Inkheart Trilogy - Cornelia Funke

I recently read the Inkheart Trilogy, by Cornelia Funke. My daughter, Sarah, loves these books and has been encouraging me to read them for years. I'm so glad I followed her advice!

The series is set in Northern Italy, and the main characters are Meggie, her father, Mo, who is a bookbinder, her aunt Elinor, her mother, Resa, and Dustfinger, the fire breather. Meggie and her father have been living a vagabond sort of life, traveling for his profession. Her mother has been missing since she was a baby. During their many travels, Mo has been looking for a book - Inkheart. Many years before, Mo discovered that he had a special talent, whatever he reads out loud would come to life. However, if he read something out of a book, something from this world would go back into the book. While reading Inkheart out loud, some of the characters, namely the villain Capricorn, and his henchmen, and the fire breather, Dustfinger, came out of the book, and Mo's wife, Resa disappeared into the book. Mo and Dustfinger have spent years trying to find the book. Mo wants his wife back and Dustfinger wants to go home.

Then trilogy - Inkheart, Inkspell and Inkdeath, follow Mo and Meggie as they fight then villain, Capricorn, find Resa, and with the help of the author, Fenoglio, transport themselves back into the book.

I loved this series. Funke has created a literary world that draws you in. All the characterizations are wonderful, but my favorite is Dustfinger. He's very complex, fascinating character.

This is a YA series, but reads like a great classic novel. Cornelia Funke has done a wonderful job of creating her own world, full of flavor and color. it's really hard to put down!