Listening to Neil Gaiman read his book, Coraline, is a delight. And what a strange and enjoyable tale it is! It’s got suspense, humor, imagination, kindness, and at times it’s downright scary–a delightful mixture that keeps you sitting on the edge of your chair listening to every word. It is considered a book for young people, but adults will love it just as much. Gaiman is a gifted storyteller, not only in writing but also as a narrator.
Coraline lives with her very busy work-at-home parents in a large home shared with three other eccentric adults. She’s bored and has a week left of summer vacation before school begins again. Feeling very lonely, she pesters her folks until she is told to ‘go explore the house’–find the water heater, count all things blue, count the doors, etc. So she takes her notepad and goes exploring. She counts 14 doors in all, and when she opens one of those doors, she finds a brick wall. It’s on the other side of that wall, in a flat eerily like her own, that the story gets chilling…and fun!
A Fondness For Reading 
Despite having read Coraline numerous times I need to pick this audio version up. I have, and love, Stardust on audio and Warning: Contains Language. I could listen to him telling his stories over and over. He has a real knack for that. Glad you enjoyed it.
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This sounds just great! I love hidden things in houses. :<)
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I emailed the library and just heard back that they have it (not the audio) and are holding it for me! Thanks so much for the review.
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Carl, you recommended the audio versions to me and that’s why I ordered Coraline from the library. I haven’t been able to get Stardust yet, so I’m still looking forward to listening to that one. He really does have a knack for narration. I kept thinking about how lucky his kids are to have him for their dad!
Nan, I hope you enjoy it. It’s a darker tale. I would definitely advise parents to read it first before reading it to their kids. But I can see how middle schoolers (and up) would love it, though. I think Neil Gaiman is very much in touch with the inner workings of young people. He certainly knows how to capture us older folks!
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Glad you enjoyed it! I loved Coraline, great little book. I’d love to hear the audio version and one of these days I’ll get one of Gaiman’s audiobooks. He’s got a great reading voice.
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Chris, I agree. He’s got a great voice for narration and he really did a great job reading this book.
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I’ve never read any Neil Gaiman, but you’ve made a good case for him here, Robin.
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Karen, I’d didn’t know anything about Neil Gaiman until just recently, although I’ve been curious about Coraline because many of my students were reading it. I’ve only read Stardust and Coraline, but I’ve enjoyed both of them, so I’d like to try another one to see if these happened to be his best, or if they’re all good.
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Ooh, this sounds as imaginative as another Gaiman I read this October. I like how you caught our attention in your short, but effective, post.
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Coraline is a great story, one I love to read and thoroughly enjoyed as an audiobook.
Definitely agree with Carl – I could listen to Neil Gaiman telling stories forever.
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Thanks, Bellezza. I didn’t want to say too much and give it all away. It’s a short, delightful read.
Quixotic, I enjoy audiobooks, but especially if they’re read by the author. It gives an extra insight into their book when you listen to how they read it. Gaiman is a great narrator. I’d listen to anything he reads, too!
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I loved this book! Never even though about the audio version. Bet it’s wickedly enchanting…must find it!
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Debi, that’s it exactly: “Wickedly enchanting!” I’m sure you and your daughter would really enjoy listening to Neil Gaiman reading his own work. By the way, I read Annie’s two reviews for the Once Upon a Time challenge, and then looked more closely at her poetry and other book reviews. She is a young reader/writer after my own heart!! I was so impressed!
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Well, now I’ll have to go hunt down this audio…I read the novel a few years ago, but now I don’t want to miss out on hearing Neil tell the story.
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I just checked and my library has Coraline on CD. Yeah! I was telling my kiddos about it and they are interested. I am so excited.
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Petunia, I hope your kids enjoy it as much as I did! It will be a great family book share.
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