Coraline

Continuing on my Neil Gaiman marathon I next came to Coraline. I'm a big fan of stop-motion animation and found the movie version of the book extraordinary... and creepy of course, haha, anything involving buttons for eyes sends a chill down my spine. Short and sweet this novel gets its point across firmly and was very well translated into a movie. Maybe all of Neil Gaiman's books should be turned into movies? Seriously, the dialogue he wrote for his characters (in Stardust as well) was often used word for word in the movie.

If you've ever been a kid, then you can probably relate to Coraline. She's a young girl who is starved for attention and feels that no one around her listens to anything that she says. Sound familiar? I know I went through a faze like that growing up, there was a lot of foot stamping involved. Throw in that she has just moved to a new neighbourhood with her parents where she does not know any of the children and you have a recipe for loneliness. An exploration of her new abode comes about when her parents, who are working from home, try to keep her out of their hair. In the stuffy, formal drawing room Coraline discovers an old carved wooden door that seemingly leads to nowhere.

Coraline discovers a world where everything seems better, more exciting. She is finally getting the attention she craves from her other mother and other father. There's one catch, she must sew buttons into her eyes if she wishes to stay. When Coraline tries to cut her ties from the other mother she finds that her parents have been trapped by her. A dangerous game ensues which could land Coraline trapped in the other world forever never to see her parents again. Neil Gaiman teaches an important lesson through this novella to young children and adults as well, always be thankful for what you have.
 Neil Gaiman