Coraline
Neil Gaiman's Coraline is a wonderful, creepy little children's story which is clever enough to be read with pleasure even by adults. It's so clever and nuanced that some of it will be completely missed or misunderstood by children. (If you don't believe that this can happen, re-read a book you loved as a child; it will seem like a whole new story.)
As with all good children's books, Neil Gaiman lavishes long descriptions on food. (Though the best children's book for descriptions about food is undoubtedly The Hobbit. It's impossible to come away from that book without craving new butter on fresh, white bread.)
Even though it's a children's book, I find Coraline a difficult book to keep a firm grasp on. I don't mean that the plot is hard to follow; the outlines of the story are very straightforward. Rather Gaiman leaves parts of the story hazy and not quite filled in. The otherworldly creatures are never fully explained. I think it's part of what makes this story so creepy.
The ideas he brings up are also fairly sophisticated. The book explores a dark version of reality that is recognizable, but twisted. In one fantastic scene, Coraline acknowledges that in her own way her "other mother" (the dark, predatory version of her mother) loves her. This love takes the form of possession, and would result in Coraline's heart and soul being stolen away if she gives in to it.
For Neil Gaiman fans, this story is definitely worth a read, and clever enough to hold an adult's attention.
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