I desperately need to go to bed, but I'll answer the first question while I happen to be here.

Coraline was incredibly creepy and probably would have scared me if I had read it as a child. I teach third grade, so I couldn't help comparing it to Roald Dahl's novels. I've read several of his works to my students (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Enormous Crocodile in particular) and they've always gone over well despite the fact that they're pretty scary. However, no one actually gets hurt (even though the crocodile constantly threatens to gobble up children) and no one gets hurt in Coraline either. You're probably right in thinking that kids of 8 or older could handle it, and I might add it to my repertoire of read alouds near this Halloween for a good fright.

I agree that it felt distinctly British, but it may be because it reminded so much of Dahl.

In any case, I really enjoyed it. I'm glad I got the chance to read it and discover another book to bring to the attention of my kids. A lot of children's literature frankly sucks, and it gets very boring to have to go back to the old standards over and over again. Finding a good, new book for them is a real treat.

marydell | August 24, 2004 1:13 AM

Joel! I was so looking forward to this book - and the next thing I knew, I was applying for a mortgage and buying a house and NOT READING ANYTHING except termite inspection reports and big scary legal contracts.
I'll try and get it at the library tonight and catch up with the discussion. Tell me this....is it a good representation of Neil Gaman's "usual" writing?

Ok. That's my excuse. Where's everybody else?

barbara | August 25, 2004 2:55 PM

pardon me. that's Gaiman....with an I.

barbara | August 25, 2004 2:58 PM

crazy schedule this month:
full time job,
full time Univ. student,
and moving, again...

sorry joel. i really wanted to. i can't promise you anything...or anything for a few months to come. :/

ana | August 25, 2004 5:59 PM

anyone*

ana | August 25, 2004 6:14 PM

Hi everyone,

Don't worry about it. These things happen. :) When / if you get a chance, yes, Barbara, in my ever so humble opinion, it is a good example of Neil Gaiman's usual in that it's very accessible to fans and new readers and that it's well written and fun to read.

Cheers,

Joel

Joel | August 26, 2004 5:04 AM

Well, I hate to say it, but Coraline just didn’t do anything for me. I wanted to like it. Really, I did.

I had a hard time getting “into” it. And I can’t really pinpoint why.

I can see how the story line would be intriguing, and why you would root for Coraline, but I caught myself skimming or thinking, “what the hell?” too frequently.

1. I think I might have enjoyed the novel if I had read it as a pre-teen. Although it might have creeped me out. And I’m not really sure that I would have comprehended the nuances. I do know a 12-year-old girl I could recommend the book to, but I’m not going to.

2. I thought Coraline was pretty smart. However, I think it bothered me at the speed she figured things out. The “clues” didn’t feel really clear-cut to me, so I felt skeptical that she rescued everyone so quickly.

3. Yes, I feel that the story holds up to the quote. Fairytale? Perhaps it does have some of the classic elements, but I don’t think it will become a literary favorite.

4. I did think the artwork was splendid. Appropriate to the story and in placement.

I wish I could better articulate why I didn’t like this book, but I can’t seem to find the words. It feels more like an emotional reaction than a clear-cut intellectual reason. But then, that’s what we want from the best books, right?

Susan | August 26, 2004 5:09 PM

I'm new to book blog this month, but I'm gonna jump right in here.

1. It took me a few days longer to read that book as I've been reading it with my almost-eight year old son. (Who is VERY smart and mature for his age.) I greatly enjoyed it, but I think part of that was due to the fact that he enjoyed it so much. It certainly held my interest as well as his.

2. I don't think there were any definable lessons to be learned in the other characters, but if I dug, I could come up with a number of small obscure ones.

3. I feel the story definitely holds up to the quote. It's a fairy tale, just not the type we're accustomed to. There were a number of times when my son said that a specific result was the effect of Coraline's action or decision. That's what a fairy tale is. When someone does this, this is the result. Of course the ending always works out perfectly, which is where the fairy tale part comes in. Personally, my son took away a moral or two in relation to this story and I think it can certainly be re-told as a fairy tale.

3. I have the paperback copy and the artwork is interesting. The black button eyes disturbed my son at first, but it's now become a joke between us. I mention them and he acts as if he's terrified. I felt the illustrations correctly fit into the story line and were interesting to look at. My son and I would try to guess what was about to happen by looking at the picture preceding every chapter.

Chandos | August 26, 2004 8:42 PM

Chandos, welcome to the blog; jumping right in is the best way to get in deep. :)

From Susan:

"2. I thought Coraline was pretty smart. However, I think it bothered me at the speed she figured things out. The “clues” didn’t feel really clear-cut to me, so I felt skeptical that she rescued everyone so quickly."

That's an interesting point. I went back through it and I agree that Coraline does figure things out very quickly but I think the speed is related to the fact that her reasoning is not really intelectual but emotional.

As for the artwork, as a side note, the reason I asked is that I loved the drawing but my wife's edition (in Japanese) had completely different artwork. When I asked her about it, she looked online and found that the publisher considered it too scary for Japanese audiences. I was a bit surprised by that as I found the artwork intriguing and not scary at all.

Joel | August 27, 2004 9:51 AM

Hi everyone - I'm new to this board, but I'd like to add my humble opinion.

I read Coraline a few months ago, and I enjoyed it well enough, but as with so many of Gaiman's works, it wasn't very fulfilling. I don't know why this is. I appreciate his erudition and the deeper philosophy that comes through in his works, but there's something kind of, well, flat about the actual writing. Does anyone else experience this with Gaiman?

