to give all in one sitting.

Neal Gaiman has become one of my favorite authors for children's fiction/fantasy. Read or better yet listen to The Grave Yard Book for another sample.

Written much like a kids book- Character confronts darkness with bravery and thoughtfulness and prevails! Loved it.

Although coraline is not one of my favourite Neil Gaiman books, this recording by the author is a must listen. Coraline is Gaiman???s rather dark and edgy reworking of the Alice story. Moving into a new flat with her workaholic parents, coraline discovers a door in the parlour that opens onto a brick wall. While her parents are out one afternoon, Coraline opens the door to find another flat on the other side of the door. The world she discovers is like her own but different in a way that is both dark and disturbing. Button-eyed versions of the people she knows live beyond the door and her other mother and other father care for Coraline in a way that her real parents do not. Unlike Alice who finds herself in a dream-world full of nonsense and silly characters, coraline becomes trapped in a nightmare full of grotesque creatures from which she must escape.
This book is full of disturbing images that is unlike Gaiman???s other works for young people. However, Gaiman himself reads the book, and his clean, measured performance brings it to life in an unforgettable way. I tend not to like audio books read by the author, but this one is the exception. Four stars for the book, and five stars for Gaiman???s narration.

My 8-year-old son and I loved this audiobook. We've seen the movie, he's read the graphic novel, and we agree that this was our favorite version. The author's narration is perfect, the music is suitably weird and creepy (particularly those singing rats). Probably a little too creepy for younger kids.

I really enjoyed this story, but the illustrations would have added a lot. At the time I selected this book, I didn't realize it was originally a graphic novel. Do not be fooled by the protagonist, though -- this story isn't appropriate for most children of Coraline's age. Like Alice in Wonderland, I believe it's intended for adults. Unlike Alice in Wonderland, it's a little scary. And makes the first time I ever got creeped out listening to an audiobook, on a crowded subway no less.

Gaiman does an excellent, impeccable job of the narration, which probably mostly makes up for missing out on the drawings. (Disclaimer: I haven't seen the graphic novel, so I can't say for certain.)

Although this is ostensibly a children's book, I would hesitate to let my 10-year-old listen to it because it's really rather disturbing. For anyone older than ten, though, it's a lovely read, and Gaiman's narration adds a great deal. Coraline's dark adventure with the "other" mother is chilling and paced exquisitely. Highly recommended!

I love this story, and all of the characters in it. The book itself hooked me from the start and I read it more than once (it's a quick read). So I thought I would thoroughly enjoy listening to it, to hear the author's presentation of his quirky characters. The laid-back somewhat flat reading given by Gaiman probably worked for some, but for me, it flattened a 3-dimensional world into 2, taking some of the spark out of an otherwise great and unique story. I highly recommend the book, but the audiobook, only a 3 or very low 4. The movie was fun in 3D, too, and perfect in the hands of Nightmare Before Christmas' Tim Burton.

Much like Stardust this is a grown-up fable, and a well done one at that. Gaiman's narration was pleasant, if low key. Like other reviewers have noted, the songs are a little off, but not horrible. I get the feeling they were included to break up the book into managable sections. (Like if played for a kids or in a classroom.) It's well worth the download.

The story is imaginative, insightful, and interesting. The author did a great job of putting the main character in a situation where she needed wit and ingenuity to overcome difficulty. The narrator (who also wrote the book) was convincing as the different characters, and gave each character a life of his/her own.

I definitely would recommend this book!

This is a short captivating story that totally draws you in. The characters are vividly described, so that you feel you are seeing them. Neil Gaiman is an excellent storyteller, both as the writer and as the narrator. It's been a long time since I've become so caught up in a story that I couldn't turn it off, I had to find out what happened next. It might be a little too creepy for very small children, but everyone else should enjoy it.