Inkling

August 15, 2018
"No one was awake to see it happen."No one except Rickman, the cat, who was snooping around for something to eat. He saw the whole thing: The ink in Mr. Rylance's sketchbook came to life, slithered across the page and lifted right out of the book, leaving no sign it had ever occupied the white paper. Ethan, Mr. Rylance's son, hates drawing, but everyone thinks that because his dad is a famous graphic novel artist, Ethan has talent. The terrible truth is that he can't draw, but his friends have designated him the artist for a school project. Then Ethan meets the splotch with a mind of its own and dubs it "Inkling." Inkling has taught himself (Oppel genders Inkling male with pronoun use) to read and communicates by forming words on paper--and he can draw! But then Inkling goes missing. Has he been kidnapped? Did he run away? The third-person narrative follows Ethan, a classmate, and Inkling, neatly developing the inkblot into a memorable character in his own right. In a metafictive touch, the corners of the pages are themselves splotched, giving readers the feeling that they're part of the story. Ethan's 9-year-old sister has Down syndrome but isn't a sentimental plot device; she adds an extra layer of true humor and warmth to the story. The characters all present white in Smith's vignettes.A sweet and funny story about an unusual friendship. (Fantasy. 7-12)

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September 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-Ethan Rylance has the weight of the world on his shoulders. His mother recently passed away, and his once-successful father is struggling with his career as a graphic novel creator. Because his father is grieving and experiencing depression, it falls to a frustrated Ethan to act as caregiver and playmate to his intuitive and empathetic little sister who has Down Syndrome. On top of the strains of his home life, Ethan is struggling with a school assignment. His classmates assume that artistry is in his genes and Ethan, ever eager to save face, agrees to be the illustrator of their group project to create an original graphic novel, even though he has no notion of how to begin drawing and his father is too preoccupied to advise. But when the ink from Mr. Rylance's sketchbook comes to life one night and begins exploring the family home, everything changes. After discovering the shape-shifting splotch of potential creative energy, Ethan christens his helpful new friend Inkling. For a time, Inkling remains secret, but as the buoyant and optimistic creature grows larger and takes on characteristics of what he devours, more and more people in Ethan's circle find out. Inkling is able to reproduce the art and text he has eaten, a trait that the Rylance family thinks will solve all their problems, but instead brings them to a head that father and son must confront together. VERDICT A unique story about the creative process and the journey through grief. Recommended for fiction collections.-Lauren Younger, Nicholson Memorial Library, Garland, TX

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2018
With none but Rickman the cat awake to see it, a blob of ink wrenches itself free from a sketchbook and begins munching its way through a nearby math textbook, “slurp the ink into itself” and leaving a blank, shiny page in its wake. Ethan, the son of a once-successful graphic novelist, discovers the blotch (and its skillful contribution to his graphic novel assignment) and names it Inkling. As Inkling consumes print media, expanding and learning with each absorbed word and image, Ethan and his family—especially his sister, Sarah, who has Down syndrome—become more attached to the lovable creature, whose upbeat personality provides a distraction from their grief over the loss of Ethan and Sarah’s mother. But keeping Inkling and using it to make art poses ethical questions for Ethan and his father, not to mention for a company looking to turn business around. Gray-scale illustrations by Smith (Town Is by the Sea) ground readers in the medium through which Ethan and Inkling communicate. Inkling’s evolving abilities model a realistic creative arc—the creature mimics its most recent literary meal (“I’M UTTERLY ENRAPTURED”
follows a stint with L.M. Montgomery) until it eventually discovers its own voice—even as the other characters work through grief and find their own stories. Ages 8-12.

September 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 Mr. Rylance, a famous graphic novelist, is battling a bad case of writer's block after the death of his wife. Meanwhile, his son, Ethan, is struggling to complete a school graphic-novel project and frustrated with his father's inability to move on. When an inkblot that can write, listen, learn, and create beautiful pictures pulls himself from Mr. Rylance's sketchbook, Ethan names him Inkling and thinks the blot could solve their problems. Inkling is a truly engaging character?at turns hilarious, when he mimics the language of the books he reads, and poignant, when he wonders about his identity and purpose. The omniscient narrator adds tension to the story, as several human characters discover the truth about Inkling and fight to use him in nice or nefarious ways. The undercurrent of loss and grief, not to mention questions of agency and personhood, give the story weight but do not weigh it down. Smith's energetic and expressive ink drawings are the perfect complement and contribute to the storytelling in playful ways. Oppel's latest is serious fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Sixth grader Ethan--the son of a famous artist--unfortunately can't draw. But then a sentient blot of ink escapes from his father's inkwell, slowly gains communicative abilities, and aids his drawing. This intriguing illustrated fantasy and unusual friendship story goes off the rails when "Inkling" disappears, having been kidnapped by his father's publisher's daughter. Still, it's a highly original concept and an entertaining page-turner.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)