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A review by thestorydoer
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten"
To put it in blank terms, Coraline is terrifying. Not terrifying for a Children's book, terrifying for any book, and I found myself quite scared from the pictures I imagined when reading this. The monsters are genuinely terrifying without the need for any sort of mature references, the characters are believably horrifying. Assisted by the perfectly chilling and uncanny illustration by Dave McKean, this is one of the scariest books I've read.
However, even though this book is utterly terrifying, it is one of the best children's literature I've ever read. This is because of the quote which opens the book (as stated above). The protagonist, Coraline, is a smart, brave, and blunt child who throughout the book learns to overcome and confront the horrors which face her in this world. For a child, while most certainly terrifying to read, they can look up to Coraline as a relatable child who can confront and outsmart each of these creatures, which can create some magnificent lessons they will be able to learn at an early age.
Not only that but the book covers very complex emotions and behaviours in terms which a child can understand, things like manipulation, gaslighting, love in friendship, neglect, and bravery. These are talked about in ways which children can recognise and learn from.
I would personally recommend reading this to a child 7 years or upward as this is honestly a horrifying book. As well as maybe reading this with them, instead of letting them read it alone during a first read through.
The one (very minor) flaw in this entire book is that it did not dwell long enough on the other mother's manipulation, only going for roughly 25 pages which is a shame because smothering into gaslighting was very clearly the direction it was trying to take, but it didn't feel believable enough. I personally feel the movie recreated this moment much stronger, although the horror and moral of the movie are far weaker than the book. If this was just that little bit longer, this would have been a 5 star read.
Overall, terrifying for children and adults, but especially inspirational for children. 4.75/5
To put it in blank terms, Coraline is terrifying. Not terrifying for a Children's book, terrifying for any book, and I found myself quite scared from the pictures I imagined when reading this. The monsters are genuinely terrifying without the need for any sort of mature references, the characters are believably horrifying. Assisted by the perfectly chilling and uncanny illustration by Dave McKean, this is one of the scariest books I've read.
However, even though this book is utterly terrifying, it is one of the best children's literature I've ever read. This is because of the quote which opens the book (as stated above). The protagonist, Coraline, is a smart, brave, and blunt child who throughout the book learns to overcome and confront the horrors which face her in this world. For a child, while most certainly terrifying to read, they can look up to Coraline as a relatable child who can confront and outsmart each of these creatures, which can create some magnificent lessons they will be able to learn at an early age.
Not only that but the book covers very complex emotions and behaviours in terms which a child can understand, things like manipulation, gaslighting, love in friendship, neglect, and bravery. These are talked about in ways which children can recognise and learn from.
I would personally recommend reading this to a child 7 years or upward as this is honestly a horrifying book. As well as maybe reading this with them, instead of letting them read it alone during a first read through.
The one (very minor) flaw in this entire book is that it did not dwell long enough on the other mother's manipulation, only going for roughly 25 pages which is a shame because smothering into gaslighting was very clearly the direction it was trying to take, but it didn't feel believable enough. I personally feel the movie recreated this moment much stronger, although the horror and moral of the movie are far weaker than the book. If this was just that little bit longer, this would have been a 5 star read.
Overall, terrifying for children and adults, but especially inspirational for children. 4.75/5
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood and Torture