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aurelyarose's review against another edition
There were a couple of loose ends I would have liked to see resolved.
Overall it was cute, heartfelt and a bit bittersweet.
Overall it was cute, heartfelt and a bit bittersweet.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This gleefully illustrated adventure tells the tale of artistic musings come to life! When Ethan struggles to complete the art portion of a group project for school, he feels like a failure. After all, his dad is a renowned comic book artist; surely Ethan should have inherited some of that talent. But his dad hasn't created anything recently either---not since Ethan's mom's death, which has left his dad reeling. Then one day, a magical inkblot comes to life from one of Ethan's dad's sketchbooks. The inkblot is an answer to a prayer for Ethan as it helps him complete the art for his project, and it just might be able to jumpstart Ethan's dad's creativity as well. The pacing in this book is great--Inkling's capers are highly entertaining and the illustrations throughout the book are equally fun. The plot involves plenty of suspense (especially when Inkling ends up in some serious danger), but Ethan's and his dad's struggles with grief are also woven into the story in surprising and thought-provoking ways. The end result is a book brimming with both adventure and heart!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This gleefully illustrated adventure tells the tale of artistic musings come to life! When Ethan struggles to complete the art portion of a group project for school, he feels like a failure. After all, his dad is a renowned comic book artist; surely Ethan should have inherited some of that talent. But his dad hasn't created anything recently either---not since Ethan's mom's death, which has left his dad reeling. Then one day, a magical inkblot comes to life from one of Ethan's dad's sketchbooks. The inkblot is an answer to a prayer for Ethan as it helps him complete the art for his project, and it just might be able to jumpstart Ethan's dad's creativity as well. The pacing in this book is great--Inkling's capers are highly entertaining and the illustrations throughout the book are equally fun. The plot involves plenty of suspense (especially when Inkling ends up in some serious danger), but Ethan's and his dad's struggles with grief are also woven into the story in surprising and thought-provoking ways. The end result is a book brimming with both adventure and heart!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
bornfromtheashes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
readmoreyall's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure how this one ended up on SSYRA. Cute but not a stand out for me.
listen_learn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
5.0
New favorite! Loved everything about it, characters were true, I loved Inkling’s personality, and the moral dilemma at the heart of the book. Appreciated the way Ethan fed Inkling great literature to build character and voice.
I found myself reading faster and with wider eyes as I got nearer the end. Just a fantastic read!!
I found myself reading faster and with wider eyes as I got nearer the end. Just a fantastic read!!
kategci's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent choice (chosen by the kids), for the kids book club that I help moderate. The kids who finished it, loved it. I liked it, but was worried that some of the themes were above them. What was so interesting is that we talked about the book with 8 year olds and the were focused on Inkling and his peril and they really did not have much to say about Ethan and his family. I think if we discussed it with 12 year olds, we would have had a very different conversation. It was so interesting to me how the children did not notice the more mature (middle school) themes and read it on a completely different level. A tribute to the author, Kenneth Oppel for writing this way. The illustrations were great as well. I highly recommend this book (as did the New York Public Library - it was one of the 100 best Children's books for 2018 chosen by a group of Chidren's Librarians each year).
wheninapril's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes Middle-Grade books can be such an eye opener, can’t they? Huh! Inkling is such an book with a lot of laughter, a little sadness that had your throat tightened and a bunch of little innocences.
Just one page, Inkling told himself.
I really liked the plot. It was innovative and sweet. The story had such a flow on it that kept me hooked till the end. Though the story deals with heavy matter like loss of a loved one and getting stuck, it’s overall rather cute and never too heavy for the middle grade readers.
I really really liked all the characters. I loved Inkling, the little bookworm blot. I adored kind and considerate Ethan, he was such a pleasure to read about! From time to time I had a little trouble liking his father though, I know he was stuck, but he seemed too much cold-hearted :/
And the ending! OMG!! That ending!!! The last sentence gave me goosebumps!! (on a good way though 🙂 )
Overall a 5/5 kind of a read ❤
Click to see the original Blog Post
Just one page, Inkling told himself.
I really liked the plot. It was innovative and sweet. The story had such a flow on it that kept me hooked till the end. Though the story deals with heavy matter like loss of a loved one and getting stuck, it’s overall rather cute and never too heavy for the middle grade readers.
I really really liked all the characters. I loved Inkling, the little bookworm blot. I adored kind and considerate Ethan, he was such a pleasure to read about! From time to time I had a little trouble liking his father though, I know he was stuck, but he seemed too much cold-hearted :/
And the ending! OMG!! That ending!!! The last sentence gave me goosebumps!! (on a good way though 🙂 )
Overall a 5/5 kind of a read ❤
Click to see the original Blog Post
readsewknit's review against another edition
4.0
In Inkling, we meet Ethan, a middle-school boy who encounters a sentient blob of ink that has escaped from the dad's sketchbook. He learns the ink needs to devour words and images, much as humans also need nourishment, and as it feeds on books, it gains knowledge. Ethan learns the quality of the material he feeds Inkling impacts his personality; comic books lead to frenetic, wild Inkling, Anne of Green Gables and other classics lead to a more thoughtful, measured blob.
Ethan and his sister are being raised by a single dad, since the mother died from cancer; there's a growing understanding that Inkling came to be in order to heal the pain and distance that have resulted between Ethan and his dad, as well as to resolve the creative block that has stymied the dad's artwork.
Inkling can create, and this is where much of the tension resides. Ethan tries to find a balance on making a storyboard draft for his class project before letting Inkling transform it, but when his dad and others get access to Inkling, their motives are less pure and more exploitative.
I imagine this as a wonderful book to offer to children whose previous reading experiences were strictly comic book or graphic novel form. While I appreciate those genres, this could be a well-placed gateway book to interest them in the structure of more traditional chapter books given the periodic illustrations and the content focusing on comic books and storyboards.
(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for my honest review.)
Ethan and his sister are being raised by a single dad, since the mother died from cancer; there's a growing understanding that Inkling came to be in order to heal the pain and distance that have resulted between Ethan and his dad, as well as to resolve the creative block that has stymied the dad's artwork.
Inkling can create, and this is where much of the tension resides. Ethan tries to find a balance on making a storyboard draft for his class project before letting Inkling transform it, but when his dad and others get access to Inkling, their motives are less pure and more exploitative.
I imagine this as a wonderful book to offer to children whose previous reading experiences were strictly comic book or graphic novel form. While I appreciate those genres, this could be a well-placed gateway book to interest them in the structure of more traditional chapter books given the periodic illustrations and the content focusing on comic books and storyboards.
(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for my honest review.)
toonyballoony's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
An especially interesting read now that the threat of AI in the art world has ramped up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent