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Inkheart
(Inkworld #1)
by
Alternate cover edition: 9780439709101
From internationally acclaimed storyteller Cornelia Funke, this bestselling, magical epic is now out in paperback!
One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called INKHEART-- and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure ...more
From internationally acclaimed storyteller Cornelia Funke, this bestselling, magical epic is now out in paperback!
One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called INKHEART-- and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure ...more
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Paperback, 563 pages
Published
May 1st 2005
by Scholastic Paperbacks
(first published September 23rd 2003)
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Start your review of Inkheart (Inkworld, #1)

Books have to be heavy because the whole world's inside them.Magic, this book is pure unadulterated magic.
Meggie and Mo (her father) are a pair. They're two peas in a pod, they're a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, they're ice cream and sprinkles. No matter what - they are together.
Mo works as a book binder/restorer and Meggie is a full-time reader - she ready every single moment she's not in school.
When a mysterious man from Mo's past shows up on their doorstep, he packs up al ...more

I was very much looking forward to reading this, as it had very good word-of-mouth as a high-quality children's/YA fantasy that adults will also enjoy. And the premise, that characters can exist in the "real world" outside of books, or that real people can enter the world inside a book, is endlessly appealing. However, my local library is on the verge of opening a new wing with my overdue book fines on this, because I keep hanging onto it in the hope that eventually I will be able to finish read
...more

Tintenherz = Inkheart (Inkworld, #1), Cornelia Funke
Inkheart is a 2003 young adult fantasy novel by Cornelia Funke, and the first book of the Inkheart trilogy.
Meggie, a girl at the age of 12, sees a stranger staring at her outside her window and tells her father, Mortimer (or Mo, as Meggie calls him) about it. Her father invites the stranger in, who introduces himself as Dustfinger. Mo and Dustfinger go to Mo's workshop, where Mo works as a bookbinder. Meggie eavesdrops and hears them talking ...more
Inkheart is a 2003 young adult fantasy novel by Cornelia Funke, and the first book of the Inkheart trilogy.
Meggie, a girl at the age of 12, sees a stranger staring at her outside her window and tells her father, Mortimer (or Mo, as Meggie calls him) about it. Her father invites the stranger in, who introduces himself as Dustfinger. Mo and Dustfinger go to Mo's workshop, where Mo works as a bookbinder. Meggie eavesdrops and hears them talking ...more

Oy... I really wanted to like this book. I had such high hopes for it. It was one of those books that whenever my students saw me reading it they said, "Oh, I really liked that book! It was so good." So, I thought it would be great. It just wasn't. The story was nice. In short (very short): Meggie's father repairs books. Her mother disappeared nine years ago. After a mysterious visitor shows up at their house, Meggie finds out that her father has a secret. He can read characters out of books. Ni
...more

Jul 30, 2007
Patricia Elzie-Tuttle (theinfophile)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Lovers of all things books
This book is everything I ever wanted. It's a book about a book and lovers of books. It's very self-affirming for me. Now I don't feel like a COMPLETE goober for 1) smelling books 2) learning Elvish or 3) bringing at least 5 books with me everywhere I go.
Note: just because I don't FEEL like a complete goober, does not mean I am not one.
"Inkheart" is the first in a trilogy. "Inkspell" is already out, and "Inkdeath" will be out in 2008.
You may not love "Inkheart" in and of itself; however, if you ...more
Note: just because I don't FEEL like a complete goober, does not mean I am not one.
"Inkheart" is the first in a trilogy. "Inkspell" is already out, and "Inkdeath" will be out in 2008.
You may not love "Inkheart" in and of itself; however, if you ...more

Honestly one of my favourite fantasy reads. I loved all the characters - even the villians! They were vivid, colourful, the world Cornelia Funke creates is absolutely extraordinary and if it were up to me I would live in the Inkworld for ever!
For anyone that likes a good dose of escapism, a book about books, a story that will make you laugh, cry and just generally never want to finish then this is for you!
5 stars!
For anyone that likes a good dose of escapism, a book about books, a story that will make you laugh, cry and just generally never want to finish then this is for you!
5 stars!

