Imagine: In the past week, you’ve already met a man who breathes and eats fire (not to mention his pet horned marten) and discovered your father can turn books into reality. Besides that, you’re facing an evil antagonist with washed out, colorless eyes and an army of men in black jackets. Cornelia Funke’s 2004 award-winning Inkheart has given readers an opportunity to live through this. As characters come to life in the real world, there’s no telling what will happen next.
Told from 12 year-old Meggie Folchart’s point of view, Inkheart is the daring story of how she and her father, Mo, seek the book that will change their lives and possibly the entire world. The tale begins when three of the main characters of a book Mo is reading are released from their paper confinement and into his living room, and later strive to destroy the copies of aforementioned book. Taking inhabitance of an abandoned village, Capricorn, the main antagonist, sends his men to get Mo to help bring one of his friends out from the book to gain power in the real world.
Meggie, the protagonist, is described as a stubborn, yet brave, young girl. She is undeniably smart and is willing to risk everything as she stands up to Capricorn, demanding for her father’s release. Though many people describe her as ruthless, she merely does what she needs to do to keep her and her loved ones alive.
Inkheart was enjoyable on several levels. Despite the coldness of Capricorn and his men, Meggie makes up for it by being her caring, witty self. Aside from Meggie, she meets her father’s old friend, Dustfinger (better known as the fire-breather) and his sarcastic jokes. Cornelia’s well written, descriptive book completely captivated me. It’s not often that you run into a book about characters flying out of the pages and seeking world domination.
Cornelia Funke is said to be “the J.K. Rowling of Germany” and was voted onto Time’s list of 100 most influential people. Selling over 20 million copies worldwide, her novel won the 2004 BookSense Book of the Year Children’s Literature award. Winning this was no surprise however, for Funke always wanted to do something with her characters to make them realistic. In this case, the characters really did pop out of the book and become real people!
Though Inkheart is a fantasy book, Funke describes the book in such a way that it practically seems like it’s real. With plot twists and Meggie’s heart-felt inner feelings, it’s no wonder why this book’s sequel won awards as well. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did, but be careful… don’t get sucked in!