Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Funke, Cornelia. 2003. Inkheart. New York: The Chicken House/Scholastic.

Meggie finds out that her father Mo, who is a bookbinder, can by reading aloud turn fictional book characters into real people. The downside is the character from the book switches places with a person who is listening to the story. This is what happens to Meggie's mom when an evil character, Capricorn, freed from the novel "Inkheart" that Mo read him from years earlier takes her mom's place. Capricorn has been hunting Mo down ever since he learned the ways of the new world he ended up in and wants to force Mo to read an immortal moster from the story. There are many twists and turns of the plot but in the end Meggie must think of a way to save them all.

I like Cornelia Funk. I've read some of her other books and short stories, however, I just couldn't work up the love for Inkheart. The story just kept going on and on. Maybe I just like a faster pace, but if you think you're going to whiz through this one like the Harry Potter novels then think again. The writing style is slower and doesn't move the plot along quickly. However, her central idea of characters coming to life and leaping off the pages is very engaging. What avid reader hasn't wished that at some point? Also with it being a book about books, book lovers will love the quotes from classics above each chapter that set the tone what is coming. Overall, it is a well-written if lengthy battle of good versus evil.