Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade
The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring…. 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, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. 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 and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself. Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Neil Gaiman will delight readers with his first novel for all ages.
Recommendations from Common Sense Media
Age Recommendation: 8+
What Parents Need to Know:
Parents need to know that Neil Gaiman‘s Coraline is pretty creepy, and could be disturbing for sensitive kids: The central adventure is about a girl trying to save herself, her parents, and other trapped souls from the Other Mother in a secret world. But this is a good choice for kids who like horror stories — and whose parents would prefer it be well-written and not too gruesome. Coraline discovers a dark world crawling with rats, spiders, strange creatures, and others spookiness — but through her creepy adventures she also discovers her own inner bravery. The book was adapted for the 2009 movie Coraline.
Educational Value: 2/5
This is a book that will certainly push kids’ imaginations. The publisher has put out a nice reading guide for parents and teachers who want to analyze the plot more closely. Our “Families Can Talk About” section can give you some other ideas for sharpening those critical-thinking skills.
Positive Messages: 2/5
Coraline finds the brave person inside of her — and also learns to appreciate her own family. Toward the end of the book, she even says “I don’t want whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if we just got everything we wanted? Just like that, and it didn’t mean anything. What then?”
Positive Role Models: 3/5
Coraline is a pretty relatable character — she gets bored, is picky about food, etc. — but ultimately she acts bravely and uses her smarts to not only save herself but also others the Other Mother trapped, including her parents.
Violence & Scariness: 3/5
A rat is decapitated by a cat. Coraline is chased by weird creatures. There are lots of rats, spiders, clammy rooms, mysterious threatening beings, and other typical haunted house elements.
Sex, Romance & Nudity: n/a
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