#16. Coraline

I had three things in mind when I picked up this book: (1) I wanted to read a Neil Gaiman, (2) there was a movie adaptation, so it was possibly a story worth looking into, and (3) it was a slim volume – it would only take me a couple of hours to read.

I have to say that I was a little disappointed; I had expected the book to be a little scary, scary for adults, that is, and not just eight-year olds (that goes to show that you should always glance at the back of the book – the part where it says what age group the book is appropriate for).

Still, the book had an interesting story: a girl finds a door into a world that is like her world, but not like her world. Her “other” parents are long, thin and white, with button eyes, and they have much more time for her than her real parents. There are also many things to entertain her in the alternate world, such as toys that can actually move; her room has interesting colors too – lime green and pink. But this “other” world has a bit of the sinister about it. Her “other” mother is evil incarnate, and evil wants the little girl’s soul and her parents’ souls too. Coraline – for that is the little girl’s name – must find inventive ways to triumph over evil. She does, of course.

Neil Gaiman is funny and it shows up unexpectedly – peeking out of seemingly ordinary sentences, daring you not to laugh. The book is supposed to be “dark” and “magical” – certainly there are lots of shadows and things with shiny red eyes – but it was mostly funny and cute for me. Overall, a good book to read to a child.

3 stars