Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke

-Synopsis

Meggie is the daughter of a revered bookbinder called Mo whose peaceful existence is one night shattered by the arrival of Dustfinger - a shadowy, scarred man with a mysterious link to Mo's past. Mo and Meggie are soon on the move, running from something that threatens everything they hold dear. But the past inevitably catches up with them and Mo is forced to reveal to his daughter for the first time his terrible secret. He has the ability, or curse, to breathe life into any story he reads and make the characters come alive, this is why he has never read aloud to Meggie since her mothers curious disappearance. Just such a character, the sinister Capricorn, is after Mo to ensure that he stays alive and is never returned to the pages from which he sprung. And, of course, he''ll stop at nothing to guarantee success.




-Review

'Meggie is the sort of girl that younger readers can relate to and the way the other characters are described from the looks to their habits is so inventive and original that you end up feeling like you have met a whole host of new people by the end of the book. The storyline is far fetched but fantastic, being set in modern day, but using characters from another place creates a charasmatic combination! So in short if you are eleven years or plus I recommend you read this book.'

-Rating

3/5

Website - http://www.corneliafunkefans.com/en

Scottish Children's Book Awards

The Scottish Children's Book Awards allows young people across Scotland to vote for their favourite book in a number of categories. The winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony in Edinburgh in February. Within our school, Mrs Gibson's second year class will be taking part, in the older reader category.

The three books that are in the running are as follows;

-Prisoner of the Inquisition, by Theresa Breslin

Zarita, only daughter of the town magistrate, lives a life of wealth and privilege. Indulged by her parent, she is free to spend her days as she pleases, enjoying herself in the company of an eligible young nobleman, horse riding, or leisurely studying the arts. Saulo, son of a family reduced by circumstances to begging, witnesses his father wrongfully arrested and dealt with in the most horrifying way. Hauled off to be a slave at sea and pursued by pirates he encounters the ambitious mariner explorer, Christopher Columbus. Throughout his hardships Saulo is determined to survive - for he has sworn vengeance on the magistrate and his family. As Zarita's life also undergoes harsh changes, the formidable and frightening Inquisition arrives in the area, bringing menacing shadows of suspicion with acts of the court of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand in the splendid Moorish city of Grenada, betrayal and revenge...

-Wasted, by Nicola Morgan

Jack worships luck and decides his actions by the flip of a coin. No risk is too great if the coin demands it. Luck brings him Jess, a beautiful singer who will change his life. But Jack's luck is running out, and soon the stakes are high. As chance and choice unravel, the risks of Jack's game become terrifyingly clear. An evening of heady recklessness, and suddenly a life hangs in the balance, decided by the toss of a coin. In the end, it is the reader who must choose whether to spin that coin and determine: Life or Death?

-The Blackhope Enigma, by Teresa Flavin

When Sunni Forrest's stepbrother accidentally transports himself into a Renaissance painting, she and her friend Blaise set out to bring him back. They find themselves in a strange world of labyrinths, monsters and pirates. Can the evade their greedy pursuers? And will they ever find their way home?