Coraline Read Along Post 1

This post covers the first seven chapters of Coraline. There may be spoilers.

Coraline is one of my favorite children's books ever. She's just such a fascinating character. I must confess that I saw the film long before I read the book (or even knew it was a book) and the two are quite different. Almost drastically so.

I love that Coraline lives in a kind of creepy old house and has all these eccentric neighbors: two aging former actresses who adore small terrier dogs and a very odd man who lives upstairs and is training some (apparently) stubborn mice for a mouse circus.

I even love Coraline's parents. I know that they work too much and could probably pay more attention to Coraline, but they have wonderful ways of encouraging her. Her father tells her to "take up an expedition" around the house to count the doors and everything that's blue. When she draws a squiggly painting of mist, her mother tells her it's very modern. Those moments really made me smile.

Then there is the other mother. Who lives in the vortex-y crawl space in the parlor. She's the same, but different and has button eyes. I never liked the other mother. There's just something about her that doesn't sit well with me. Even without the button eyes.

What I like most about this section is that Coraline is creative and somewhat take charge, but in a believable way. She's tough and she explores. I think that she is quite a role model. I want to be like Coraline. One of my favorite moments is when she phones the police to report a parent napping. The policeman's response is wonderfully sweet.

I love the sinisterness of the Other world. I think it is so suited for Coraline and of course the black cat to find a way out of things. I want more YA books with main characters like Coraline.