it may be december but i’ll always be talking about spooky season! coraline is such a wonderful story with fascinating characters, along with a villain that did manage to creep me out when i was younger. gaiman’s ability to balance childhood wonder with imaginative horror is almost genius, enhancing the fears we as children have always had while playing on the angst against our parents. it’s what makes coraline as a character both relatable & questionable, placing us in the shoes of someone who wished too hard & regretted it. i loved the story, as many do, however i couldn’t help but compare it to the film (i know, an authors worst nightmare). i guess that’s the part you should be cautious of when reading this book; it’s a children’s book & is extremely easy to read but it doesn’t expand the universe & the characters as much as the film does. again, i don’t think this is at the fault of gaiman, how can you compare a 100 page children’s book to a feature film? however there is something about the movie that grasps the themes that i don’t think were completely evolved in the book. if you’ve ever wanted to read that original story then please go ahead, but make sure you do before watching the film because it will linger on your mind much more than the book.