This
graphic novel adaptation of the eerie bestselling
thriller,
Coraline, will send shivers down your spine! Coraline
and her parents move into a huge old house with three floors. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, two retired actresses, live in the flat downstairs with three aging dogs. Old Mr. Bobo lives in the flat above with his circus performing pet mice. What Coraline doesn’t know is that there's someone (or some
thing) else living in that old house – just beyond the mysteriously locked door in the drawing room.
“Don’t go through the door!” Mr. Bobo warns Coraline. But one boring, rainy day, she does…and discovers a strange house that looks exactly like her own – almost. In the “other” house, the food tastes better, her room is full of toys, and her perfect parents are always there to listen to her. Coraline’s “other” mother looks like the real one – except for her long, red fingernails, long teeth, and black button eyes. This creepy “other” mother promises to love Coraline “forever and always.” What child wouldn’t be happy in a place where you get anything you want? But Coraline returns back to the real world, only to find out that her real parents have disappeared. With nothing but a talking black cat and a lucky stone from Miss Spink, Coraline goes back to the weird alternate world. When Coraline demands to know where her real parents are, the “other” mother shuts her up behind a magic mirror to "teach her some manners". There Coraline meets the ghosts of three other
children who were basically loved to death. After seeing these lost souls, Coraline realizes she must overcome her fears and find a way out of this bizarre world…or be lost forever.
The reading level for this
graphic novel is said to be ages 9 – 12, but some children may find the hauntingly realistic illustrations, particularly those of the “other” mother and the red-eyed rats that roam the house, way too frightening. The original book was made into an animated film of the same title (read Oemar's movie review on this website - link below).
About the Author New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman has written several books for children, including
The Wolves in the Walls and
The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish. Originally from England, he now lives in America. Read more about his work at
www.mousecircus.com (click on link below).
The legendary P. Craig Russell has spent 35 years producing comic books, illustrations, and graphic novels, from Batman and Star Wars to adaptations of classic operas such as "The Magic Flute".