3.93 avg rating — 442,079 ratings

"Even though I won't call this one of my favorite books, it was a reasonably well done story. I've always wondered what the book would have been like in its native German. After hearing about the movie, I was wondering how they would do a lot of the more magical effects. I was excited to hear that they had landed Paul Bettany for Dustfinger. However, when I saw the movie what struck me was the fact that they turned Inkheart into the entire series rather than the opening movie in a three-part series, and to do this they took a heaping helping of artistic license with the framework of the original story. To be blunt, they oversimplified it and trimmed whatever didn't fit with a two-hour limit and altered wildly to tie the loose ends this created. It could have been done much, much better. Paul Bettany was great as Dustfinger. Clearly the highlight of the whole thing, but the movie didn't do the book justice."

4.31 avg rating — 3,408,867 ratings

"This movie came with high expectations. It was supposed to be the next generation of brilliant books done faithfully as a movie. Unfortunately, the difference between this and the Harry Potter movies that Chris Columbus was behind is the lack of a adherence to the storyline. As a reader of the series, I looked forward to the otherworldly qualities of Camp Halfblood. What I got was a lot of liberties taken with the cast of characters. Annabeth and Grover were both rewritten to blanket other important characters and simplify a great storyline. Additionally, it was rewritten to adhere to what I can only describe as a more "Christian" audience. They seemed interested in turning Zeus into the Christian God that American audiences would understand and Hades was turned into the Devil and the Underworld into Hell. They really missed the point. They turned Luke into the villain, rather than turning him into the pawn of a larger plot of Kronos, the titan king. There really was a lot left to be desired in this movie. Will the movie version become a series? I think not, and I blame a lack of real understanding by the moviemakers. They were handed a no brainer and they blew it."

4.04 avg rating — 30,351 ratings

"This book was never intended for the big screen, so any adaptation for that purpose would have to expand on the original. As a movie, I'd say that it was pretty well done. They picked a theme, they cast Robin Williams as a character who really grew from the experience, and the climactic end of the game was fairly well done. However, they were working portraying a story that was already a classic. I like the movie, but I still prefer the book. Chris Van Allsburg is a one-of-a-kind and his books are true works of art. The movie was one good (but not remarkably good) movie and it just can't stand up to the original."

4.04 avg rating — 60,492 ratings

"They changed the name of this one. The books were award winners. The movie tanked badly enough to prevent any future movies. I watched the movie. It wasn't terrible. I would've had a problem with it if I'd paid to see it, but as a TV movie, I watched the entire thing and was kind of excited when the end hit."

4.25 avg rating — 1,057,719 ratings

"I'm not going to elaborate on this very much. I read the book about hundred times before I was ten. I still love it to this day. It's unique and wonderful and beautiful. And the movie? I took my fiancee to see it in the theaters because the trailer with its inspiring Arcade Fire song caught me by the heartstrings. We lasted about an hour and walked out in baffled disgust. We compared it to watching a poorly done episode of The Office by a cast of high-quality muppets. No plot. No story. No fun. Ewww!!!"

4.18 avg rating — 219,944 ratings

"I love this movie. I didn't know that there was a book that it was based on until it had been out long enough to leave theaters and make its way in and out of the regular TV circuit. I got a copy secondhand from a library book sale. It was written in different colors to reflect the different viewpoints and it was great. I read the whole thing and even though I remember loving the movie but the book really heightened the experience."

4.13 avg rating — 439,069 ratings

"This might be one of the best books ever written by an American. The movie was well done. I really love it, but the book has all the beautiful storytelling qualities that make a great book worth reading."

4.10 avg rating — 278,032 ratings

"This was a pretty well done movie. Even Dave Matthews played his part well. It was also true to the book for the most part. They added a character in the grumpy landlord, but I liked it all the same. The book was just a little better. Kate DiCamillo is a master wordsmith."

4.07 avg rating — 213,031 ratings

"I have mixed feelings about the movie. If there had never been a book to base it against I would say I liked it. Since there is a book, and it's probably the best Newbury choice in the past twenty or so years, I have to say that the book is better. They really didn't need to make changes to this story. They did. They weren't terrible changes, but they weakened the story. A friend of mine tells me that the book is too dark. She's wrong on that count. That book is beautiful."

4.28 avg rating — 325,717 ratings

"The movie is so good that I'm not sure I should say one is better than the other. But I love Jessica Tandy so much that I think I'm a bit biased. The book is probably a little better. I just don't know if I can say why."

3.99 avg rating — 102,292 ratings

"This book to movie transition was so bad that it made the book's author, Cornelia Funke, state that she would never allow another one of her books to be made into a movie again. Of course, she changed her mind and because of that we have Inkheart. Oh well."

4.06 avg rating — 587,698 ratings

"This book made me cry in front a group of children and just not care. The movie looked like the makers of Lord of the Rings were mourning the end of their landmark series and all the cool special effects opportunities. It wasn't bad, but it could have been better."

4.10 avg rating — 15,995 ratings

"This book is even better than Where the Red Fern Grows and the movie was an awful failure that luckily avoided theaters and the innocent eyes of children. Shame on you, Disney. 'Nuff said."

3.90 avg rating — 128,323 ratings

"This is the greatest work of Jerry Spinelli's career. I never heard of a movie."

3.29 avg rating — 7,555 ratings

"I listened to this as an audiobook and I watched the movie. I liked them both. I just liked the book a little bit better. That's all I have to say."

4.27 avg rating — 945,470 ratings

"This is a truly brilliant book. I loved the movie first, but I didn't know the book existed until the movie had already would its way into my heart. The book was unlike anything I had ever read before. The "revisions" and asides really make the book worth the read. The stories are a little different at points, but in both the movie and the book, the writing is superb. The book just has an extra layer that adds a extra layer of comedy to the mix. "