Coraline Reflection

[Ritsa]

:)

[Elizabeth]

I really enjoyed Coraline. I had the graphic novel version of the story (not sure if I was supposed to or not, it's just what amazon delivered!) and it was really fun to read. It was simple enough to read in about 2 gym sessions and the story was one I found enjoyment from. The story of Coraline scared me a little though. The images of the Other Mother and Other Father and all of the rats were somewhat frightening. The thing that really got me were the black button eyes, I was not a fan. I found myself rooting for Coraline, keeping my fingers crossed that she would finally find her family. In the end, there was a happy ending and Coraline strategically found a way to rid herself of that other world completely. I would recommend this book to someone in the middle to late elementary as it was an extremely easy read with an easy to follow plot.

[Caroline]

Coraline was a fun and easy read. It was a little bit creepy at time with some of the pictures etc. However, it is a great fantasy story and really uses the readers imagination. Our group had a little bit of trouble expanding on the book and its themes since the book was pretty straight forward. We felt that there just wasn't too terribly much to discuss. I am not sure about reading this is a classroom. It was need to be included with a fantasy unit and maybe some sort of movie and several activities. There just needs to be more along with this book than simply a discussion. It does portray family and bravery which are important lessons for students, which are good things to relay in a classroom. Overall I enjoyed reading this book and would have it in my classroom, but having an activity and good read revolved around this book would talk some creative thinking before just jumping in to read a book like Coraline in a classroom.

[Deanna]

Coraline was a creepy, and sometimes scary book, but I really enjoyed it! I thought it had a unique story line filled with fantastical elements that could spark the interest of many children who enjoy reading fantasy books. It was easy to read, and not hard for me to get into. Once I started reading it I did not want to stop because I had no idea what to expect and wanted to know what happened to Coraline in the end. Though I greatly enjoyed it, I feel like whether or not people like it depends on the type of book they enjoy to read. I have always enjoyed books like this that take the reader on an adventure in a mysterious world with unpredictable situations. Not everyone enjoys that though, and the creepy elements might be much for some people to handle. With the said, I think this is a good book for late Elementary school age children to read, especially if they enjoy fantasy books. Since there are 3 different interpretations to the same story (the novel, the graphic novel, and the movie) there any many ways that children can examine the story to see which one they enjoy the most. I am glad that I read the novel first before reading the graphic novel or seeing the movie because I could imagine the story for myself which is what made the story unique in many ways. Since it was based in a different world being able to use my imagination to picture things made it much more enjoyable than if I already had images in my head. So when recommending the story I would definitely recommend that the child starts with the novel and then explores other forms after so they can have a sense of creativity in picturing this mystery other side behind the door. The story itself was very interesting. I found it exciting that Coraline had to go on an adventure in a fantastical world to prove she was brave and able to save her family. It showed the importance of being grateful for what you have and appreciating your family. Coraline had to try very hard to save her parents and the children already lost thanks the other mother. It was a very unique story with unique, though sometimes creepy, characters. Overall, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to children who enjoy fantasy. There are elements of bravery, adventure, and determination that make the book captivating and entertaining in a very creative way.

[Mary]

I read the graphic novel version of this book, and I thought it was an ok book. It wasn't necessarily my favorite book, but I thought it gave the opportunity for children to really use their imaginations. I thought this would have been even more so the case if children had the plain book version of Coraline. Without the graphic novel images, the reader would be able to craft their own version of the book in their heads. The images in the book were, however, a little bit creepy, but I think it would be really appealing to a child in about the 5th grade. Along with the aspect of imagination, the book teaches important lessons about bravery and standing up for what you think is right. I think these are important for children to read about. A young reader of this novel will be learn that it is important not to take what you have for granted. If you do, you may end up with parents with button eyes! I think the graphic novel version of this book could be a useful tool if you have a student who doesn't really like reading that much or has as a hard time getting into fantasy novels. In the classroom setting, it may be fun for the students to watch to movie together in class. Combining all three versions of the story for classroom discussion would be exciting for the students.

