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Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of INKHEART, the book whose characters became real. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval world of his past. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie, and before long, both are caught inside the book, too. But the story is threatening to evolve in ways neither of them could ever have imagined.
Inkspell FROM OUR EDITORS A year has gone by, but Meggie still ponders daily about Inkheart, a book whose characters leap into being. For the fire-eater Dustfinger, though, these magical transformations have a desperate downside: He is unable to return to the tale from whence he came. Finally, he finds a crooked storyteller with the ability to read him back into the medieval story; leaving his faithful Farid stranded behind. At loose ends, the young apprentice enlists the help of Meggie. Before long, both slip into the cavernous book, which offers no immediate hope of rescue.
FROM THE PUBLISHER The captivating sequel to Inkheart, the critically acclaimed bestseller!
Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of Inkheart, the book whose characters came to life. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the tale has become desperate. When he finds Orpheus, a crooked storyteller with the magical ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval world of the past. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie. Before long, both are caught inside the book, too. And the story is threatening to evolve in ways neither of them could ever have imagined.
Like Inkheart, Inkspell features the special touches that transform Funke's novels into keepsakes. Each chapter begins with a surprisingly relevant literary excerpt and concludes with a charming line illustration by the author herself. And this, the second book in the trilogy, also includes a hand-drawn map of the Inkworld and, as a helpful reference for readers old and new, a "dictionary" of characters. Silvertongue, Fenoglio, Crookback, Firefox: The entire epic cast is described in detail.
FROM THE CRITICS Kirkus Reviews One year after the events of Inkheart (2003), one by one, the characters find themselves read from the real world into the Inkworld. Dustfinger is ecstatic to be back home after his long exile; Meggie is thrilled to explore the story that has seduced her with its beauty; Mo and Resa want only to bring their daughter Meggie back. The metaliterary musings begun in the previous title become grander here, as each character grapples with the possibility of challenging the fate that has been written. Fenoglio, the author of the fictional Inkheart, takes on a tragic role, as he sees his godlike idyll threatened when his words and characters take on lives of their own. Woven in and around the breakneck adventure is the provocative notion that words, and the meanings they carry, are plastic and ever susceptible to change. While the permeability of the membrane between imagination and reality may form the base of the novel, Funke delivers more than enough action, romance, tragedy, villainy and emotion to keep readers turning the pages-and waiting for the sequel the cliffhanger ending promises. (Fiction. 10+)
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