Since the death of Ethan's mother his dad, a graphic novelist has been stuck. One night a ink spot escapes from his father's sketchbook. Soon Ethan discovers that Inkling can eat or absorbs text and images and learn from it and then create amazing work. At first Inkling helps Ethan with an assignment he has but when his dad learns about Inkling he uses him to help him out of his slump. But should Inkling be forced to help - what are the rules for ink? Then a rival classmate and her ambitious father discover Inkling's talents and steal him. Can Ethan and his dad not only rescue Inkling but save their family as well.
Good action and some moral dilemmas. There was enough action and danger to satisfy readers without going overboard. I loved this book.

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.)

I had a little trouble getting into this book to start, but once I got into the second half I didn't want to put it down. This is a friendship story (a very unique friendship story) about a boy recovering from a great loss and trying to keep his family running while also keeping up with school and old friends. Many of the adults are drawn as imperfect and complicated, which is refreshing. I laughed a few times, and teared up a few times, but it didn't feel forced or manipulated. Just a very good story.

After I read the ARC I got my hands on a print copy. The illustrations add so much.

Kenneth Oppel's Inkling has been one of my favorite middle grade novels of this year.

Like Nest, Inkling brings a level of creativity, voice, and heart to the page that made me go through a wide range of feelings. Mostly though, I was wildly entertained by the cast of characters who are all influenced by the little spot of ink that comes to life and learns to speak and live through the ink in the books it devours.

I fell in love with Inkling, the little inkspot, and was rooting for him until the end! Ethan and his family are likable characters who pull you into their world of dealing with the death of Ethan's mother.
This is a feel good story written for a middle school audience but adults will also enjoy. I think it would be a great read aloud selection.

On the first page of my copy of this book, there's a note from the editor talking about how amazing and inspiring this book is. When I read the note, I thought it was just an editor trying to help sell a book, but as I began to get into this book, I realized the editor was right. At first, this book just seemed like a light, funny little middle grade, but while it does have moments of lightness, it mixes in serious topics and moods and shows the importance of family sticking together through hard times.

All of the characters were complex and loveable (or hateable, depending on who we're talking about!) and I'm sure any reader could find someone they relate to within Inkling's pages! Ethan's hardworking attitude to help out his family, even when he's frustrated, his father's struggle with grief, Sarah's lightheartedness (and so much sass! I love that child so much!), Vika's determination... So many amazing characters in an amazing book! And just, Inkling!!! If I could hug that little blob of ink, I would. XD

As for formatting, I absolutely loved the addition of the illustrations! I still love illustrations in books, and I'm sure I always will, no matter the genre or how old I get. It always makes me feel like the authors/publishers put in that much more effort, just like with designs under dust jackets, patterned endpapers, and maps. There weren't too many illustrations either, so it still felt like a good book for an older middle-grade audience!

All in all, I highly recommend this book! There are moments when you'll laugh out loud, gasp, maybe even cry (I almost did). It's a great addition to the world of books!

I never thought I’d want an inkblot as a best friend, but here we are after reading Inkling. The story about a boy named Ethan who is just trying to do the right thing in every situation and hold his family together takes an interesting turn when an inkspot escapes his papery bounds and take on the characteristics of a living being. It needs to eat, move, and grow. It learns through reading and begins to speak. Inkling has such a wonderful personality and it was so unexpected for him grow into someone (something?) that I would love to be around.
The side characters, such as the father and the sister were well rounded. His sister has downs syndrome and Ethan takes wonderful care to help and nurture her without making her feel different or unusual. Her personality is fully formed without the pitfall that most disabled side characters experience of only being defined by their disability.
Middle grade readers will love the humor that is sprinkled among serious topics. Difficult themes are addressed without bogging down the book and it will encourage a young reader to think deeply about things as they go.

Imagine being in school, tasked with a group project of creating a graphic novel. Everyone has a job and because your father is a talented artist, you automatically get the job of drawing every panel in your graphic novel. The problem? You can’t draw a thing to save your life!

This is the dilemma that Ethan Rylance is in. So imagine his surprise when he discovers a funny little blob of ink that seems to be alive and has a mind of it’s own. He learns, he eats ink, he can hear, and communicate! His name is Inkling! Inkling agrees to help Ethan with his group project by drawing the panels and even agrees to teach him how to draw. But when a profit-hungry publishing company looking for the next best seller discovers Inkling, they steal him with the intention of using him to create a new graphic novel series. What will Ethan do and how will he be able to rescue his little friend?

