There, she finds an Other Mother and Other Father, who look like her own parents-except taller and thinner, with buttons for eyes. This time, it leads to a flat that's identical to her own. But she doesn't listen.īack in her flat, Coraline opens the mysterious door again. Bobo, referred to as 'the crazy old man upstairs.' He's attempting to train mice for a circus, and he tells Coraline that his mice warn her to not go through the door. They welcome Coraline in and serve her tea-but when they read her tea leaves, they warn her of danger. She first visits Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, elderly ladies who retired from the stage. Coraline is bored and, when she's ignored by her parents, she decides to get to know her new neighbors. While exploring her new flat, she discovers a small door that, when opened, is bricked up. The story begins with Coraline and her family moving into the old house. But Gaiman liked the looks of it and felt the character take shape, so he kept Coraline. When Gaiman began writing the story in 1990, Coraline was initially a typo of the name he had intended to call his curious young heroine: Caroline. With its grounded premise and clever use of the uncanny, Coraline continues to haunt listeners of all ages. Published in 2002, it received critical acclaim, winning both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novella as well as the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel for Young Readers. When she discovers a portal that takes her to another flat where an Other Mother has all the time in the world for her, Coraline is happy-until things take a dark turn.įrom the brilliant mind of prolific, best-selling author Neil Gaiman, Coraline is considered a modern dark fantasy classic for younger listeners. The only child of workaholic parents, who always seem to be brushing her off in favor of more important business, Coraline is lonely. It is the story of Coraline, a young girl who moves to an old house that has been divided up strangely into four flats. For nearly two decades, Coraline has delighted and terrified fans, inspiring both a film and graphic novel adaptation.

Coraline the graphic novel neil gaiman