Daring You to Read - Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Daring You to Read is hosted every week by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews.

Here's how it works:

- You choose a book you’ve read, loved and would dare your readers to read!

- The book you choose must be an older release (at least 6 months ago), because let’s be honest, we’re all quite aware of the latest releases.

- Write your own blog post, using the button and linking back to Tynga’s Reviews, inviting your readers to read your chosen book.

- Come back on Tynga’s Reviews and put your link in the linking tool.

- Browse other bloggers Dare and let them know if you’ve read their featured book, or plan on reading it.

- Super easy and an awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

This week I'm daring you to read Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.

Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.

Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. He can "read" characters out of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story. This "story within a story" will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters.

I saw the movie for this one before I actually read it. But it made it that much better because I could SEE the characters in my head, instead of just imagining what they might look like (Brendan Fraser is definitely not bad to imagine when you're reading too....).

But this book is like every book lover's dream come true. Who else wouldn't want to have the ability to actually read the characters they love out of the books they're reading? The only problem in this particular story though? Reading a character out of a book means that someone else has to go back in to replace them. And it's never certain who that person might be. For Meggie and Mo it just so happened to be Meggie's mother.

I love all of the characters. Meggie, for her strong will and determination (and the fact that, like me, she has to bring books with her wherever she goes). Mo, for his passion and courage. And Elinor because she is just too funny. I also LOVED Dustfinger and Farid. Dustfinger, the fire juggler, is yanked from his home and the woman he loves and is dying for a way back to her. Mo is his only chance. And Farid is eager to help and to learn and attaches himself to Dustfinger pretty quickly.

The book is absolutely wonderful and fantastical. The descriptions are vivid and beautiful and the whole thing is full of villains and heroes and suspense.