[Erika]

As with all the other books I have read this semester, this was my first time reading Coraline, so I don't know what it is like to read this book as a 4th-6th grade child. Since, I found the book really creepy, I feel like some kids may not be able to handle the scary images (especially in the graphic novel version). I was surprised to learn that the author, Neil Gaiman, wrote this for his daughter. Perhaps he wrote it to show her and other children the power of your imagination and where it can take you whenever you are feeling bored. I think it also speaks to the idea that "the grass is not always greener on the other side." Coraline was frustrated with her boring days at home and her parents lack of attention for her. But this imaginary place she went with the other mother proved to be much worse and less sincere. I am not really sure how this could be used if it were assigned for the whole class to read, unless it was just used as an example of fantasy. I think since it could be scary for some kids to read, maybe this book would be best for assigned to students who wanted to read it or just an option for kids from the class library. Some kids who do not enjoy reading may enjoy this book since it is fantasy and somewhat quick to read for a chapter book.

[Raven]

My initial reaction to this book was that it was very creepy. I thought that it was weird and it kind of shocked me being a book that was intended for a 4th or 5th grade student. The images was sort of scary, but they only appeared once every 40 or so pages so it was too bad. The good thing about the original copy of the book was that it didn't have that many pictures so it allows the reader to use their imagination and create images to go along with the story. Another plus, is that it is a very easy and quick read on top of being a chapter book. I think that students would enjoy that aspect. I think that this book would be good for a child that does not really like to read and likes an adventure. Exploring was the main character's favorite thing to do and I feel like being able to relate to a book makes it that much more worthwhile to a reader of any age. Not only that, but because this is not the traditional this book needs to be read as a requirement type, it allows the reader to be able to read purely for enjoyment. One thing that we learned from the group discussion in class is that the author wrote this book for his daughther, which further keep me to keep my initial reaction of the book being weird. I would not have expected this to be the case. We also mentioned how this book used bravery and not taking the things that you have for granted, as themes (take aways).

[Maggie]

Coraline was a really enjoyable book to read. True, it was creepy and would probably be a little scary for children, but fantasy like this can really spark an interest in kids to read. Though I was definitely a weird kid, I loved books like Coraline that pulled me into another world. The book was well written, and the pictures (though more creepy than the writing at times) added another dimension to the text. It interested me that there were three versions of the book—the book itself, a graphic novel, and a movie. The graphic novel bothered me because it was completely different than how I imagined the characters in my head (what I imagined was definitely influenced by the movie). And since my images were influenced by the movie, I can see how the movie would bother someone who had read the book before the movie came out. The different forms of the story add an interesting facet to the story itself. Because there are these different forms, the book would be interesting to make a lesson out of, and maybe even compare and contrast the different stories.

[Christina]

This was the first time that I have read the book. I have seen the movie and the two were very different. In all honesty, I liked the movie a lot more. I felt like the movie contained so much more detail than the book. Which is strange, because typically the movie tends to leave out a lot of details in the book. Anyway, I don't think I would read this book with the class, unless we were on a Halloween-theme unit. This would be a cute book to inspire literacy. Prompts like, "what are you grateful for in your life?" could be a creative writing idea.

I liked the book, and I thought it was a good moral story. The whole "be thankful for what you have" theme was pretty dominant.

I think it's a good book for both genders, since it's spooky (for the boys) and a female main character (for the girls).

Overall, I would love to be able to read the book and then watch the movie with the class to inspire some compare and contrast ideas. :)

[Rachel]

This was the first time I had read Coraline as well. I enjoyed it and usually don't get into fantasy books! It definitely made me want to see the movie, just to compare the two. The book was pretty creepy all around, especially the pictures! However, it had great lessons of bravery and not taking things for granted such as your parents.
Our group kind of struggled to keep the book discussion going for the whole allotted time, so if I did use this in a classroom setting I would have to brainstorm before and come up with ways to keep the conversation alive. I would definitely use this in a classroom though because I think it is a great book for both girls and boys and at the right age, could teach some very valuable lessons.