Release date: Nov 6, 2018
Enter Inkling. Inkling begins life in Mr. Rylance's sketchbook. But one night the ink of his drawings runs together--and then leaps off the page! This small burst of creativity is about to change everything.
Ethan finds him first. Inkling has absorbed a couple chapters of his math book--not good--and the story he's supposed to be illustrating for school--also not good. But Inkling's also started drawing the pictures to go with the story--which is amazing! It's just the help Ethan was looking for! Inkling helps the rest of the family too--for Sarah he's a puppy. And for Dad he's a spark of ideas for a new graphic novel. It's exactly what they all want.
It's not until Inkling goes missing that this family has to face the larger questions of what they--and Inkling--truly need.
There will be
spoilers in this review.
A quick summary:
The Rylance family is stuck. Dad's got writer's
block. Ethan promised to illustrate a group project at school--even though he
can't draw. Sarah's still pining for a puppy. And they all miss Mom. So much
more than they can say.
From Goodreads.
The Set Up:
We open with the cat. I immediately
love Rickman, who is the first to discover Inkling. Because we can see this fun
personality of the cat and we’re immediately introduced to this world where the
thoughts of a cat are logical, I’m able to jump on board with a blob of ink
coming off of the pages of a sketchbook. There was much world building
necessary here, but the author creates a sense of place and I have no issue
believing anything Rickman wants to tell me.
What stood out:
These characters are relatable to
middle grade readers but at the same time, introducing them to ideas they might
not see in their own everyday lives. For example, not every child has a sibling
with Down Syndrome or even might know someone with Down Syndrome. Ethan
describes his sister as, “Sarah had Down Syndrome, and there were lots of
things that were still mysteries to her, like why you couldn’t just eat ice
cream whenever you wanted.”
Sarah is a hilarious character and
calls Rickman “Icklan” and wants Inkling to be a dog so badly she calls him
Lucy.
Through Ethan’s love for his sister, and her sweet yet silly nature, readers easily fall in love with her and learn about the many important and
wonderful things people with Down Syndrome are blessed with. I feel it's incredibly important for middle grader readers to be exposed to characters that don't necessarily look like them or the people they are surrounded with.
One particular section that stood out
was, “Here was the thing about a Sarah
hug. It was a real embrace. There was nothing half-hearted about it. Her soft
arms folded around your neck, and she pressed her cheek against yours and
smushed her body against you, and you felt like you’d just won the most amazing
prize. And you couldn’t help grinning.” I love Sarah.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the
illustrates placed throughout the book. Because this was an ARC, only some of
those illustrations were visible, however all of the ones I could see were fun
sketches much like what I imagine Mr. Rylance creating in his comics.
Several times throughout the book I
made a note that Oppel described scary characters (Blotter) and scary
situations in a way that kept me turning the pages in an anxious frenzy, but
definitely wasn’t too much for a younger reader. Blotter is super creepy and
bubbles with anger from eating way too many violent comic books. Inkling is
afraid of him and so am I.
Oppel brings these fears to life by giving both Blotter and Inkling the power to hurt our human characters in a very real way, cutting off their air flow. We learn in the beginning with Inkling covers Ethan’s face that the ink can cut off Ethan’s airflow. Inkling is of course sorry for hurting his friend but later, when Blotter is freed and they are trying to run away from him, this same thing happens, leaving readers on the edge of the page as we are left with “All he could think was, breathe, breathe. But he couldn’t.”
Oppel brings these fears to life by giving both Blotter and Inkling the power to hurt our human characters in a very real way, cutting off their air flow. We learn in the beginning with Inkling covers Ethan’s face that the ink can cut off Ethan’s airflow. Inkling is of course sorry for hurting his friend but later, when Blotter is freed and they are trying to run away from him, this same thing happens, leaving readers on the edge of the page as we are left with “All he could think was, breathe, breathe. But he couldn’t.”
Discussion Topics:
The death of a parent
I appreciated the discussion of the death of a parent. Rather than is be a giant hug fest, Oppel allows his characters to experience grief in several ways. From Sarah's inability to understand, their dad's complete withdrawal into his self, and Ethan trying to fix everything, readers see grief they can identify with.
Owning your decisions and doing the right thing
Even though Ethan and his dad could keep Inkling and Blotter to create books that would obviously bring them wealth, the family takes ownership for allowing Inkling to do some of their work. Both Ethan and his dad admit to their mistakes of cheating on homework and on book writing. It was refreshing to see characters realize their wrong doings and make amends. In the end, they also help others see the importance of not only owning your mistakes, but learning how to do something by yourself, a great lesson for middle grade readers.
I appreciated the discussion of the death of a parent. Rather than is be a giant hug fest, Oppel allows his characters to experience grief in several ways. From Sarah's inability to understand, their dad's complete withdrawal into his self, and Ethan trying to fix everything, readers see grief they can identify with.
Owning your decisions and doing the right thing
Even though Ethan and his dad could keep Inkling and Blotter to create books that would obviously bring them wealth, the family takes ownership for allowing Inkling to do some of their work. Both Ethan and his dad admit to their mistakes of cheating on homework and on book writing. It was refreshing to see characters realize their wrong doings and make amends. In the end, they also help others see the importance of not only owning your mistakes, but learning how to do something by yourself, a great lesson for middle grade readers.
I won't spoil anymore but I will say
I rate this book 4.8/5.
Have you read Inkling?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
To purchase Inkling go here!
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