Coraline

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Neil Gaiman

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. 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 if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.

©2002 Neil Gaiman (P)2002 HarperCollinsPublishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist, Children's Literature, 2003
• Hugo Award Winner, Best Novella, 2003
• Nebula Award Winner, Best Novella, 2003

"An electrifyingly creepy tale likely to haunt young readers for many moons." (Publishers Weekly)
"The story is odd, strange, even slightly bizarre, but kids will hang on every word...and they will love being frightened out of their shoes. This is just right for all those requests for a scary book." (School Library Journal)
"A magnificently creepy story...for stouthearted kids who love a brush with the sinister, Coraline is spot on." (Kirkus Reviews)

Loved the movie, so I had to give the book a shot.

After having loved the movie and all the artistry there, I had to check out the book... It was a very engaging story, and I really enjoyed it. Not too short, not too long, with the right amount of creepiness and dark humor. I would gladly recommend it, and am going to look into more from Neil Gaiman.

Neil Gaiman brings this book to life!

Would you consider the audio edition of Coraline to be better than the print version?

I would consider the Coraline audio edition better than the print because the book comes to life through the music and voices used for each character. I am better able to imagine the world of Coraline than if I were just reading the book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was the black cat in the story because it was nice to see Coraline have someone on her side against the other mother and he can be sarcastic and snarky with the way he speaks in riddles.

What does Neil Gaiman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Neil Gaiman brings imagination to the book. With him being the author he knows how he wants the characters to sound and how to use inflection to carry the story. He did a great job of helping the reader visualize the dull world of Coraline and the colorful world of the other parents.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really, I had seen the movie so I knew how the book would pretty much go down. I was curious to see what was going to happen when Coraline went down into the basement when sent there by the "other mother."

Any additional comments?

While I was reading this book, I was wondering the whole time where the Wybie character was. I guess they invented him in the movie.

Favorite Neil Gaiman Story

Easy listen, my 14, 10 and 7 year old all listened to it straight through in the car.

Coraline is a great escape story

What did you love best about Coraline?

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.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Coraline?

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

Which character ??? as performed by Neil Gaiman ??? was your favorite?

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

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

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.

Any additional comments?

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.

I love when Neil Bauman reads his books.

My daughter urged me to get this one since ive read all his others. She was right about it being creepy for even a kids book. I felt the main character wasn't as developed as well as his others so I didn't get her motivation and drive.

Wonderfully exciting story

Neil never ceases to amaze and set a beautiful story. Great for anyone of all ages.

Great story

Very different from the film version. Interesting and dark, with good moral lessons. Highly recommend it.

Loved it!

Absolutely loved it, I binge-listened this and I can not wait to listen to another!

fantastic, as always

love the author, didn't like the music after the song, couldn't here some words, great performance

Delightful dark fairy tale

Creepy as hell. Captivating. Simple yet powerful writing. Wanted more when it ended. My first and most definitely not last Gaiman. The cherry on the icing comes with the authors own reading interpretation. You can tell he’s not an actor or professional narrator, however he obviously brings the proper tones throughout the story and characters, emphasizing words and sentences only he interpret to its fullest. Simply amazing read