Coraline
Overview: When Coraline explores her new home, she finds a door. Through the door is another house just like her own…except that it’s different. it’s a marvelous adventure until Coraline discover that there’s also another mother and another father in the house. They want Coraline to be their little girl and they want to keep her forever! Coraline must use all of her wits and every ounce of her courage to save herself and return home.
Pages: 176 Pages
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Recommendations: Carrie By Stephen King
Review By: Jason Schulte
Rating: 
I decided to give this book a go after catching the movie first – I know, I did things backwards. But I was curious to see how the original source material stacked up against the film, which left me less than impressed. Turns out, the book and movie are pretty similar, with a few differences here and there.
The story follows Coraline, a bored girl stuck in a dull summer vacation with parents who couldn’t care less about her adventures. All they want is for her to stay out of their hair and let them work in peace. So, Coraline explores on her own and stumbles upon a mysterious door that leads to a brick wall. Things take a strange turn from there, and the plot thickens.
The first half of the book paints a vivid picture of Coraline’s neglected life, making you feel sorry for her. But the second half, which should be the thrilling climax, fell a bit flat for me. I found myself struggling to stay engaged, often having to backtrack and reread passages as my mind wandered off.
While the book is slightly better than the movie, I was surprised by how some things that were crystal clear on screen became murky in the book, and vice versa. Overall, it’s a quick read that didn’t completely waste my time, but it didn’t leave me feeling satisfied either. It’s just… meh. Not great, not terrible, just meh.