Inkheart - Book 17 of 52 in 52

Inkheart by Funke is a delightful piece of juvenile fiction and the first in a series of three books.  One peaceful night as Maggie's father reads to her and her mother from a book entitled Inkheart, three characters suddenly emerge from the pages while Maggie's mother disappears into the story.  At the time Maggie was too young to realize what has happened; and for years, her father manages to stay one step ahead of the fictional villain who wishes to harness his magical power, but they cannot hide forever.  Suddenly, the adventures that Maggie loves to read about are no longer in a distant imaginary place; and she finds herself in the middle of her own very real adventure.  Can they escape from the clutches of the villain Capricorn?  If they succeed, what then?  More running, more hiding.  Or perhaps there is a way to harness the magical power and control it to use to finally bring the villain to an end?

I loved the premise of this book when I read dustcover and decided to give it a try.  The author does an excellent job of quickly drawing the reading into the story, so I actually ending up reading the entire book in one afternoon.  I would recommend this book for ages 8 and up with the caveat that the villains are really evil so it may not be appropriate for a sensitive child.