I first learned about Cornelia Funke’s book Inkheart while sitting in a movie theater with my husband sometime last year. The previews are one of my favorite things about going to the movies and on this day, even though we were going to see a grown-up flick which I’ve now completely forgotten, for some reason all of the previews were for children’s movies. They first showed one for The Spiderwick Chronicles, and I’d heard of that book but hadn’t read it, either. Then another preview started, asking “What if every time you read a book, the story came to life?” and showing a young girl reading aloud about a dog and then one suddenly appearing in front of her. I thought it sounded like a neat story, tucked it away in the back of my mind, and that was that.

Then a few weeks ago, something brought it back to the forefront. I’m not sure what that something was, but when I asked one of my coworkers who works in the children’s area about the book, she heartily recommended it, saying it was her teenage daughter’s favorite book. (I’ve met the daughter, and she seems to have a good, mature head on her shoulders, so I took this as yet another point in favor of the book). I took a copy home with me that very night, and while I would like to say I sat there uninterrupted and finished the book in one sitting, I can’t. Life being what it is, I’ve had to dip in and out of Inkheart and its bewitching world for almost two weeks, dulling the magical shine of the book somewhat. I believe that was a fault of mine, not the book, and hope I will have some proper time to devote to the second book in the trilogy, Inkspell, when the copy I placed on reserve becomes available – hopefully that will be just in time for Christmas, when I plan to set aside a good amount of time in front of the fire, book and tea (or wine) in hand.

For now, let me just say that Meggie is as engaging a heroine as one could ask for – resourceful, intelligent, compassionate and full of spunk. She and her father, Mo, a ‘book doctor,’ are swept up into a fantastical adventure, where the characters from books come to life, and not all of them are the good guys. An eclectic cast of characters, including a curmudgeonly aunt with an obsession for books, makes this a great read for book lovers of all ages.

The movie itself comes out at the end of January, and its official site is here. It’s been so long since I’d seen the theater preview that I didn’t realize how different it appears from the book. Brendan Fraser seems a good fit for Mo, although the girl looks a bit older than I pictured Meggie to be and several of the other characters aren’t as I imagined them, either. In my head, for instance, Capricorn looked a bit like this guy, and I pictured Dustfinger as shorter for some reason. Helen Mirren is playing Elinor, so that’s a good sign. Hopefully the movie will retain the spirit of this wonderful book.

With just a couple weeks to go before the end of the challenge, Inkheart counts as my third chunkster (just one more to go!) in the 2008 Chunkster Challenge, and as one of my selections in the Countdown Challenge.