With regard to the specific questions:

1. Even as an adult, I found the book creepy. I would have loved it as a child. The button eyes and the implicit suggestion of eyeball removal would have freaked me out. But in a good way. I can think of a couple children I would give this book to. I can also think of a couple parents who would bawl me out for doing so. I agree that this kind element of "scariness" of reminds one of Roald Dahl, but Gaiman's writing doesn't contain the same acrid wit as Dahl, so it doesn't seem as punchy or raw to me. I think Gaiman also presents his characters with more compassion than Dahl, which kind of makes the reader more comfortable with the scary bits.

2. I thought this was a coming-of-age story as well. Her bravery is integral to her growing-up process. She not only has to choose to forgo a life that will bring her everything she desires and her normal, boring life with her less-than-perfect family. The thing that bugs me about this is it doesn't seem like Gaiman sets it up as a very difficult choice. What kid is actually going to choose to trade their eyeballs for good food and all the toys and fun they want? I suppose if we accept the story in the context of a fairy tale, it makes more sense. "Fairy" offers riches and wealth and fame, etc. Foolish brother takes the offer, wise brother looks the other way, knowing there's got to be a catch.

3. I think this could absolutely be considered a fairytale (see final comment under #2 above). And as all good fairytales should, it contains a lesson: the grass is always greener on the other side, but probably because it's been poisoned with chemicals. So appreciate the weeds on your side of the fence. Oh, yes, and monsters can indeed be slain, especially once you've made the correct life choices.

4. Big Dave McKean fan. He pretty much gets it right on all the time.

Postscript: I found myself comparing "Coraline" to "The Thief of Always" by Clive Barker as I was reading. Honestly, I prefer "Thief," which is essentially the same type of story. I've already gone back and read it several times, whereas I probably won't read Coraline again until I read it with my kids. I recommend it for anyone interested in another creepy coming-of-age tale.

Maya Madsen | August 28, 2004 2:20 AM

Summer is a slow time for discussions around here even though it's a big time for reading, but it's so nice to have some new voices around here. I sincerely must work on membership because I have a huge backlog of e-mails to answer.

Meanwhile, moving on to Joel's second question and the responses posted so far...

I agree with Joel and Maya about Coraline being very smart and very brave. Susan points out, though, that she was bothered by the quickness at which she figures out unclear clues and rescues her family with relative ease. This is absolutely true but doesn't bother me since it is very in line with what I expect from children's literature. I recently read James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl and noticed that James and Coraline are quite similar. They're both better problem-solvers than the rest of the character roster. If we go back to a recent BB selection, A Wrinkle in Time, it's the kids who fight IT and save the planet, a task their father was unable to do.

In all of these books, children can identify with the main characters. Yes, the characters may be smarter than actual kids and figure things out even though the "clues" are fairly obscure. But I think the point is that you want the children reading the book to see themselves doing very big things despite being young and small.

marydell | August 28, 2004 9:55 AM

Coraline does discover things VERY quickly, but I agree that it is because she acts on emotion and not intellect. I found it odd that she directly challenged the other mother with the "game". The manner in which it began was very quick and straightforward, not at all how a scared child would act.

Neither my son nor I found the artwork scary...some of it was a little more difficult to decipher until we had read the entire chapter and then went back to look upon it.

This is my first Gaiman book and while I enjoyed it, it doesn't have as much padding and filler as most books. However, I attribute that to the fact that it is a children's book and therefore, the author wanted it to be kept shorter.

I would have loved more information on Coraline and the other characters before jumping right into the story. Then maybe we would have a better understanding of who Coraline was and how/why Coraline was able to find the clues and make the decisions she did in the time span it took her to do so.

Chandos | August 28, 2004 10:02 AM

Chandos, didn't you think Coraline noticed the snowglobe way too quickly? I found it more odd that the other mother took the challenge than the fact that Coraline proposed it. If I were the other mother, I'd be wary of playing the game knowing that the parents were hidden in plain sight.

This is my third Gaiman book. My first was Neverwhere, which was so engrossing I couldn't put it down. The BBC turned it into a miniseries, and I've been thinking about purchasing the DVD set. I'm holding back because the BBC has always struck me as being more interested in dialogue than setting, and the appeal of Neverwhere for me is its location. I'd hate to spend $50 and find out it was filmed in a basement.

American Gods didn't do much for me. I didn't like Shadow, the main character, enough to care about what he did or where he went.

marydell | August 31, 2004 10:32 AM

marydell: beware the Neverwhere DVD set. It does look like it was filmed in a basement.

Maya | August 31, 2004 11:38 PM

Iam a 12 year old girl and found the book very creppy but in a good way. I thought it was well written and i enjoyed it immnessly.
I liked the drawings although the one with the other mother eating a beetle was kinda of hard to see i had too look at it before i relized what it really was. This was my first book by the autohor and look forward to many more.

Allie | September 2, 2004 9:43 PM

Allie, I'm a 35 year-old girl and I found it very creepy, too. The drawing that creeped me out the most was the one with the other mother's button eyes. I would hate to have my eyes replaced with buttons.

Neil Gaiman has also written a picture book you might like. It's called The Wolves in the Walls.

Maya, thanks for the warning. I'll cross that one off the list.

marydell | September 3, 2004 10:14 AM

Marydell, yes! I agree with you! She did figure it out rather quickly in regards to the snowglobe. However, my seven year old figured it out right BEFORE Coraline did. But keep in mind he is slightly above the average intelligent range for children his age. She was just TOO adult like in her problem solving skills and I agree, no mother ("other mother" or otherwise) would accept a child's challenge...we know that trick! That's like when I child offers up his or her own punishment for a "crime". You just have to be leery of that sort of thing!

Chandos | September 6, 2004 9:28 PM

Oh, and by the way, I'm ordering a few of Gaiman's other children's books for my son along with my order for next month's selection....

Chandos | September 6, 2004 9:32 PM