Inkheart

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart instantly appealed to the book lover in me. It has all the elements that I like about a good yarn: a mystery, an adventure and a child who saves the day. Best of all, it has magic and, at the center of the adventure, is a confusticating book that is also titled Inkheart. This, plus wonderful character names like Dustfinger, Basta, Mortola and Silvertongue, makes Inkheart a good candidate for a read-aloud book.

The child, Meggie, and her father Mo, are pitted against the evil Capricorn -- a dastardly villain who is magically pulled out of the book Inkheart and thrown in our own world.

Trapped in this universe, Capricorn has no other recourse but to try and conquer our world (or, at least, Italy) using the usual evil schemes that all fictional villains are heir to.

It appears that Mo has something to do with the magic that transports Capricorn into the real world. For this reason, Capricorn kidnaps Mo and separates him from Meggie. Meggie's courage and cunning eventually saves her father and banishes Capricorn.

Like the children in The Thief Lord, the child Meggie's character is strong and unfazed by the schemes of men. I like this pattern in Funke's stories because I think it helps young readers form a strong sense of self.

There's a second book that follows this, titled Inkspell and I'll probably read it too after I clear my backlog of readings :)