Rebecca Recommends: 'Coraline' by Neil Gaiman

This story tells of the adventurous Coraline (not Caroline, as others mistakenly call her) as she moves into a strange house with her mother and father. Coraline loves exploring. But after a couple of weeks of playing in the house and the surrounding grounds, she becomes rather restless and tired of feeling ignored. She has played with all her toys and read all her books. She has counted all the windows and she has counted all the doors. Her parents are boringly busy and there seems like nothing else to do! Not even her eccentric neighbours can satisfy her curiosity.

But...there is a peculiar door. Situated in the drawing room, it oddly opens on to a brick wall. When bizarre dreams and strange signs occur, Coraline finds that the unusual door leads to the world of her ‘Other Mother’. A magical alternate reality, the ‘Other Mother’ supplies Coraline with all the wonderful food and fun she could ever want. Enchanted, Coraline keeps returning but Coraline should quickly take heed. For the ‘Other Mother’, a taller, thinner version of her real mother with paper white skin and black buttons for eyes, has sinister plans in mind…

‘Coraline’ is a fantastically thrilling and spooky read, perfectly exhibiting Neil Gaiman’s marvellously strange imagination and is accompanied by illustrations by Chris Riddell (which I must admit, made me jump on several occasions!) ‘Coraline’ is a horror book for children and while parts are quite scary and adrenaline- filled, it is not needlessly frightening.

What I loved most about ‘Coraline’ was its wonderful message about being brave. There is a common misconception that those who are brave are fearless. Coraline finds herself in a situation where she must defeat evil or else face losing everything and although she does not feel very brave inside, she does what she has to, regardless of her fears. She is terrified yet she still takes action. THIS is what makes her brave.

When I finished the last page, I realised that I often tell myself that I will conquer all my fears when I 'become brave.' Unfortunately, although I can try to convince myself, I, like Coraline, have no time to wait. It is very easy in life to become your own ‘Other Mother,’ insisting and persuading yourself you are better off in your own little bubble, when in fact, there is often more to lose if you stay. It is said that in life you should 'feel the fear and do it anyway' and Coraline is a inspiring example of this.

A wonderfully exhilarating and inventively scary story, ‘Coraline’ encourages its young readers to be brave in life and that, like our heroine, shows that anyone is capable of showing remarkable strength and courage, even when they are afraid.

Illustrated by Chris Riddell. Bloomsbury (2012)

For more information, please check out:

Neil Gaiman: http://www.mousecircus.com

Chris Riddell: http://www.panmacmillan.com/author/chrisriddell