Summary
The 2003fantasybookInkheartwas a breathtaking piece of children’s literature, and though it was recognized with a movie adaptation, it no longer gets the attention it deserves. Young adult and children’s fantasy has always had the potential to leave its mark on popular culture, with series likeThe Chronicles of Narniaremaining wildly popular and celebrated for the better part of a century. However, there have been books and series over the years that have deserved every bit as much recognition, but they have sadly fallen out of prevalence.
Children’s fantasy bookslikeHarry Potter,The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,The Hobbit,James and the Giant Peach,The Wizard of Oz,and many more have solidified themselves as familiar staples of the genre. They are frequently promoted by school teachers, often even being part of the curriculum. Author Cornelia Funke is among those who have contributed to these timeless classics. Her 2003 novelInkheart, which was followed by two sequels,Inkspell(2005) andInkdeath(2007), was in the top 100 for children’s literature for a time. Unfortunately,these stories go largely unrecognized today.
10 Classic Kids Books From The 90s That Are Still Worth Reading
The 1990s saw the publication of enduring works of literature that remain classics to this day based on their popularity and notoriety.
Inkheart Deserves Way More Love Today, Over 20 Years After Its Release
Inkheart Was Popular In the 2000s, But It Has Fallen Out Of The Spotlight
While the buzz surroundingHarry PotterandThe Chronicles of Narniaremains strong decades later, little is ever said about Funke’sInkheart. This is a shame sincethe beautifully constructed trilogy still deserves love after all these years.Inkheartand its sequels won various awards and were dubbed the “Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children” by the National Education Association in 2007. In the early 2000s,Inkheartwas being promoted just about everywhere. However, despite these accolades, far fewer modern young readers would recognizeInkheartin the same way they would other popular children’s fantasy book series.
Despite these accolades, far fewer modern young readers would recognizeInkheartin the same way they would other popular children’s fantasy book series.
Why Cornelia Funke’s Book Was A Standout Children’s Fantasy
Inkheart Is Why Many 2000s Kids Fell In Love With Reading
Inkheartdoesn’t just deserve more lovetoday because of its popularity in the 2000s. Funke’s book series indeed contributed something special to the children’s fantasy genre, and there hasn’t been anything like it since. The story follows a young girl, Meggie, who discovers that she and her father share a gift that brings the characters of storybooks to life when they read aloud. While this is a variation of a fairly standard fantasy trope,the surrounding story was constructed in a way that felt like a love letter from Funke to books in general.
Meggie’s story is steeped in an exceedingly apparent love for literature. The way that Funke describes the act of reading is how a chef would describe savoring their favorite meal. There are easter eggs to various popular literary works andodes to the art of bookbinding and illustration spattered throughout. All of this is paired with a lovely story that captures the lighthearted whimsy and delicious darkness that is often so important to classic high fantasy. TheInkheartseries is all about a profound passion for fantasy literature, and this really should have allowed the trilogy to remain in the limelight.
Cornelia Funke added another book to theInkheartseries,The Color of Revenge,which is expected to be published in English sometime in 2024.
Inkheart’s Movie Adaptation Didn’t Do The Source Material Justice
Like many popular fantasy book series of the early 2000s, the rights for anInkheartfilm adaptation were bought by New Line Cinema, and this resulted in a movie that was released in 2009. The fantasy film was certainly something forInkheartfans to be excited about, witha phenomenalcast that included Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis, and more. With such astounding talent, theInkheartmovie should have been a shoo-in. Unfortunately, the film failed to live up to the source material.
Movie adaptations seem to play a significant role in a children’s book series' longevity in popular culture.
The events ofInkspellandInkdeathwere dropped entirely, andInkheartwas adapted as a stand-alone film that wrapped up the story in the end. This meant a great deal of the magic Funke sewed throughout her story was left on the cutting room floor. This lost flavor had an impact on theInkheartmovie’s performance, which is especially unfortunate since movie adaptations seem to play a significant role in a children’s book series' longevity in popular culture. Perhaps one day,Inkheartwill regain the attention it deserves, perhaps with a new movie or TV show that can finally do Funke’sfantasy bookjustice.
