December 09, 2004
YA6: Inkheart
I've been meaning to get to Inkheart by Cornelia Funke for a while now (part of my determination to work my way through the "Books and reading -- Fiction" and "Characters in literature -- Fiction" subject headings in the catalog), but its always checked out from the library with a waiting list of holds. I finally bought it the other day (since a percentage of my B&N purchases were going to a good cause.)
It was as good as I had hoped, and I couldn't put it down. Twelve-year-old Meggie lives with her father Mo, who repairs and binds books. Her life is turned upside down when a mysterious stranger she spots outside her house in the rain turns out to be a fictional character her father has "read" to life from a book nine years earlier -- the same time her mother had mysteriously disappeared as well.
From Publisher's Weekly: "Funke plans every exquisite detail: chapters begin with quotes from books such as The Wind in the Willows, setting the stage for this book about books, and bookworms will appreciate the opportunities to identify with the characters (e.g., Dustfinger does not want to learn the ending of Inkheart, both Mo and Elinor warn Meggie of the dangers of fire to those who surround themselves with pages, etc.). Meggie makes a triumphant heroine and in the end discovers her own secret talent. Funke once again proves the power of her imagination; readers will be captivated by the chilling and thrilling world she has created here."
Inkheart / Cornelia Funke ; translated from the German by Anthea Bell.
by Funke, Cornelia Caroline.
New York : Scholastic, 2003. 534 p.
Ages 11-15