Friday, March 23, 2007
Coraline
Of all the books we’ve read this semester, Coraline is my absolute favorite. I read the entire book in one sitting wondering what would happen next. The suspense was most appealing to me as reader, as was the realistic and age appropriate dialogue. Her age, although not explicity stated, is displayed through her interactions with the other characters. For example, she shows her creativity and intelligence by challenging her “other mother” to the game. I was a bit confused when she then asks the other mother where she should start looking for her parents. Why would she do this? Was she trying to mislead her or did she actually think the mother would help her? Through the entire novel I was never sure what to expect and that kept me interested. Compared to Skellig, the characters in Coraline were better developed and easier to connect and sympathize with, making the reading more enjoyable. I found the talking animals very entertaining, especially the sarcastic and snotty cat and the sophisticated Scottish terriers. I did not like the illustrations, however. The first and last ones were alright, but the others were extremely creepy, especially pages 22 and 68. Certainly there were some scary parts in the book, but the illustrations were bizarre. I really think I could have done without them. While reading, I was thinking I wished I knew a kid who I could give this book to. I would have really enjoyed reading this as a child.
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3 comments:
I agree I definately have been enjoying reading this book. It is full of surprises around every corner it is fun. I love the part when Coraline found the other house and began exploring to find her "other" family. It is also interesting that there are all the talking animals. I like when she goes to see the show and is the only human in the audience. The dogs are interesting characters. Coraline's other house is a lot more fun and entertaining for her. She isn't as ignored by her other parents. I would definately recommend this book to kids. It is an interesting and engaging story.
So I liked this book however, I'm not sure the age is so appropriate. If I had read this story as an eight year old I would have been so scared. Although I still don't like scary movies so maybe that says something about me. I loved how Coraline got to see two different sides of how her family could be and was, and she decided to stick with her old family. She was wise enough to know that "you can't get everything you want" because then you wouldn't "appreciate it" and therefore loves her family. I also wanted to add that I don't think her family doesn't love her or necessarily ignores Coraline, they just seem busy and want her to find her own things to do. I can definitely see how they are lacking in some parenting skilss but I think overall they might just be a bit involved in work. I have to say my favorite part was when she discusses her dad and how he got stung by the yellow jackets so she could get away and then tied that into her being brave. It was instances like that where I can see the parents love her and she also hows how clever she is to be able to pull in that kind of memory to help her in her journey. Lastly, I wanted to say that I agree with the pictures. They were really freaky and I'm not sure they did much to add to my experience of reading the story. I think I would tell people about the book because of the shock value it gave me. I thought it was uniquely interesting and very compelling!
This book really grabbed my attention and it was very hard to put it down. I usually really dislike scray and creepy things like books, movies, and television shows, altough this book was really interesting. I could have definitely done without the pictures. They were overly creepy and I don't think they were age appropriate. I thought it was interesting and very creative that Coraline was able to see two sides to her family. I really sympathised with Coraline when she was being ingnored by her parents. I think that is why she really enjoyed the other house more. Overall, I think this boook was really capturing and interesting. I would recommend it to children but maybe a older audience like 12-13 years old.
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