Characters
The Other World
Plot
Quotes and Themes
Symbols and Details
100

This main character explores her new house because her parents are too busy to pay attention to her.

Who is Coraline?

100

Instead of normal eyes, every person and animal in the Other World has these sewn into their faces.

What are Black Buttons?

100

Miss Spink and Miss Forcible give Coraline this object with a hole in it to protect her from bad things.

What is a stone?

100

Coraline famously notes that this trait means being scared but doing the right thing anyway.

What is bravery (or courage)?

100

Coraline complains bitterly that her father always cooks recipes that contain these types of ingredients.

What are leek, potato or tarragon?

200

This creature has no name, can pass through walls, and acts as Coraline's guide and sarcastic ally.

Who is the black cat?

200

Coraline finds this in the drawing room or parlor.

What is a small door?

200

Coraline challenges the Other Mother to this type of game to win back her parents and the ghost children.

What is a finding or exploring game?

200

The cat tells Coraline that humans have these, while cats simply are who they are, which is why cats do not need them.

What are names?

200

This is the color of the protective cloak Coraline wears when she goes exploring in the rain.

What is bright yellow?
300

This entity creates a distorted world to trap children and eat their souls.

Who is the Other Mother (Beldam)?

300

Unlike the real world, the food in the Other World always tastes like this to Coraline.

What is delicious/wonderful/good/perfect?

300

To free the three ghost children, Coraline must find and collect these hidden objects.

What are their marbles (or eyes)?

300

The ghost children warn Coraline that the Beldam only wants something to do this to, because she is empty inside.

What is love?

300

This insect species serves as the structural shape of the Other Mother’s true, terrifying form.

What is a spider?

400

These two retired, eccentric actresses live in the flat below Coraline and obsess over their old theater days.

Who are Miss Spink and Forcible?

400

When Coraline walks too far away from the Other Mother's house, the landscape completely dissolves into this.

What is nothingness (or a blank, white mist)?

400

The Other Mother punishes Coraline by locking her inside a dark space hidden behind this household object.

What is the mirror?

400

Other Father deteriorated because Other Mother can only make this.

What are poor copies of real things?

400

Miss Spink and Miss Forcible read these soggy remnants at the bottom of a cup to predict Coraline's danger.

What are tea leaves?

500

This upstairs neighbor trains a musical circus, though Coraline initially thinks he is just crazy.

Who is Mr. Bobo?

500

The Other Mother traps Coraline's real parents inside this object located on the mantelpiece.

What is a snow globe?

500

To seal the well forever, Coraline uses a tea party set to trick this disembodied, crawling object.

What is the Other Mother's severed hand?

500

This character warns Coraline before she enters the door by passing along a message from the mice: "Don't go through the door."

Who is the old man upstairs (Mr. Bobo)?

500

The crazy old man upstairs claims his circus mice cannot perform properly yet because the music lacks this specific quality.

What is "oompah-oompah" (or the right beat/rhythm)?