Inkheart. Cornelia Funke. New York, NY: The Chicken House/Scholastic (Distributed in Canada by Scholastic Canada), 2003. 534 pp., cloth, $24.99. ISBN 0-439-53164-0. Subject Headings: Magic - Fiction. Bookbinding - Fiction. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14. Review by Gillian Bernard. *** /4

excerpts:

That night when so much began and so many things changed forever Meggie had one of her favorite books under her pillow, and since the rain wouldn't let her sleep she sat up, rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes, and took it out. Its pages rustled promisingly when she opened it. Meggie though this first whisper sounded a little different from one book to another, depending on whether or not she already knew the story it was going to tell her. But she needed light. She had a box of matches hidden in the drawer of her bedside table. Mo had forbidden her to light candles at night. He didn't like fire. "Fire devours book," he always said, but she was twelve years old, she surely could be trusted to keep an eye on a couple of candle flames. (p. 2)

At first, all seemed still outside except for the rain falling, murmuring as if the night had found its voice. But then footsteps approached the house, and the man emerged from the darkness of the yard, his long coat so wet with rain that it clung to his legs. For a split second, as the stranger stepped into the light spilling out of the house, Meggie thought she saw a small furry head over his shoulder, snuffling as it looked out of his backpack and then quickly disappearing back into it. (p. 5)

Inkheart is another wonderful tale of adventure and intrigue translated from the German author Cornelia Funke. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from a "great" piece of literature. The influence of all of these fantasy (and fantastic) authors has obviously greatly influenced Funke's writing style. The quotes widely range in authors and styles: from The Jungle Book by Kipling to The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. This book is well written, and the beautiful imagery draws the reader further and further into the story. As a translation, this book stands up to most stories written in an author's first language.

     The story unfolds slowly giving away only bits and pieces of the puzzle which frustrates not only the main character, Meggie, but the reader as well. The plot revolves around the "actual" book Inkheart which influenced Meggie's past, more than she realizes at first, and then finds it greatly affecting her present and future. Meggie's father, Mortimer (Mo), is a bookbinder, and her Aunt Elinor is a overzealous book collector; these adults in the story are no more sensible than Meggie when it comes to decision making. We seem to jump into this story mid stream, which leaves the reader trying untangle all the information as it is presented to Meggie. Other important supporting characters belong to (or in) Inkheart and have been magically brought into "our" world. These characters create the conflict which Mo and Meggie ultimately need to resolve.

     There were parts of this novel where the plot dragged and the action seemed unnecessary for moving the story ahead. At times, the main characters plotted or planned but didn't follow through. They seemed to let the plot lead them and appeared to go along with whatever came next.

     Characterization in this novel lacked real depth. An attachment to any particular character was not solidified. The missing connections did not make me want to read more about Meggie, Mo, or Capricorn. The descriptions of Mo's talent were random and illogical throughout. People appearing and disappearing wasn't clearly addressed. Was there supposed to be an alternative or parallel reality? Unfortunately, the antagonistic character of Capricorn was very flat and needed far more detail to create a believable horrifying villain. The author mainly developed Capricorn through what other characters said. When Capricorn was in the "action," he seemed to shout and bluster but didn't seem powerful or evil. Even the desecration of Aunt Elinor's books was achieved in absence of both the reader and Capricorn!

     It also must be mentioned that the format, cover and illustrations on and within this book play a huge part in creating the aura surrounding the mystery of the plot. The book cover is subtly textured and appears to be luxuriously bound. The images shimmer and leap out to one's sense of touch. The "nutmeg" smell of the pages is referred to in the novel and literally makes the reader stick their nose in the book!

     The conclusion is artfully woven, although it is, again, mainly plot driven. The reader is left wondering about the reality of this tale in spite of the trolls, blue fairies, and Tinker Bell. Inkheart will appeal to all young adults. However, the size of this novel may be off putting for weaker readers. Any avid reader should definitely add this to their must read list! As an adult, I found the connections to the excerpts from other novels especially fascinating. I certainly will wonder next time I read a book aloud!

Recommended.

Gillian Bernard is a Junior High teacher with the Calgary Board of Education.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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