Great themes of friendship and family are interwoven with the creative storyline. Ethan struggles with the responsibility of helping take care of his little sister, who has Down syndrome, and coping with the loss of his mother. Inkling seems to be the relief that Ethan needs in his life, which is why their bond is so strong. I loved that Ethan cared for Inkling, feeding him novels like The BFG, The Old Man and the Sea and Anne of Green Gables, so that Inkling could learn and become intelligent. And I loved that Inkling cared for Ethan by being a sounding board when Ethan had worries on his mind.

Inkling by Kenneth Oppel is one of the most imaginative books I’ve read in a long time! It will be a treat for middle grade readers age 8-12!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for allowing me to read this E-ARC!

Kenneth Oppel does it again! Inkling is a creative, quirky journey through the emotional tumult of a father and son. Oppel handles the emotions skillfully, allowing the reader to experience discomfort without but not abandoning hope. Terrific choice for middle-grade readers. The illustrations carry the story in a way that will engage reluctant readers, too.

This is a book that my daughter wanted to read because she said that it looked interesting. She read this book in record time and told me that she loved the story. She couldn't put it down and this was an easy book for her to read. I highly suggest allowing your child to read it as it was a fun and exciting story to read.

Uplifting, heartfelt and very immersive to read.

Inkling is such a great character to stand by his family in the storm of need. We could all use an Inkling every once in a while. 

Ethan is working on a group project for school. Their assignment is to create a graphic novel. Among the students in his group, Ethan is the one picked to make the drawings after the plot has been created. Easy peasy, right?

Since Ethan’s dad is an artist and has produced the amazing ‘Kren’ comic series, it only makes sense that he should have inherited the same artistic tendencies as his father. Vikra however, his classmate and archenemy, thinks differently. She is very artistic and almost knows for sure that she has this in the bag…until Inkling comes along!

Inkling is a color-blob, born from the creations of Ethan’s dad. One night, he simply became. He slowly rolled of one of the sketchbooks in the home office and made his way around the house in the dark.

The group project is going slow…Ethan is overwhelmed and under gifted in his drawing skills. His dad is having a difficult time as of late as well. Creatively, he has hit a blank since the death of his wife. His publisher has been knocking on his door for the past 2 years, waiting for the next big hit. Ethan is trying to help out his dad with his little sister with special needs as much as he can to ease his father’s burden, but the family is hurting and mourning still.

Inkling makes his appearance at the right time of their lives. They have so much to learn from each other and gain from their deeply developing friendship. For a while things start looking back up for them. When Ethan’s drawing skills improve with tutoring lessons from Inkling, the unimaginable happens. Inkling gets kidnapped. The event sends Ethan’s dad into a deep spiral of depression and together as a family they have to make it through a tough time and rescue Inkling.

What are the chances of getting him back? How will they fare? Someone is out to doing some really bad things to Inkling and Ethan is challenged to rescue him.
Fingers crossed…

***

This book was deeply moving as well as entertaining. A truly sweet and heart rendering story to read as the plot follows the families healing and at the same time the adventures of Inkling. (I actually teared up at some moments...that never happens!)

Inkling is a bookworm and the best of influences on Ethan and his family. His hunger to read and learn is infatuating. There are definitely many lessons to be learned and positive messages to be heard from this novel to give hope and encouragement to students of all walks of life.

I really like Oppel’s writing. This is not the first book of his I have read and in my experience his books simply read well and immersive. I was blown away by his series ‘The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein’ and ever since he is high on my list of 'Want to read authors'.

I highly recommend this lovely book with a great message for children as well as adults.

Enjoy :)
(...and keep a tissue box near by!)

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you!

Inkling was just adorable and oh so engaging. I was fascinated with it and could not put it down. I was amazed that the author could give a personality to an inkblot, but he did and I can’t wait to share this with my students.

The Rylance family was so fun to spend time with. Ethan was a great main character, a sweet older brother to his disabled sister and you could tell that he loved his dad even when his dad was having difficulties. Ethan’s mom had died a couple of years before this story takes place, but you could still see the grief that the family was trying to work through. Ethan also had the added burden that he was the son of this famous graphic novel artist, and he could barely make stick figures. Ethan doesn’t want to be an artist, but he does want to improve his drawing skills which I can totally connect with. Ethan is pretty smart, and can stand up for himself when he needs to.

