Salutations Bookworms,
I love October. The air is getting crisp and apples are in season. It makes me want to snuggle up and read even more than usual! In continuation of my dark and spooky October reading fest, I decided to pick up Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
Coraline is a little girl who is bored out of her mind during a school vacation. Her parents both work from home, but they are both too busy to amuse her one afternoon. She sulks around for a bit and eventually runs across the key to a mysterious door in their flat. Instead of containing the brick wall that normally lives behind the door, our little heroine discovers a dark passageway. Her curiosity simply won’t allow her NOT to find out what’s going on…
She discovers her “Other Mother”… “Other Mother” makes roast chicken and allows Coraline to play with all sorts of toys. She offers Coraline the opportunity to stay forever- if only she’ll sew black buttons in place of her eyes. Coraline is understandably creeped out, so she decides to go home. Only, once she’s home? Her parents have disappeared. Because “Other Mother” is evil and stuff.
It’s Neil Gaiman, y’all. The button eyeballs and evil surrogate parents are to be expected. To quote the perennially brilliant Joni Mitchell, “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Our little heroine has to use her wits to save her parents, and some other lost souls along the way.
I thought this book was a lot of fun, but I wasn’t quite as blown away as I’d expected to be. It was a cute, fun, and appropriately creepy for the season. Just don’t go in expecting your socks to be blown to Neptune. My socks stayed somewhere between Mars and Jupiter.
What about you, bookworms? Anybody else read Coraline? See the movie? Tell me about it!
Jenny @ Reading the End
The buttons-for-eyes things is among the creepier things I’ve encountered in a children’s book. I got crawlies on the back of my neck thinking about it!
Words for Worms
Seriously! She’s like “I’ll make you chicken for dinner if you’ll poke out your eyes and sew buttons in their place” as though that’s a reasonable request!
Megan M.
I enjoyed Coraline but I remember feeling the same – I wasn’t as impressed with it as I expected to be. Stardust and The Graveyard Book are my favorite Gaimans so far.
Words for Worms
I planned on reading The Graveyard Book this month, but Coraline was on sale and it wasn’t. Any Gaiman in a pinch.
Ashley F
I really enjoyed it but because it was so short I felt like it hadn’t been as developed as it could have been.
Words for Worms
Yes, I’d have enjoyed a bit more background on Other Mother’s existence.
Ashley F
I think sometimes author’s get very limited when they make the narrator an child. Totally different subject but that was the issue with Room as well. Could have been a factor.
Words For Worms
Interesting point… That could be part of it.
Passionate Reader #465
While that may be the issue with some books, it definitely isn’t the case with this, I feel like it was something else. The narration coming from the kid helps, the same way it does in the Graveyard Book, which was also short, and I feel as using a child would expand the character, as adults thinking is generally more limited, as they only ever see shadows as shadows, not as a creature from under the bed
Nish
I haven’t seen the movie or read the book, but I enjoy Gaiman in general and so I think I”ll like this one also.
Words for Worms
If you’re a Gaiman fan, it’s a must-read 🙂
Charleen
Haven’t seen it or read it. In general I’m not a huge fan of Gaiman. (Sacrilege, I know…)
Words for Worms
Oh pish. You don’t have to like Gaiman. Ain’t no laws in BOOKS!
Wayne
This sounds pretty psychological to me. The evil “other mother” revealing herself as a witch. Bruno Bettelheim would have would have had a field day with this book.
Words for Worms
Definitely psychological.
Book Blahg
I saw the movie a few years ago. That “other mother” had me soooo paranoid. I can only imagine if it was real life actors instead of it being animated….
Words for Worms
I don’t think I’ll watch the movie… Heebie Jeebies!
Leah
I’ve never read Coraline (or anything by Gaiman, for that matter. Yes, I know I need to fix this!), but it sounds super creepy! A shame it didn’t blow your sox off, but it seems like a fun, spooky fall read!
Words for Worms
Definitely seasonal!
Andi (@estellasrevenge)
The sock blowing happens in The Graveyard Book. LOL I liked this one but it’s cute, short, fun, and for a young set, so not the depth we might want from Sir Gaiman. Have you seen the movie yet?
Words for Worms
Nope not seen the movie. I don’t believe it was a Tim Burton, but it had that feel to it and I’m not crazy about that style of animation…
Sarah Says Read
Soooo creepy! But definitely juvenile enough that it’s not amazing. I enjoyed it though. The movie… not so much. The graphics or whatever were pretty great, but some stuff was changed and it just wasn’t impressive.
Words for Worms
I don’t think I’ll be watching the movie any time soon. It doesn’t really appeal to me.
justJen
I was a bit disappointed in the book too, as I saw the movie first and it was AMAZING. I think this is the only book I know of so far wherein the film version gives my brain more detail than the printed version!
Words for Worms
Interesting take. It’s so unusual to hear someone like that movie better, but perhaps this is one of those books!
Turn the Page Reviews
I watched this with my kids when it was first released- scared the crap out of them- I didn’t know what it was about beforehand-oh well!
Words for Worms
Ha! Yeah I can see it scaring the crap out of kids.
A Fresh Tomorrow
Definitely a little creepy, but fun! Loved the movie, too.
Words for Worms
Creepy fun times are wonderful, aren’t they?
Shannon @ River City Reading
I enjoyed the movie (but also not socks blowing off), so I’m a little curious what it would be like compared to the book.
Words for Worms
I’ve heard mixed reviews on that front.
Allison @ The Book Wheel
You know, I’ve never read Neil Gaiman. Not sure why but I think I’ve always been a bit intimidated. This one, however, sounds pretty good so maybe I’ll get over it.
Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader
I hate to admit that I’ve never read Gaiman. That makes me feel like such a tool! I’ve seen this movie though…does that count?? It was hella creepy and I loved it. 😀
Words For Worms
Don’t feel bad for never having read Gaiman. There are soooooo many books in the world, how can we be expected to reach them all? And yes, you get points for having seen the movie.
It's A Dome Life
It sounds like such a good story. Too bad it didn’t blow you away. I will look for it at the library. You had me at button eyes….creepy.
Words For Worms
It was good, I think I just had my expectations set too high. You’ll have to let me know what you think of it!
Melinda
I’ve seen the movie, but can’t remember much. I want to read the book thought, I’m finding that I enjoy reading children’s fiction now and then .
Words For Worms
I enjoy some children’s fiction myself every now and again. It’s a nice change of pace.