About the Book:

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

From the acclaimed author of The Nest, The Boundless, and Airborn comes a brilliantly funny, breakout book about a boy who discovers an ink blot that’s come to life! Perfect for those who love Hoot and Frindle and sure to be a hit with kids everywhere!

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.

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.

Kenneth Oppel has given us a small masterpiece of middle-grade fiction. Inkling is funny and fizzy and exciting, and brimming with the kind of interesting ideas and dilemmas that kids will love to wrestle with. And Sydney Smith is creating wonderfully inky illustrations to bring the story to vivid life. Get ready. A little ink blot is about to become your new favorite character!

And here is my Review!

Inkling was a simple novel, but surprisingly deep. Firstly, as someone who is currently struggling to enjoy being bad at art (which is an entirely different essay altogether haha), this is the story I wish I had stumbled across as a child.

The moral of the story was, as a whole, simple and easy to pick up. Maybe it was because I felt a personal connection to it; growing up I was in a group of incredibly gifted, naturally creative kids, and I felt I was supposed to be the non-creative, serious friend. Thus, that is the role I fulfilled. So, I connected with Ethan a lot; he was struggling to find his identity as an artist, whilst surrounded by people whose attitudes and skills made him feel like the “role” was already taken.

I really enjoyed this; Ethan struggled with quite a lot, mostly surrounding his dad (who I couldn’t help but despise, sorrynotsorry). Ethan was forced to grow up must faster than he should’ve had to, and thus he had a lot of disconnect between himself and the nature childhood creativity inside of him. I felt that this message was projected really well, for such a simple little book, and was one I have never seen in a MS novel before.

This moral and idea was very simply written, as I said. Inkling is one of those stories that has morals written very literally on the pages, but also some subliminal messages as well. There was an entire plot line surrounding Inkling (the character), and if his purpose or worth expanded off of his innate ability to create art. 

OH! Side note: Inkling is just adorable in general but his bookishness was literally the perk of my week. If you’re a classic lit. fan, this book deserves at least a skim reading because it had some very cute references.

Overall, I really enjoyed this simple little book, and I think you would too!

4 out of 5.

Maddie

About Kenneth:

I was born in Port Alberni, a mill town on Vancouver Island, British Columbia but spent the bulk of my childhood in Victoria, B.C. and on the opposite coast, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At around twelve I decided I wanted to be a writer. I started out writing sci-fi epics then went on to swords and sorcery tales and then, during the summer holiday when I was fourteen, started on a humorous story about a boy addicted to video games. Photo credit: Mark Raynes Roberts

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Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of INKLING, US Only.

Rafflecopter link: 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2831/

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

11/1/2018- The Reading Corner for All– Review

11/2/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review

Week Two:

11/5/2018- Belles Book Blog– Review

11/6/2018- D Wants to Read– Review

11/7/2018- Beagles & Books– Review

11/8/2018- YA Books Central– Interview

11/9/2018- Belle’s Archive– Review

Week Three:

11/12/2018- Maddie.TV – Review

11/13/2018- Cindy’s Love of Books– Review

11/14/2018- Bri’s Book Nook– Review

11/15/2018- FUONLYKNEW– Review

11/16/2018- BookHounds YA– Review

Week Four:

11/19/2018- Twirling Book Princess– Excerpt

11/20/2018- Book-Keeping– Review

11/21/2018- A Dream Within A Dream– Excerpt

11/22/2018- All the Ups and Downs- Excerpt

11/23/2018- Lilly’s Book World– Review

Week Five:

11/26/2018- The Layaway Dragon– Review

11/27/2018- The Cover Contessa– Interview

11/28/2018- The Pages In-Between– Review

11/29/2018- Adventures Thru Wonderland- Review

11/30/2018- Oh Hey! Books.– Review