Daring You to Read - Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Daring You to Read is hosted every week by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews.

Here's how it works:

- You choose a book you’ve read, loved and would dare your readers to read!

- The book you choose must be an older release (at least 6 months ago), because let’s be honest, we’re all quite aware of the latest releases.

- Write your own blog post, using the button and linking back to Tynga’s Reviews, inviting your readers to read your chosen book.

- Come back on Tynga’s Reviews and put your link in the linking tool.

- Browse other bloggers Dare and let them know if you’ve read their featured book, or plan on reading it.

- Super easy and an awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

This week I'm daring you to read Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

I need to start off by saying I love Neil Gaiman books. They're always so fantastical and magical. This one is no different.

When Coraline explores her new home, she steps through a door and into another house just like her own - except that things aren't quite as they seem. There's another mother and another father in this house and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. Coraline must use all of her wits and every ounce of courage in order to save herself and return home... but will she escape and will life ever be the same again?

This was a fast and simple read. I actually saw the movie long before I ever read the book. The movie scared both of my kids so I just had to see how closely it resembled the original story.

I have to admit, I probably wouldn't have read this story to my girls. It would have freaked them out more than the movie did (and I loved the movie!). It's the kind of book you read to kids, maybe ages 10 and up, by candlelight during a storm that's knocked the power out.

Coraline (or Caroline as her clueless neighbors call her) is bored. Her parents don't pay enough attention to her and NOW she can't even go outside. So she explores the inside of this new strange house they've moved into and finds herself, literally, with a key to another world. What seems to be an almost parallel dimension, if you will. One that she very much prefers to her true reality. Other Mother and Other Dad love her and shower her with attention and let her do all the things that she wishes she could do at home.. er... her other home. But they're hiding a dark and dangerous secret. One that Coraline discovers with the help of a cat that can speak, but only in the alternate reality.

All of the sudden her real Mom and Dad seem more appealing to her, but her Other Mother won't  give up so easily. She's determined to have Coraline. To keep Coraline. To make Coraline just like her. After all, why would Coraline want to go back to her real parents who are too busy to pay any attention to her?

I may not be in the age range this book is recommended for, but I don't care. It's imaginative and thrilling and completely suspenseful. From the acrobat and his mouse circus to the aging and nostalgic actresses with their terriers, Coraline is full of mystery and fantasy... even horror. It's a perfect read if you want something quick and exciting... even if you ARE an adult.

So go on and pick it up, I dare you.