Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Library Queen

For those who like well written scary books, put this one on your list. Coraline finds a door that leads to another apartment that looks just like hers. Only in the OTHER apartment there lives an OTHER mother and father with black button eyes and magic ways. The other mother wants to keep Coraline for herself and never let her see her real parents again. In fact, the other mother makes Coralines parents disappear. Coraline must find a way to escape, rescue her real parents, and help release more of the captives.

A talking cat contributes much to the adventure. This conversation captures the personality of both charcters.

But how can you walk away from something and still come back to it?

Easy, said the cat. Think of somebody walking around the world. You start out walking away from something and end up coming back to it.:

Small world, said Coraline.

Its is big enough for her said the cat. Spiders webs only have to be big enough to catch flies.

Coraline shivered.

To be honest the cover of this book did not attact me. I looked at it, read the back, looked at the cover again, and put it back on the shelf. But, I am constantly getting asked for a scary book and I was running low on ideas for some students. That is when I remembered this book and decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did. For someone who does not do scary books this one had just the right touch. The illustrations added so much to the story.