Coraline’s often wondered what’s behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her “other” parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.
Holy cow. Grab your blankey, turn on all the lights in your house, and hide under the covers, ’cause this book is creepy! Maybe it’s just because I can’t handle anything scary. Seriously, I am forever stuck in a Disney mindset. Someone who has laughed in the face of all the Saw movies would probably find this book as soothing as a bedtime story. It’s not that the story is terrifying it’s just eerie. It’s that kind of creepy that rubs you a wrong way and leaves you feeling uncomfortable, but in a fun way (if that even makes sense).
Coraline is the story of a young girl who isn’t satisfied with her life at home. She feels her parents have no time for her, and the only people to talk to are her weird neighbors and a stray cat. One day, Coraline finds that inside the drawing room of her new flat is a door that is seemingly forever locked. When she finally opens it, she only finds a brick wall. Later on, she tries again and is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like hers. Trippy huh? Just wait, it gets weirder.
In this flat, she finds her “other” parents. To her, these parents are much better than her real ones-despite their black button eyes. They pay attention to her, play with her, and are exactly what she wants her real parents to be like. But when she discovers that they would rather make Coraline theirs forever, the nightmare to find and rescue her real parents-as well as the three children in the mirror-begins. The only help Coraline has, is a snobbish talking cat and her bravery. Can her bravery hold out long enough to escape these monstrous creatures?
This book is a pretty quick read. Around 162 pages I believe. I’m sure you’re old enough to deduce that there are no slow parts. It is literally chalked full of insanity. Or, for all you Saw lovers out there, soothing tales of adventure. And just when you think the story is over… BAM! Neil Gaiman throws a curve ball at you!
Now, I understand if some of you cool kids out there see this book as too juvenile. I get it, I really do. It’s a story about a little girl trying to save her parents. But don’t judge a book by its cover (lame pun intended). Just give it a go. I mean, it’s only a little over 100 pages; so it’s a quick read. If you hate it, you can go and tweet to your 5 followers all about how you wasted your time. But who knows, you might just find yourself with a new book on that exclusive bookshelf of yours.
The Recipe:
Coraline is a hair raising read with a delectably spooky recipe (insert witch cackle here).
- Start off with a creative story line
- throw in 2 cups of just-plain-creepy
- 3 cups of holy-crap-that’s-some-insane-bravery
- A splash of adventure
Stir into a book until smooth and you’ve got yourself a surprising read. Coraline is a perfect read for Spooktacular October, and will leave you with that creepy crawly feeling even afterwards.
Guest Review by Kristin.
About Guest Reviewer, Kristin