INKHEART by Cornelia Funke List Price: $19.95 Pages: 544 Format: Hardcover ISBN: 0439531640 Publisher: Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.

Mortimer is a bookbinder and has passed on his great love of books to his daughter Meggie, but he has never read aloud to her. When a stranger named Dustfinger appears at their home, Meggie's world turns upside down. She soon learns some startling truths --- about her mother's disappearance nine years earlier, and the mysterious book called INKHEART that her father tries desperately to hide at the book-filled home of Elinor, Meggie's great aunt. She learns that the reason Mo has never read aloud to her is because he has a secret, mysterious, dangerous gift --- when he reads aloud, objects and charaters come out of the books --- a skill he discovered when Capricorn, the dark villain of INKHEART, came into the world when Meggie was three. Teresa, Meggie's mother, disappeared at the same time, presumably into the story.

Capricorn uses Dustfinger, who is another character from the story, to lure Mo and Meggie to his hideout village; there Meggie sees a demonstration of her father's reading skill when he brings gold treasure out of TREASURE ISLAND and a young Arab boy out of the ARABIAN NIGHTS. When Dustfinger learns Capricorn's true plans, he helps Mo, Meggie, and Elinor escape over the hills. Mo searches out Fenoglio, the author of the book, and together they devise a plan to foil Capricorn's terrible schemes. But Meggie is recaptured along with Fenoglio, and Capricorn discovers that she, too, has the same magical gift. In a rousing finish, Fenoglio and Meggie find a way to foil Capricorn's plans --- with surprising results.

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1. Why does Mo keep his ability a secret from Meggie? Why has he never told her the truth about her mother?

2. Why doesn't Dustfinger read the ending of the story when he has the chance in Meggie's bedroom? What stops him?

3. Does Elinor like books more than people? Has she truly been happy living alone with all her books? How does Elinor change in the course of the story, and what causes her to change?

4. In what ways does Basta's superstitious nature affect him and others in the story? Why is Basta so superstitious?

5. Why does Farid follow Dustfinger? Why does Dustfinger keep trying to get away from Farid? What does Dustfinger mean when he says he has often just been a spectator?

6. When Meggie and Fenoglio are taken to Capricorn, why isn't Fenoglio afraid? What do you think it would feel like for an author to see his characters in real life? Does Fenoglio ever fear the characters from the book as much as the others do?

7. When does Meggie first realize that her mother is alive and no longer trapped in the story? What do you think it was like for Teresa to be trapped in the book?

8. Fenoglio says he was very proud of writing about the Shadow when he wrote INKHEART, so he knows the passage by heart. How does he feel about the Shadow coming to life? Does he really believe he can change the story's ending?

9. Why do Basta and the Magpie remain when the other characters disappear?

10. Why did Fenoglio disappear at the end? Did he go into the book? If so, do you think he planned this? Was it his curiosity about the world of his creation, or was it an accident?

11. Why does Meggie feel more at home in Mo's van than in their house?

12. What do we learn of Elinor's character from the description of her home?br>
13. In how many ways did Capricorn make the village where he lives his own? How was it possible for him to create such a hideout in the "real world"?

14. Why did so many of the characters decide to stay in Capricorn's village at the end?

15. How many secrets can you identify in the story? How does keeping a secret affect a character's life and interaction with others? What does Meggie mean when she says, "Why do grownups think it's easier for children to bear secrets than to bear the truth?"

16. The theme of truth and lies occurs throughout the story. Find examples of times when one character lies to another. Are there times when it is better not to know the truth? When are lies used for good reasons and when are lies used to hurt people? What is the difference between a lie and a secret?

17. Fire represents many things to many people in this story. What is the meaning of fire to Dustfinger? Basta? Capricorn? Mo? Farid? Elinor?

18. Fear is a strong motivating force in this story. Who is motivated by fear? Which characters use fear to control others? Discuss ways in which certain characters control and overcome their fears.

19. What is the author saying about the power of imagination in this tale? How does Mo bring imaginative things to life? Why can't he control the people that come to life through his reading? What is the difference between reality and imagination?

20. Mo tells Meggie that "Most people don't stop to think of books being written by people much like themselves. They think that writers are all dead long ago... " Do you think this is true? Is Mo more connected to Fenoglio's story than the author himself? Are you aware of the author when you are reading a book?

© Copyright 2004 by Cornelia Funke. Reprinted with permission by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.. All rights reserved.

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