About the Author

Neil Gaiman is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of books for children and adults whose award-winning titles include Norse Mythology, American Gods, The Graveyard Book, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), Coraline, and The Sandman graphic novels. Neil Gaiman is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR and Professor in the Arts at Bard College.

Reviews

"Not since four English schoolchildren walked through a wardrobe and discovered the magical land of Narnia has the simple act of opening a door unlocked such a fantastic journey. And not since Alice tumbled down the rabbit hole has that journey been so splendidly strange and frightening . . . . You don't have to be a kid to appreciate the spell Gaiman casts in the suspenseful Coraline. Walk through the door and you'll believe in love, magic and the power of good over evil."--USA Today

"Rise to your feet and applaud: Coraline is the real thing."--Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials

"An electifyingly creepy tale likely to haunt young readers for many moons."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Inventine, scay, thrilling, and finally affirmative."--Washington Post Book World

"You don't have to be a kid to appreciate the spell Gaiman casts in the suspenseful Coraline. Walk through the door and you'll believe in love, magic and the power of good over evil."--USA Today

When a girl moves into an old house, she finds a door leading to a world that eerily mimics her own, but with sinister differences. "An electrifyingly creepy tale likely to haunt young readers for many moons," wrote PW in a boxed review. Ages 8-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Gr 6-8-When Coraline and her parents move into a new house, she notices a mysterious, closed-off door. It originally went to another part of the house, which her family does not own. Some rather eccentric neighbors call her Caroline and seem not to understand her very well, yet they have information for her that will later prove vital. Bored, she investigates the door, which takes her into an alternate reality. There she meets her "other" mother and father. They are very nice to her, which pleases Coraline but also makes her a little suspicious. Her neighbors are in this other world, and they are the same, yet somehow different. When Coraline gets nervous and returns home, her parents are gone. With the help of a talking cat, she figures out that they are being held prisoner by her other parents, as are the souls of some long-lost children. Coraline's plan to rescue them involves, among other things, making a risky bargain with her other mother whose true nature is beginning to show. The rest of the story is a suspense-filled roller coaster, and the horror is all the more frightening for being slightly understated. A droll humor is present in some of the scenes, and the writing is simple yet laden with foreboding. The story is odd, strange, even slightly bizarre, but kids will hang on every word. Coraline is a character with whom they will surely identify, and they will love being frightened out of their shoes. This is just right for all those requests for a scary book.-Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

"Not since four English schoolchildren walked through a wardrobe and discovered the magical land of Narnia has the simple act of opening a door unlocked such a fantastic journey. And not since Alice tumbled down the rabbit hole has that journey been so splendidly strange and frightening . . . . You don't have to be a kid to appreciate the spell Gaiman casts in the suspenseful Coraline. Walk through the door and you'll believe in love, magic and the power of good over evil."--USA Today
"Rise to your feet and applaud: Coraline is the real thing."--Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials
"An electifyingly creepy tale likely to haunt young readers for many moons."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Inventine, scay, thrilling, and finally affirmative."--Washington Post Book World
"You don't have to be a kid to appreciate the spell Gaiman casts in the suspenseful Coraline. Walk through the door and you'll believe in love, magic and the power of good over evil."--USA Today