Inkling is the most adorable character that I have come across in awhile. He is so fun to watch growing from a movable blob to a think and feeling character, that can somehow hear, see and understand everything around him. I loved that he learned from eating the words in books and that comics made him hyper. That was inspired. His interactions with the family cat were also fun to read. The magical aspect of Inkling was almost inconsequential as he wormed his way into the family and our hearts.

The story was fast paced and kept you interested. There was some tension between Ethan and Vika, a girl at school who Ethan calls his archenemy. She is the source of most of his problems, but she does appear to want to the right thing in the end. I also liked his best friend Soren, he is helpful and supportive of Ethan and Inkling.

This is definitely one of the best middle-grades I have read this year. I believe this is a stand alone, but there was a hint at the end that there might be a sequel too. I certainly hope so, I would love to spend more time with Ethan and Inkling.

I really need to check out more of Kenneth Oppel's books! I loved his story Boundless! Just read it cover to cover in one wonderful read! I should have made it last longer, several days,; I was so sad when it ended! Inkling is another one of those stories. It's lots shorter than Boundless, but is sooo good! I loved the characters, and Inkling is just magic! great story for 6th grade up.

This was such a unique fantasy! I never thought I would care about what happened to an ink splot! But, I did and you will too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of Inkling.
Inking is an imaginative and wonderful book that will captivate your heart. Ethan is a great character for young teens who may not be the “best” at everything. In one moment, life begins to change when an ink creation from his Dad’s sketchbook come into his world. The story is full of life lessons for young and old while keeping the book fun and lighthearted. Kenneth Oppel is a talented writer, whom I had not read before, but will be reading more of in the future. Inkling is for anyone who loves to use their imagination and wishes for a little magic in their life.

It’s a familiar storyline in the s now that boy wants to be bigger and better so he lies and the lie gets out of control. In this case, it’s Ethan’s drawing ability. I got bogged down in the middle as his dilemma just seemed so unoriginal.

A clever, highly original concept supported by endearing characters, brisk pacing, cinematic action and gentle messaging make Inkling a winning read. Oppel continues to demonstrate incredible range (The Nest, Airborne, This Dark Endeavor) with a realistic fiction/fantasy mashup he pulls off brilliantly. After his mother’s recent death, Ethan’s family is barely getting by: he, his younger sister Sarah and father Peter remain stuck in grief. Ethan knows his father needs to snap out of it - Peter’s career as a graphic novelist has stalled - but the boy continues to shoulder responsibilities and just keep going. Help arrives in the form of an inkblot that comes to magical life and escapes Peter’s sketchbook, starts communicating and becomes a self-aware member of the family; Ethan appropriately names the blot “Inkling”. Inkling provides sorely needed guidance and companionship for Ethan and Sarah. Inkling also senses that he’s on a quest to find something to bring comfort to Ethan’s father.

Inkling’s artistic help to Peter and Ethan raises questions about cheating that serve as a springboard for discussion. Ethan and Inkling’s conflicts with rivals Vika and Blotter add depth and tension. Oppel leaves the novel’s conclusion open for a possible sequel. I wouldn’t be surprised if this novel is quickly optioned as an animated feature length film: hopefully Oppel will write the screenplay so the film can be as great as the book.

Inkling is funny, sad and definitely unique. I enjoyed the fresh way Oppel tells this story of a family coping with the loss of a loved one. Ethan’s friends believe he can draw just like his famous father. A secret Ethan wants to keep as Inkling emerges from the pages of Ethan’s fathers sketchpad, assisting him in the creation of a comic book for a class project.

What an amazing story. I didn’t know I could be so emotionally attached to a blob of ink. My husband was shaking his head at me while I was reading because I kept exclaiming things like , “O, no, Inkling!” Inkling has so much character, and fun. The story went places I didn’t expect and I was pleasantly surprised. I was waiting with bated breath at certain parts to find out what would happen. I can’t wait to get this book for my library. You should also check out Trankarri by Christopher Dean. This story reminded me of that one and I love them both.

To appear this week on my blog:
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, readers easily fall in love with her and learn about the many important and wonderful things people with Down Syndrome are blessed 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.”