Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Summary: Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house. Within the house, there is a door special door that opens into an alternate universe that has everything she has ever dreamed.
An Unexpected Heroine
The one aspect that made me enjoy Coraline as little as I did is Coraline because I absolutely love just about everything about her. She speaks her mind and is not afraid of always being herself. I love Coraline’s curious nature, even when it lands her into some precarious situations. I love her honesty and bravery is all situations, no matter how difficult. She used her wits against The Other Mother, and I enjoyed this story of a young person solving problems and bravely facing adversity on their own terms.
Coraline is an amazing character that is sure to inspire and delight kids of all ages, especially middle school age kids who will most certainly see themselves in her. She shows all of us it’s okay to be scared in scary situations because being a brave heroine doesn’t mean not being scared. It just means facing your battles in spite of it. Coraline is the epitome of heroism.
Overall Opinion
I have heard nothing but great things about Neil Gaiman’s books, so I have been looking forward to reading Coraline for a while. However, I’m afraid to say this book fell mostly flat for me. The only aspect I loved was Gaiman held no punches when it came to the creepiness factor. I felt the tension as Coraline battled with The Other Mother, and I wasn’t sure if she would succeed in her quest. I definitely did not love Coraline, but I didn’t hate it either. All in all, I would recommend anyone read this book at least once because I love the message about independence and bravery. Although this book doesn’t get top marks from me, I think it’s a worthwhile read. Rating: Laborious Literature