It's Coraline, not Caroline. That's Coraline's problem. no one gets her name right. It's boring glum in her old flat apartment.You'd think crazy Mr. Bobo who is raising a mice circus would keep her busy since her parents have no time for her. One day Coraline finds a door to a world almost congruent to her own. Every thing is alike from her Dad's office to her great grandma's junk packed room, When a women with paper white skin and button eyes in this world seems to "love" Coraline. So maybe if this women is crazy enough to knit buttons in her head, she's crazy enough to try and win Coraline's love by smashing the whole world together. Worse, she takes her anger of failing outon her right hand. Will Coraline escape while her blood still flows?

Coraline is a kid. That obvious truth struck me many times throughout this amazing little gem by Neil Gaiman of "American Gods" fame. Not to blunt my praise for Gaiman's creative ability, but he MUST have drawn on his parenting experiences for "Coraline." The titular character is equal parts charmingly honest and frusteratingly picky, she styles herself as independent but her world is bordered by the arms of her parents. People will inevitably compare this book to "Alice and Wonderland," but Coraline (not Caroline, mind you) is not a moralizing avatar of the author. She is a self-styled explorer that any kid (boy or girl) could easily get behind.

That's not to say that Gaiman's only triumph is creating a single great character. The narrative has a unique way of causing fear that I've honestly never seen before. To all but the most sensitive children "Coraline" is a great spooky tale to tell kids old enough to understand the concept of fiction. (anyone reading Goosebumps or other kid-friendly thrillers) Adults, specifically parents, may feel a different kind of fear as Coraline enters a very twisted version of her own home. It may even be more terrifying to a parent that, at it's heart, "Coraline" is a story about a young girl that is kidnapped by a hostile and even murderous force.

To go into setting and the other plot details would destroy a lot of the suspense that mounts as Coraline explores her new world. It's best that the reader encounters them as Coraline does: brave and horrified. However, it is worth noting that this isn't a story aimed at seeing the child-hero through to adulthood. It's not a innocence-crushing coming of age tale. If anything the journey makes Coraline just a bit more grateful for what she has, and that's a lesson that any kid can take to heart.

If this were just an excellent piece of children's fiction it would easily deserve five stars. As it is a delightful read for any age it should be purchased immeadiately for anyone even slighlty interested in the sort of surreal fairy tale that Gaiman has mastered writing.

This story of a little girl who loses her parents is quite entertaining. A little too short but since it was made for his kids, it's alright. Made for children but an adult can like this just the same since most of the time it's not infantile at all.
Very cute, very creepy, I love it.