Enjoyed it well enough. Interesting concept. Good execution. Struck me as a little grim for YA though.
By which I mean it's not something I'd read to my boy. (He's fiveish.) I might consider something like this for him when he hits 10 or so. ...more
By which I mean it's not something I'd read to my boy. (He's fiveish.) I might consider something like this for him when he hits 10 or so. ...more

Oct 13, 2007
Ann
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Fans of great stories and detailed plots and characters
Recommended to Ann by:
Katie! Thanks again!:D
What a great story!
This is quite the page-turner! I was driven to read more by both the action/adventure and the plot/conclusion. Both are excellently written! Funke’s style of writing (and indeed the translation made by Anthea Bell) makes for a smooth and beautiful read.
Wonderfully drawn and very detailed characters fill this book from cover to cover, each character being unique and complete. The story is told from multiple viewpoints, which adds another interesting dimension to the story and p ...more
This is quite the page-turner! I was driven to read more by both the action/adventure and the plot/conclusion. Both are excellently written! Funke’s style of writing (and indeed the translation made by Anthea Bell) makes for a smooth and beautiful read.
Wonderfully drawn and very detailed characters fill this book from cover to cover, each character being unique and complete. The story is told from multiple viewpoints, which adds another interesting dimension to the story and p ...more

Oof... it took me 12 days to finish this book. Not like me at all.
I liked the storyline. I love the fact that it is a book about books, and that is what initially made me want to read it. I read the blurb on the book and it sounded like a really fun read.
I was wrong.
The book was VERY long-winded. Whilst the plotline was good, and the characters were nicely built, the actual story dragged on most of the time. The best part of the book is the last few chapters, by which point I didn't care - I jus ...more
I liked the storyline. I love the fact that it is a book about books, and that is what initially made me want to read it. I read the blurb on the book and it sounded like a really fun read.
I was wrong.
The book was VERY long-winded. Whilst the plotline was good, and the characters were nicely built, the actual story dragged on most of the time. The best part of the book is the last few chapters, by which point I didn't care - I jus ...more

The best fantasy novel, I'ver read.
I was too much curious while reading that.
I just loved it.
The way writer moves the story.
Specially,3 ratings for character making.
Thanks Cornelia Funke. ...more
I was too much curious while reading that.
I just loved it.
The way writer moves the story.
Specially,3 ratings for character making.
Thanks Cornelia Funke. ...more

Ah! A book about a magical book!!
How delightful!
Twelve year old Meggie lives in a small farmhouse with her father, Mo, as Meggie calls him, who repairs and restores books. Meggie doesn't think that 'bookbinder' describes the care and love her father takes when he's fixing books and prefers to say that he's a "book doctor." He has a plaque on the bookshop door that reads:
Some books should be tasted
some devoured
but only a few
should be chewed and digested thoroughly.
One dark and rainy night, ...more
How delightful!
Twelve year old Meggie lives in a small farmhouse with her father, Mo, as Meggie calls him, who repairs and restores books. Meggie doesn't think that 'bookbinder' describes the care and love her father takes when he's fixing books and prefers to say that he's a "book doctor." He has a plaque on the bookshop door that reads:
Some books should be tasted
some devoured
but only a few
should be chewed and digested thoroughly.
One dark and rainy night, ...more

1. Don't watch the movie. Please, don't watch it, the movie is nothing compared with the books!

2. This series is a must-read for all book-lovers, if you ask me...
A father who can awake characters from books just by reading and a daughter with equal abilities.
A series about books and reading. A series that offeres exciting adventures, lots of reading, love and friendship, danger, amazing characters and sympathetic villians...
What more does a true book-lover need?!
Right...Nothing!

This is one of ...more

2. This series is a must-read for all book-lovers, if you ask me...
A father who can awake characters from books just by reading and a daughter with equal abilities.
A series about books and reading. A series that offeres exciting adventures, lots of reading, love and friendship, danger, amazing characters and sympathetic villians...
What more does a true book-lover need?!
Right...Nothing!

This is one of ...more

Feb 08, 2008
Maia
rated it
it was ok
Recommends it for:
People against the world domination of FedEx
Shelves:
fantasy
Okay, I'm at hundred pages, and I'm like: someone just kill that loser Capricorn, and then FedEx the rest of the gang home! PLEASE! I'll pay Preferred!
It goes like this: go here, go there, go back here, go back there, return to here, and so on...
Also, this story was kind of scary, which doesn't rate high in my book (pun intended).
The idea was excellent, but poorly executed. ...more
It goes like this: go here, go there, go back here, go back there, return to here, and so on...
Also, this story was kind of scary, which doesn't rate high in my book (pun intended).
The idea was excellent, but poorly executed. ...more

Rating: 2.5* of five
EDITED TO ADD the 2008 film is very pretty, but not a lot less tedious than the book.
A doorstop of a tome, it's way too long for the story. Meggie isn't interesting enough to make me want to follow her through the convolutions of discovery with Mo and Elinor. I can't believe this took over 500pp to tell!
And yet, and yet...it's aimed at a very different demographic than I am...young girls, it would seem, want long long long books about nothing much, like those hideous Stepheni ...more
EDITED TO ADD the 2008 film is very pretty, but not a lot less tedious than the book.
A doorstop of a tome, it's way too long for the story. Meggie isn't interesting enough to make me want to follow her through the convolutions of discovery with Mo and Elinor. I can't believe this took over 500pp to tell!
And yet, and yet...it's aimed at a very different demographic than I am...young girls, it would seem, want long long long books about nothing much, like those hideous Stepheni ...more

