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Inkheart (Hardcover)
by Cornelia Funke
| Category:
Adventure, Magic, Fiction, Ages 9-12, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 218.00
MSL price:
¥ 208.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Inkheart is a thoroughly imaginative, thrilling and engrossing journey down the line of good and evil. |
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Author: Cornelia Funke
Publisher: The Chicken House
Pub. in: October, 2003
ISBN: 0439531640
Pages: 544
Measurements: 8.1 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00036
Other information:
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- MSL Picks -
Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie, 12, has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. Things change after a visit from a scarred man who calls himself Dustfinger and who refers to Mo as Silvertongue. Meggie learns that her father has been keeping secrets. He can "read" characters out of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released Dustfinger and other characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story. Mo also released Capricorn, a sadistic villain who takes great pleasure in murdering people. He has sent his black-coated henchmen to track down Mo and intends to force him to read an immortal monster out of the story to get rid of his enemies. Meggie, Mo, Dustfinger, and Meggie's great-aunt Elinor are pursued, repeatedly captured, but manage to escape from Capricorn's henchmen as they attempt to find the author of Inkheart in the hope that he can write a new ending to the story. This "story within a story" will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters.
Target readers:
Kids aged up 8
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- Better with -
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Cornelia Funke is Germany's bestselling children's author after J. K. Rowling and R. L. Stine. In the fall of 2002, she made her brilliant debut in the English-language market with the release of The Thief Lord, the fantastical New York Times bestseller which Kirkus called "One spellbinding story." Ms. Funke lives in Hamburg, Germany with her family.
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Cornelia Funke, the enormously talented author of the international best-seller The Thief Lord, brings readers another spellbinding tale of adventure and magic. Meggie lives a quiet life alone with her father, a book-binder. But her father has a deep secret- he possesses an extraordinary magical power. One day a mysterious stranger arrives who seems linked to her father's past. Who is this sinister character and what does he want? Suddenly Meggie is involved in a breathless game of escape and intrigue as her father's life is put in danger. Will she be able to save him in time?
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Bensmomma (MSL quote), Michigan
<2006-12-26 00:00>
We liked this one even better than Funke's most recent work, The Thief Lord. Inkheart's premise is even more engaging: Meggie's dad, a bookbinder, is so marvelous at reading out loud that many years ago he "read" the villain Capricorn from a book called Inkhear into reality. The villain then kidnapped Meggie's mom. Meggie and her dad must find them and trick them back into the book.
Although Inkheart is a long book (500+ pages), Funke establishes the thrills and the threat in the book's premise almost immediately, on a dark and stormy night and the day following when Meggie and her dad first try to make their escape. The narrative continues to an isolated village in Italy where Meggie encounters a menagerie of minor evil characters who have also escaped from the book.
Meggie is an engaging and spunky heroine that will appeal to both boy and girl readers.
A nice feature of the book is its general love for books - dad Mo is a bookbinder, aunt Elinor is a book collector with a huge library. Clearly Funke is not a lightweight trying to cash in on the Harry Potter fantasy kick; she conveys her love of books and language in a way that will enthuse any reader from 8 to 80.
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Ingrid Heyn (MSL quote), Melbourne, Australia
<2006-12-26 00:00>
Cornelia Funke, whose wondrous writing has captivated German readers before being translated into other languages including English, is one of the most gifted writers of children's/young adults'/adults' fantasy novels today. Her use of word color is magnificent - crisp, sure, enchanting, illuminating. I am reminded of the exquisite detail and richness in an intricately drawn illuminated manuscript, in which skill and inspiration create something of such beauty that words become art, not just a story.
The concept behind this novel - a man has the gift of reading himself or others into a book, or reading characters out of it (although he cannot perfectly control this gift at all) - and the troubles and adventures that result from this are imaginative and fresh. What a blessing to find a writer whose vivid envisioning is not limited to pasting together previously used ideas with never a jot of originality. Simply put, Ms Funke is a treasure house of original ideas and writing.
Her technical skill in creating worlds through words is sure and magical.
This book appeals to older children, teens, young adults, adults of all ages, like the best children's books. Its characters and richness of plot stay in the mind long after the book is finished. Readers will be delighted to know that this is but the first book in a trilogy, so at this book's end, the reader can plunge straight into the next in the series, Inkspell.
For those reviewers who have called this "boring" or "uninspired" or speak slightingly of the writer's technical ability or execution of the writing, I can only wonder why. Perhaps it is true that no great writer ever meets with universal approval - it is certainly true that every writer, even Shakespeare, has his detractors.
For those who have progressed beyond the relatively simple vocabulary of the Harry Potter novels, but want to read something of great beauty, rich enchantment and rivetingly exciting storyline, I think you cannot fail to be delighted by this novel.
Here's hoping that Cornelia Funke writes many more novels of such exquisite quality and vibrancy of ideas.
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A kid (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
Have you ever gotten into a book so much that you wish you could have been there? Well, Meggie in Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke, lives this dream. This story takes place in two book filled houses and an old demon filled village. Meggie (the main character) and her magical dad, Mortimer or Mo, who can read almost anything out of any book, meet a mysterious and shady figure named Dustfinger who warns them that a dark and powerful ruler called Capricorn and his henchman are back. Together, Meggie, Mo, Dustfinger, and Meggie's Aunt Elinor must stop Capricorn and discover the secrets kept from Meggie for years. I loved this book because the author had a well thought out story that a lot of people had thought of, and she made it her own. Also, it was a fantastic story because the author refers to other books by taking evidence from them to explain the story. For instance, in the beginning there is a clip from Shel Silverstein and it says,
"If you are a dreamer, come in
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A Hope-er, a Pray-er, a Magic Bean buyer,
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin
Come in!
Come in!"
If you read this book, you will feel as if you are really there, and you won't want to stop reading. This adventurous fantasy book just as thrilling that you should also read called Inkspell. Lastly, this book is a must-read because it shows books can be tremendously exciting. Are you ready to experience them? |
Peanutbudder (MSL quote), Vancouver, Canada
<2006-12-26 00:00>
Inkheart is a thoroughly imaginative, thrilling and engrossing journey down the line of good and evil. At 534 pages, it is a long read, but has enough subtle twists to keep readers fully involved throughout the story.
The book begins on a stormy night when a strange visitor who calls himself Dustfinger visits Meggie Folchart's home, seeking her father Mo, who fixes up old books. The following morning Mo takes Maggie and flees to his aunt's house in Italy where Meggie discovers the dark secret that hangs over her family.
The book shies away from all predictability, keeping the reader enraptured right down to the last chapter. Each character is delicately formed to be three-dimensional and elusive; allowing the reader to decide for themselves who is on the "bad side" and the "good side," then shocks them when they find out the "good guy" may not be so good after all.
Inkheart is a difficult read at 534 pages, but I'm sure you will enjoy every word. I highly recommend this book. It makes a great read-aloud!
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