This summer, Harry Potter has finally left the #1 spot on kids'
reading lists, and new heroes are emerging to whom young readers
can really relate. One such exciting character is Coraline, the
adventurous heroine of Neil Gaiman's book of the same name. This
beautifully written, dark fairy tale finally acknowledges the
underestimated and forgotten maturity of most young people; Gaiman
isn't afraid to write a scary fantasy for children looking for more
than just Disney-esque dragons and grounds-keeping giants.

Coraline (NOT "Caroline," as she will tell you adamantly) has just
moved into a flat in an old house. Her upstairs and downstairs
neighbors are kind and eccentric older people who can't get her
name right, but encourage her curiosity and explorer's instincts.
One rainy afternoon, wandering around bored out of her mind (as
young explorers are wont to do on rainy afternoons), Coraline opens
a locked door in her living room and finds her way into the
mysterious "vacant" fourth flat in the house. Surprisingly, the
apartment is far from empty, and Coraline comes face to face with
two creatures who claim to be her "other" parents. In fact, there
appears to be an entire magical "other" world through the door;
there are amazing toys to play with and neighbors who never mess up
her name.

Soon, however, Coraline realizes that this world is as deadly as it
is enchanting. The "other mother" wants to keep Coraline there
forever, and her intentions are hardly loving or parental. Coraline
meets the ghosts of several other children who had been kidnapped
hundreds of years ago, and she realizes that her both her body and
spirit are in danger. She has to use all her intelligence and
exploratory prowess in order to defeat the horrible "other
mother."

Coraline's story is truly frightening, and Gaiman goes to great
lengths to forge an "other" world where every aspect of our lives
is perverted and twisted into the macabre. Originally a comic-book
writer, he uses lyrical comparisons that challenge the simple
images of traditional children's books'. Kids will enjoy the chills
that run down their spines as they read this story and will be
grateful that there is finally an author that refuses to patronize
a young audience hungry for an absorbing horror tale.