So while I still need to read His Dark Materials triology, I now feel qualified to say that I have read
Inkheart (Inkheart Trilogy)
, and it, my friend, is no
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
.
I wanted so much to love this book. I love the premise of a "book within a book." When book repair guru Mo reads stories aloud, the characters come to life. An evil dictator named Capricorn, who was brought to life from the book Inkheart due to Mo's reading, seeks to have Mo read aloud from additional books in order to achieve great wealth. Adventure ensues, and there are wonderful nods to the treasures in children's literature, such as Treasure Island (Signet Classics) , Peter Pan, Shel Silverstein and my beloved The Once and Future King , which I'm currently rereading. But, at 500 pages, Inkheart grows tiresome. There's a tremendous amount of repetition - Mo and his daughter Meggie and her great-aunt Elinor in danger, captured/chased by the evil men, safe, caught again, etc. And while Inkheart concludes satisfyingly, it's part of a trilogy, so there are still a fair number of unanswered questions.
But if you are looking for a novel for your 10-year-old daughter, you could do worse. Funke has allowed Meggie to be a strong heroine, who in the end toughens up to save her skin. Elinor is also a fantastic creation, even if Funke is less than subtle about how a love of books is not a substitute for human connections. Finally, while bad things happen, this book is far more appropriate for those under 12, compared to, say, The Hunger Games triology.
I can absolutely envision a family enjoying reading aloud a chapter from Inkheart every evening. But for everyone else, best to head back to your muggles, witches or hobbits.