A wonderful, imaginative story. The characters are so vivid, the tale so engaging, the prose so poetic... A glorious tale for anyone who ever dreamed of being transported into the stories she reads, or of having friends from the tales brought into our world!
On her website, author Cornelia Funke says,
"I didn't suspect that this story would grow untill it could fill more than one book. I have dreamed for a long time of writing a story in which characters from a book come into our world. Which book ...more
On her website, author Cornelia Funke says,
"I didn't suspect that this story would grow untill it could fill more than one book. I have dreamed for a long time of writing a story in which characters from a book come into our world. Which book ...more

This is certainly for children and children who like fantasies and adventures and books and who are patient enough to read so many pages that sometimes you'd think you're just going in circles. The story is interesting enough to make me finish the first book but not enough to make me read its sequels.
...more

Attention: I read this book as a library book and I only just realised that the book I have is only part 1! So this review is going to be of the first half of "Inkheart".
This was a truly magical story that I know I would've absolutely adored as a child. It's about a love for books, and it's about how we - as readers - step into a fictional world, and how this fictional world can sometimes come true. I loved this story; especially the first 150 pages where the characters and setting are introduc ...more
This was a truly magical story that I know I would've absolutely adored as a child. It's about a love for books, and it's about how we - as readers - step into a fictional world, and how this fictional world can sometimes come true. I loved this story; especially the first 150 pages where the characters and setting are introduc ...more

I have no idea why people like this book. Where is the character developement, the intrigue, the plot? It's like a lump. After I read it, I thought back and couldn't even remember the storyline - it was too jumpy and mumbled. Not a good work of fiction.
...more

As much as I hate to say it, but this book is really boring. I love children's books and read Harry Potter and His Dark Materials several times. Inkheart disappointed me. I never stop reading a book until I read at least 100 pages, to give an author a chance to develop a story. Unfortunately, I had to stop reading this book after page 150. It is extremely slowpaced and uneventful. It is surprising to know that kids actually have enough patience to finish and thoroughly enjoy this book. Maybe it'
...more

My reading soul was battered and bruised, and a friend offered this book to me to help soothe the hurt. A lovely fantasy tale, with just enough villains and heroic folks to keep it balanced. You root for a happy ending and keep reading. Each chapter starts with a quote from a beloved children's classic, so you get to visit old friends on the journey through the story.
A few passages helped assure me how much the author really does love books and all they represent. Meggie, tired and distressed at ...more
A few passages helped assure me how much the author really does love books and all they represent. Meggie, tired and distressed at ...more

First read: 2009 approx.
Second read: 2019.
When I first read this, I was 12. My English teacher recommended it to me. I am 22 now, as I am rereading this. I loved it so much. From the characters, the plot, the old fashioned writing. I'm reading the sequel now, as a part of my O.W.L.s and I love the sequel even more.
full RTC.
...more
Second read: 2019.
When I first read this, I was 12. My English teacher recommended it to me. I am 22 now, as I am rereading this. I loved it so much. From the characters, the plot, the old fashioned writing. I'm reading the sequel now, as a part of my O.W.L.s and I love the sequel even more.
full RTC.
...more

Full review now posted!
Is there anything more magical than a book literally coming to life?
“Books have to be heavy because the whole world’s inside them.”
For Meggie, books have always been the hub around which her life spins. Her dad, Mo, is a book doctor, rebinding books that have seen better days. Books are what the two bond over, are what they decorate their home with, and are how they relate to the world around them. But Mo has never ever read aloud to his daughter, that she can remember, an ...more
Is there anything more magical than a book literally coming to life?
“Books have to be heavy because the whole world’s inside them.”
For Meggie, books have always been the hub around which her life spins. Her dad, Mo, is a book doctor, rebinding books that have seen better days. Books are what the two bond over, are what they decorate their home with, and are how they relate to the world around them. But Mo has never ever read aloud to his daughter, that she can remember, an ...more

I honestly have truly tried to appreciate and even enjoy Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart (Anthea Bell’s English translation, as I do not own a personal copy of Tintenherz). However, after now having tried at least three times to unsuccessfully peruse (and complete) Inkheart, I am permanently giving up (and no, I will also more than likely not be bothering with the two sequels either).
And even though at first I was kind of wondering whether it might be Anthea Bell’s translation with which I was having ...more
And even though at first I was kind of wondering whether it might be Anthea Bell’s translation with which I was having ...more

