Inkling

by Kenneth Oppel

Scott County library paperback 256 pages

published: 2018

genre: YA fantasy

Oppel always surprises me as an author . . . in good ways. What started out as a middle school book about an inkspot coming to life turned into a very beautiful book about grief, family, and love. For young readers, the mystery / adventure and splashy illustration style will probably be the big draw. 

 

Ethan's dad is an artist with a creative block. Ethan is working on a graphic novel group project at school and wants his dad's help. Sarah, Ethan's little sister is a sweet special needs child. When Inkling (the ink blot) comes to "life," things get really interesting.

Page 105 - "Mom would never have forgotten the cake. Ethan was startled by how much he missed her all of a sudden. She'd always run the parties. ... Without Mom, the house still felt emptier, every room of it. Some mornings when Ethan woke up, he had that same terrible feeling he's had right after she died. It made him want to curl himself up into a ball. Like if he made himself small enough, it wouldn't hurt so much."

Page 139-140 - "It was such a relief for Ethan to finally tell his father. A secret was a heavy thing to carry around for so long, and day by day it only got heavier. He realized that this was the most he and his dad had talked about anything in a long time."

Page 202 - "Watching from his jar, Inkling didn't like what he saw. This creature couldn't have been more different from him. Sure, Inkling liked superhero comics and the occasional explosion, but this was too much. And he felt angry - not at the splotch, but at Vika and Mr. Worthington. They should be feeding this new creature all sorts of things, beautiful books and magnificent artwork. It should have a healthy, mixed diet, like the one Inkling was lucky enough to get from Ethan."

I loved this notion of "feeding" the ink blot with good literature. Throughout the book, Ethan notices that Inkling's communication reflects what he's been "feeding" upon - The Old Man and the Sea, The BFG, etc. 

Reading this reminds me of how surprised I was when I read Silverwing. How could I care so much about bats?!