The power of the written word
Today's update is for Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, a beautifully written children's book translated from the German about the magic and power of reading. Sounds familiar, right? While I appreciate everything the omnipresent Ms. Rowling has done to draw attention to the high-quality kids' fiction coming out of Europe these days, it makes it difficult for other talented authors to avoid comparisons. While the fantastical elements of Funke's book invariably call to mind a certain boy wizard turned media hero, Inkheart deserves to stand on its own as a deeply enriching contribution to childrens' fiction.
The book stars a young girl named Meggie and her father Mo, a book restorer and storyteller. Mo has passed on his love of books and reading to his precocious daughter, but Meggie learned to read on her own. For reasons unknown, Mo has never read aloud to her. One day a mysterious stranger comes to town and explains to a befuddled Meggie why - when Mo reads aloud, he conjures the characters off the page and into reality. Mo learned a painful lesson about his ability when he read an evil villain and his henchman out of the titular book, and read his beloved wife into it. Ever since, Mo has never read aloud for fear of losing his daughter.
However, the stranger comes with dire news - Capricorn, the novel's villian, is looking for Mo to read aloud for him and conjure up something great and terrifying. Mo grabs Meggie and goes into hiding at Meggie's Aunt Elinor's, but Capricorn will not be denied. As the family gets sucked into the villain's web, only their ingenuity and and cunning will save them and set things right again.
First of all, many thanks to my mom for her excellent recommendation on this one. Inkheart is an absolute delight and a must-read for anyone who loves books and reading, adult or child. Funke's way with words comes through beautifully even in translation, and her characters are wonderfully vivid and engaging. I confess that I saw more than a little of myself in Elinor, the hermit-like aunt whose very world is her book collection. The plot is delightfully twisty with action, adventure, and humor, and the pace will keep the pages zipping along. And not surprisingly, this story would make a delightful read-aloud or shared-reading experience for parents and their children and might be just the thing for great entertainment on that summer road trip.
If you've already had the pleasure of reading Inkheart, you'll be pleased to know that the sequel, Inkspell, is due to hit store shelves October 1.
The book stars a young girl named Meggie and her father Mo, a book restorer and storyteller. Mo has passed on his love of books and reading to his precocious daughter, but Meggie learned to read on her own. For reasons unknown, Mo has never read aloud to her. One day a mysterious stranger comes to town and explains to a befuddled Meggie why - when Mo reads aloud, he conjures the characters off the page and into reality. Mo learned a painful lesson about his ability when he read an evil villain and his henchman out of the titular book, and read his beloved wife into it. Ever since, Mo has never read aloud for fear of losing his daughter.
However, the stranger comes with dire news - Capricorn, the novel's villian, is looking for Mo to read aloud for him and conjure up something great and terrifying. Mo grabs Meggie and goes into hiding at Meggie's Aunt Elinor's, but Capricorn will not be denied. As the family gets sucked into the villain's web, only their ingenuity and and cunning will save them and set things right again.
First of all, many thanks to my mom for her excellent recommendation on this one. Inkheart is an absolute delight and a must-read for anyone who loves books and reading, adult or child. Funke's way with words comes through beautifully even in translation, and her characters are wonderfully vivid and engaging. I confess that I saw more than a little of myself in Elinor, the hermit-like aunt whose very world is her book collection. The plot is delightfully twisty with action, adventure, and humor, and the pace will keep the pages zipping along. And not surprisingly, this story would make a delightful read-aloud or shared-reading experience for parents and their children and might be just the thing for great entertainment on that summer road trip.
If you've already had the pleasure of reading Inkheart, you'll be pleased to know that the sequel, Inkspell, is due to hit store shelves October 1.
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