I've noticed Cornelia Funke'sInkheart in bookstores for the past several years but the blurb on the back cover never interested me enough to read it. Then last fall, while I was home recuperating from surgery with plenty of time on my hands and my eyes were bothering me from reading, I watched the 2008 movie version of Inkheart on Netflix. I found the story delightful and bought the book – which is just as delightful.
Meggie, who's twelve, lives in Italy with her father, Mortimer, who she calls M ...more
Meggie, who's twelve, lives in Italy with her father, Mortimer, who she calls M ...more

Sep 27, 2009
Mike (the Paladin)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-fantasy,
fantasy
Excellent book (haven't seen the movie). A youth book, I looked forward to getting the sequels and grabbed them as soon as they were available.
Dropping back to add this.
I'm surprised how different tastes can be. I really liked this book (and its sequels)and was very surprised to see the negative reviews. I didn't find the book ever dragged and while I did find the characters annoying at times, it was within the context of the story and not as "annoyingly written characters".
For a youth book I'd ...more
Dropping back to add this.
I'm surprised how different tastes can be. I really liked this book (and its sequels)and was very surprised to see the negative reviews. I didn't find the book ever dragged and while I did find the characters annoying at times, it was within the context of the story and not as "annoyingly written characters".
For a youth book I'd ...more

Inkheart: such an evocative title, such a fertile concept, such a banal execution.
Our story follows a widower named Mo Folchart and his daughter, Meggie. They live in Germany or Switzerland, I think, although I don’t remember the book ever clarifying this. Meggie is twelve, and getting antsy for the truth about what happened to her mother long ago, when Meggie was but an infant, but Mo keeps dancing around the question.
Mo is a professional bookbinder, specializing in the antique and out-of-print ...more
Our story follows a widower named Mo Folchart and his daughter, Meggie. They live in Germany or Switzerland, I think, although I don’t remember the book ever clarifying this. Meggie is twelve, and getting antsy for the truth about what happened to her mother long ago, when Meggie was but an infant, but Mo keeps dancing around the question.
Mo is a professional bookbinder, specializing in the antique and out-of-print ...more

I must be insane to want to read the further installments of a book I rated a one just 5 seconds ago. This review is an attempt at understanding why I ended up disliking a book whose author has talent and passion for reading and inventing stories. Cornelia Funke has spun a good story but I still will not read Inkheart ever again in this lifetime.
This story should have clocked at 300 pages max. Instead the wordy tale maxed my patience and milked any kindness that might have been sloshing inside ...more
This story should have clocked at 300 pages max. Instead the wordy tale maxed my patience and milked any kindness that might have been sloshing inside ...more

Inkheart is the best young adult targeted fantasy novel that I have read since the Harry Potter series. Cornelia Funke has crafted a wonderful, if a bit dark, storyline filled with colorful and memorable characters, both hero and villain. I liked the blend of modern day with fantasy in this story and having the magical element of being able to read characters out of their individual stories was brilliant.
The storyline itself moves along nicely as Meggie and her father, Mo, go on an adventure bot ...more
The storyline itself moves along nicely as Meggie and her father, Mo, go on an adventure bot ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Original Translat...: Inkheart/Tintenherz | 1 | 1 | Jan 12, 2021 05:08AM | |
All About Books: [Open] Inkheart - Starting 14th January 2014 | 7 | 79 | Nov 04, 2020 08:21AM | |
Who Loves this book | 2 | 5 | Oct 14, 2020 03:53PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Fantasy: a girl's mom is missing and she must enter a book to find her. [s] | 6 | 38 | Aug 26, 2020 08:10PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Children’s/teen fiction - magic- Father and daughter books became alive. [s] | 5 | 19 | Aug 25, 2020 05:48PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Children's Fantasy book in which the main character has a book and if he reads the book the characters (evil?) from that book escape to his world. [s] | 6 | 32 | Aug 05, 2020 07:22PM |
Cornelia Funke is a multiple award-winning German illustrator and storyteller, who writes fantasy for all ages of readers. Amongst her best known books is the Inkheart trilogy. Many of Cornelia's titles are published all over the world and translated into more than 30 languages. She has two children, two birds and a very old dog and lives in Los Angeles, California.
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“Books have to be heavy because the whole world's inside them.”
—
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“If you take a book with you on a journey," Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, "an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where you first read it. It will all come into your mind with the very first words: the sights you saw in that place, what it smelled like, the ice cream you ate while you were reading it... yes, books are like flypaper—memories cling to the printed page better than anything else.”
—
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