Brief Description
Meggie lives a quiet life with her father, a bookbinder. But her father has a deep secret--he possesses an extraordinary magical power. When a mysterious stranger arrives, Meggie is plunged into intrigue as her father's life is put in danger.
Learn More about the Book
From the author of the sensational New York Times best-seller THE THIEF LORD comes a thrilling new adventure about magic and self-discovery.
Cornelia Funke, the enormously talented author of the international best-seller THE THIEF LORD, brings readers another spellbinding tale of adventure and magic.
Meggie lives a quiet life alone with her father, a book-binder. But her father has a deep secret-- he posseses an extraordinary magical power. One day a mysterious stranger arrives who seems linked to her father's past. Who is this sinister character and what does he want? Suddenly Meggie is involved in a breathless game of escape and intrigue as her father's life is put in danger. Will she be able to save him in time?
Review Quotes
1. Horn Book Magazine
(January 1, 2004; 0-439-53164-0)
(Intermediate, Middle School) Who hasn't dreamed of it--characters leaping from the pages of a book to interact with the reader? Or, better yet, the reader transported--quite literally--into the make-believe world of a novel? In this tale of adventure and fantasy by the author of The Thief Lord (rev. 11/02), twelve-year-old Meggie and her father Mo live in a house overflowing with "small piles of books, tall piles of books, books thick and thin, books old and new." But it's one particular book that brings a stranger named Dustfinger to their house one rainy spring night. Meggie learns that many years earlier, while Mo was reading aloud a novel called Inkheart, his voice somehow brought many of its characters--including Dustfinger and the evil despot Capricorn--"slipping out of their story like a bookmark forgotten by some reader between the pages." Now Dustfinger (who longs to return to his fictional origins) wants Mo to read him back into the book, while Capricorn (who likes it here just fine) wants Mo to use his powers to read gold and riches out of stories such as Treasure Island and summon a malevolent, immortal character called the Shadow from the pages of Inkheart. Thanks to Harry P., kids may not be scared off by this volume's heft, though they may wish the pacing wasn't quite so leisurely--even the novel's many chases and hostage-takings are related in a deliberate fashion. But bibliophiles will delight in a story that celebrates books (each chapter begins with a literary passage ranging from Shakespeare to Sendak), and the conclusion is especially satisfying. Copyright 2004 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
Publishers Weekly
(December 15, 2003; STARRED)
Tackling Funke's (The Thief Lord) meaty, intricately plotted tale of magic and books, Redgrave colors her reading with appropriately varying degrees of suspense, revelation and drama. Twelve-year-old Meggie, a self-proclaime
Awards & Accolades
1. Nominee, Book Sense Book of the Year Award : 2004
2. Second Place, Maine Student Book Award : 2005
3. Nominee, South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award : 2005-2006
4. Nominee, Colorado Blue Spruce Award : 2005
5. Nominee, Iowa Teen Award : 2007
6. Winner, Flicker Tale Children's Book Award : 2006
7. Recommended, Nene Award : 2007
8. Recommended, Nene Award : 2008
9. Winner, Nene Award : 2009
