Inkheart

Resource type: book (fiction)

Cover (Funke, 2011)

Meggie and her father, Mo, love books. And not just to read. Mo earns a living by repairing old and broken books, carefully rebinding them and dressing them in new jackets so that they can continue sharing their stories with the world.

But while Meggie and Mo's lives are filled with books: stacked up in all rooms of their house, and always a few taken with them wherever they go, there is a secret that Mo has been keeping from his 12 year old daughter for seven years. He has a magical ability: when he reads out loud his voice is filled with such passion, life and richness, that characters are pulled out of the story into their world. But who might he read out? A friend like Tinkerbell from Peter Pan? Or the villain, Captain Hook?

The pair meet with Meggie's great aunt Elinor who also shares their love of books, housing a collection of thousands of rare and valuable books in her mansion. Together, Mo's magical ability takes them on an adventure through the countryside in Italy, to confront some dark secrets from Mo's past.

This book has a dark, medieval and gothic feeling. Most of the action takes place in run down villages in the mountains of Italy, overlooking the sea. There are murderous henchmen dressed in black suits who control the police and the nearby village, superstitions, curses, fire-breathing and a larger than life gruesome statue of the villain.

This is an unusual YA book, because most of the characters are adults. And while the adventure does feel slow to start, Inkheart creates a beautiful and terrifying world, full of mystery, adventure and old magic.

Bibliographic details:

Funke, C. (2011). Inkheart. Frome, UK: Chicken House.