Entries Categorized as 'Fiction'

Inkspell

Our rating: ***

A year after the events in Inkheart, Dustfinger has finally found somebody to read him back to the Inkworld. However, Orpheus, a conceited man with the gift of reading, tricks Dustfinger and leaves his assistant Farid behind. Fearing the book’s original tragic end for Dustfinger, Farid asks Mo’s daughter Meggie to read him to the Inkworld as well, which she does, but she comes along. What they find is a very messed up Inkworld that seems to be writing its own story. Meggie tries to help Fenoglio (the author of the book they are now in) fix the story, while Farid attempts to save Dustfinger from disaster.

And if you think that was complicated, wait ’til I tell you that I left out two or three plot lines! In other words, Cornelia Funke’s brilliant sequel is deeper than the original. Inkspell raises multitudes of very good questions, such as, “What would it be like for a man to be the god of a world?” To find out the answer, you’ll need to stay tuned for not only Inkspell, but also the sequel Inkdeath, as Inkspell ends at quite the cliffhanger. Well worth the time to read it.

The Snowy Day

Our rating: ****½

One day, Peter wakes up and sees snow out his window. He spends the day making funny tracks, building a snowman, and making snow angels.

The Snowy Day is a very enjoyable book about all the fun things to do when it snows. It makes a great read-aloud and will have you wishing for a snowfall so you can play, too.

Norman the Doorman

Our rating: *****

Norman, an artistically-minded mouse, loves to show his friends all the treasures hidden in the basement of the Majestic Museum of Art. One day Norman decides to make a sculpture out of the mousetraps that the sharp-eyed guard leaves. He enters the “mouse on the flying trapezee” into a sculpture contest the museum is having, and much to his surprise, wins first place!

I love this book. It ends so well, and Norman is such a decent little mouse—and his wire sculpture is really fun.

Blueberries for Sal

Our rating: ****½

One morning, Little Sal and her mother go to Blueberry Hill, in order to pick lots of berries to can for the winter. Mother picks steadily, but Little Sal is more interested in sitting and eating the blueberries. And meanwhile, Little Bear and Little Bear’s mother are coming up the other side of the hill. It’s not long before Little Bear begins to lag behind… A mix-up of mothers is bound to ensue.

Such a fun book, and definitely a classic. It’s a simple but delightful story, with very nice pictures that are plenty big. And I think readers of Blueberries for Sal will find it hard to ever pick blueberries without remembering the book and how Sal drops her berries into her pail: Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk.

Where The Wild Things Are

Our rating: ***

When Max is sent to bed with no supper (he was being far too wild) he wiles the time away pretending he is on a voyage. He sails away for almost a year and comes to the place where the Wild Things are. After a wonderful time playing with the Wild Things, Max smells supper cooking and sails for home.

This is one of those odd little books that seem to have no reason, and no structure, but is thoroughly enjoyable. It’s just a little boy imagining, and it’s fun to imagine with him. Some fuss could be made over Max’s being sent to bed with no supper as punishment and then having a fun time, but imaginations are very wild things. And I guess you have to do something while you’re sitting there, waiting.