More Neil Gaiman

[quasigeostrophy]

Just completed a quick read of Gaiman's Coraline. It's a good story about a little girl who is getting ready to start at a new school and is bored with exploring around and in her new home. She seems to get little attention from her parents and the neighbors can't even say her name correctly (calling her "Caroline"). One day she goes through a door in the den into another world. There she meets someone who refers to herself as Coraline's other mother, someone who is overly nice to Coraline. But things aren't quite what they seem. The story is not so much terrifying as just creepy and odd. Gaiman's slow and deliberate, child-level writing style makes the story seem even creepier than the action suggests. The story has a satisfying resolution, and I'd say it's appropriate for kids age 8 and older.

Comments

[firecat]

It's even more wonderful on tape read by the author. (He sings the rat songs in an especially creepy way.)

Re:

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Oooh! I bet that is great. :-)

Re:

[geekchick]

I have it on CD if you want to borrow it next time you swing through here. ;)

I think they need to do a special packaging of the book and a pig puppet.

Re:

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I may actually take you up on that offer. ;-)

special packaging of the book and a pig puppet

*snort* While that indeed seems funny, I'll admit, although I just read the book, I'm not sure I get the juxtaposition. Did I miss something?

oops

[geekchick]

I'm sorry, I was thinking of "The Wolves in the Walls", which is the one that needs a pig puppet accompaniment. Oops. =)

But then again, there's not all that much that wouldn't be made better by the addition of a pig puppet.

Re: oops

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

there's not all that much that wouldn't be made better by the addition of a pig puppet

True. :-)

(I'd forgotten about that, too, as I'd read The Wolves in the Walls right after it came out.)