Inkheart

Written by: Cornelia Funke

First line: Rain fell that night, a fine, whispering rain.

Why you should read this book: Meggie never knew the truth about where her mother has been for the last nine years, or why her father refuses to read anything aloud, or even how these two mysteries are linked, but the night Dustfinger stands outside her window in the rain, she starts to uncover the truth. There are dark, dangerous, somewhat supernatural things afoot, and Meggie, along with her misanthropic, bibliophile great-aunt, must confront terror both very fictional and very, very real. A story that assumes magic exists beneath the surface of everything, and courage lives in the hearts of children.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Book burning. Deliberate incineration of precious, precious books.