Inkspell facts for kids
First English edition cover
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| Author | Cornelia Funke |
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| Original title | Tintenblut |
| Translator | Anthea Bell |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Series | Inkheart trilogy |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Meredith |
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Publication date
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1 October 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 635 (first Eng. edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-439-55400-4 (first Eng. edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 183445016 |
| LC Class | PZ7.F96624 Ins 2005 |
| Preceded by | Inkheart |
| Followed by | Inkdeath |
Inkspell (which means Tintenblut in German) is a fantasy novel for young adults. It was written by Cornelia Funke and came out in 2005. This book was chosen as the 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year for children's literature.
Inkspell is the second book in Cornelia Funke's exciting Inkheart series. The first book, Inkheart (2003), was very popular. It was even made into a movie in January 2009. The third book in the series, Inkdeath, was published in Germany on September 28, 2007.
What Happens in the Story?
A year has passed since the first book. Meggie now lives a peaceful life with her family. She is with Elinor, Darius, and her parents, Mo and Resa. But Meggie often thinks about the book Inkheart. She misses the characters who came to life from its pages.
Dustfinger, a fire-eater from the book, really wants to go back home. He finds a tricky storyteller named Orpheus. Orpheus can read characters and objects in and out of books, just like Mo. Dustfinger asks Orpheus to read him back into Inkheart. Orpheus agrees, but he doesn't send Dustfinger's helper, Farid, back with him. Instead, Orpheus takes the book from Farid. He gives it to Basta, who wants to get back at Mo for what happened to his leader, Capricorn.
Farid is very upset and goes to find Meggie. Soon, both Meggie and Farid are also pulled into the book.
Right after Meggie and Farid enter the book, Mortola, Basta, and Orpheus arrive at Elinor's house. They bring a very strong man with them. They capture Mo, Resa, Elinor, and Darius. Mortola tells Orpheus to read Basta, Mortola, and Mo into Inkheart. Resa accidentally goes along with them. Once inside the book, Mortola badly injures Mo with a gun she brought from their world. Resa discovers she can speak again. She prays for Mo to survive his injury.
While Mo recovers, Resa and Mo hide in a secret cave. They are with the "Motley Folk," who are traveling performers. The Motley Folk start to believe that the injured Mo is the "Bluejay." The Bluejay is a made-up hero from a song. Fenoglio, the author, created this hero with his words. Fenoglio has been living inside his own story since the first book. He works as a writer in Ombra, the capital city of Lombrica.
Meggie reunites with Fenoglio. He asks her to read Cosimo the Fair back into the story. Cosimo died in a way Fenoglio never planned. Meggie doesn't want to change the story. But Fenoglio convinces her it will be a "double" of Cosimo, not the real one. Meggie reluctantly reads Cosimo into the book. She quickly regrets it. Soldiers from the Adderhead suddenly attack the fair. Many people are hurt or killed. The new Cosimo has no memories of his past life. He doesn't seem to love his wife and child anymore.
The Adderhead is the ruler of a nearby region called Argenta. He planned to take over Lombrica after the Laughing Prince died. Cosimo, the rightful heir to Ombra's throne, is back. But he has no memories. This makes war seem very likely.
Mo and Resa are captured by the Adderhead's men. Many other Motley Folk are also taken. One of their own people betrayed them. Meggie joins Dustfinger and Farid to find her parents and the performers. The Black Prince, leader of the Motley Folk, helps them. They successfully rescue many prisoners. But Mo cannot escape because of his injury. Resa stays behind with him.
Meanwhile, Cosimo's double is killed in a battle. Most of Ombra's men also die. Meggie bravely goes into the Adderhead's Castle of Night. She fulfills a prophecy that she and Fenoglio created. She offers the Adderhead a deal. Mo is a great bookbinder, not a robber. He will bind a book of immortality for the Adderhead. In return, the Adderhead must let Meggie, Resa, Mo, and the others go free.
They don't tell the Prince of Argenta one important thing. If three words are written in the book ("Heart," "Spell," and "Death"), the person who signed it will disappear instantly. The Adderhead's helper, Firefox, is chosen to test the book. Firefox becomes immortal. He even survives a serious injury. But Taddeo, the Adderhead's librarian, makes him disappear by writing the three words in the book. The Adderhead is happy the book works. The words are erased and replaced with the Adderhead's name. This makes the Adderhead invincible. Mo picks up Firefox's sword as they leave. He feels a strange coldness inside him. He believes his anger and sadness are changing him.
The Adderhead decides to release all prisoners. This is to celebrate his wife giving birth to a healthy son. But the Black Prince thinks the Adderhead plans to sell them into slavery instead. The robbers plan to free the prisoners. Mo learns to fight during a raid led by Basta. Sadly, Basta causes Farid's death with a knife. Mo then defeats Basta.
Later, while sad about Farid's death, Dustfinger asks Meggie if she wants Farid back. Meggie agrees. Dustfinger sends her to Roxanne to tell her "he will always find his way back to her." Roxanne realizes what Dustfinger plans to do. She runs to him but is too late. She watches as the White Women, who are like the Inkworld's helpers for those who pass on, take Dustfinger. Farid is brought back to life in Dustfinger's place. The story ends with Meggie reading Orpheus into the Inkworld. This is so Orpheus can bring Dustfinger back to life. Orpheus convinces Farid to become his helper. He says it will help bring Dustfinger back.
Listen to the Story
The audio book version of Inkspell is published by Random House Listening Library. It is read by Brendan Fraser. He is the actor who played Mo in the movie version of Inkheart. The audio book is about 18 hours and 50 minutes long. It comes on 16 disks.
See also
In Spanish: Sangre de tinta para niños
