I watched the movie, directed by Henry Selick, a long while before picking up the original source material. And I ended up loving the book as much as I love the movie.
When Coraline and her mother and father move into a new flat, aside from the 'eccentric' neighbours Coraline encounters when she goes exploring the grounds, she discovers an evil hidden away, an evil that Coraline has to face and defeat in order to not only save herself and her family, but also rescue the souls of children captured by the evil.
It's a book filled with the fantastical as well as infused with suitably creepy chills. A dark tale that has a wonderful lead in Coraline, who is smart, curious and brave, and yet still very childlike at times, as we follow the story through her eyes, and a delicious villain that tries to outwit Coraline. It reads like an eerie fairy-tale, and is beautifully written by
Neil Gaiman, who works his magic once again!
