Inkheart

Author: Cornelia Funke

This week I’m going to be reviewing a book that I really enjoyed!  When Inkheart was published in 2003 (it was originally published in Germany so it didn’t reach the U.S until 2005), it was well received by book critics and was a hit with younger audiences.  Two more books followed, making the series a trilogy, and the book was turned into a movie in 2008; but the movie received mixed reviews and was especially disliked by fans of the book.  I’ve read the first two books in this series and have enjoyed them both; and while I have no interest in seeing the movie (since it sounds like it didn’t stay true to the book), I do plan to read the 3^rd book at some point.

Inkheart is about a 12-year-old girl, Meggie, who lives with her father, Mo, a bookbinder who mends old books.  Meggie and Mo move around a lot for “work.”  One day, a strange man, Dustfinger, shows up at Meggie’s house, and it turns out that he is after a book that Mo has:  Inkheart.  Mo has a secret power so that when he reads a book aloud what he reads comes to life (and even jumps right out of the book); and sometimes things in “real” life disappear when Mo reads things out of the book.  Dustfinger actually wants Inkheart so he can be read back into the story but someone else, Capricorn, wants the book too.  Mo manages to escape with Meggie to her Aunt Elinor’s house (the aunt of her “dead” mother) but gets captured by Capricorn’s men; and it’s up to Meggie to find Capricorn and save Mo, with the help of her grumpy yet endearing aunt and Dustfinger.  I really enjoyed reading this book!  It presents a very fascinating story with interesting and likable characters.  Another part of the book that I really like is that there are book quotes from other books at the beginning of every chapter, books such as The Lord of the Rings and The Wind and the Willows (they do this with the other two books as well). I ended up making a new booklist of books to read thanks to Inkheart!  However, this book’s villain, Capricorn, is very dark and might creep some people out.  There is also a fair amount of mild language in the book, so I would recommend it for older kids only due to the language and creepy parts.  The one thing that I gathered after reading this book was that sometimes we don’t appreciate reading/books as much as we should, and it made me want to keep on reading even more.  Though I’ve come across some not-so-great books lately, I hope this review encourages you to keep reading as well and to never, ever stop!

“Because fear kills everything,” Mo had once told her. “Your mind, your heart, your imagination.”

“It’s a good idea to have your own books with you in a strange place.”