Book 43 1/2

"Coraline" by Neil Gaiman.

Want more gushing? Well you've got it. I'm only counting this one as half a book, 'cause it wasnae very long, but it was a great read.

Coraline, our eponymous heroine, is a little girl whose parents don't seem to pay much attention to her. When she finds a door in her house that leads to another house just like hers, with parents like hers - except more attentive and fun and with black buttons for eyes - it seems she has found a better place. Or has she...?

This is more of a children's book (albeit a scary one), and even has a comment on the back written by Lemony Snicket, but like any well-written children's book, adults can read and enjoy it. Well, I did and I'm almost an adult.

With his usual flair for smooth narrative, believable fantasy rules and masterful grasp of the perfect detail, Gaiman - like Lemony Snicket, J.K. Rowling, Eoin Colfer and Terry Pratchett (to name a few) - is also able to aim this one at children (or parents reading it to their children) without talking down to them. Oh, and he also completely understands cats.

Four small stones with a hole in the middle out of five.

PS: It even has a nifty web site. Although the music does get a bit annoying after a while.