Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2010
400 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
For years, Jacob Reckless has been escaping to another world - a world behind the mirror, where witches haunt the forests and fairies and dwarfs roam. A world for treasure hunts and magnificent quests - but also a world locked in a deadly war.
Jacob's secret seems safe, until one day his younger brother Will follows him, to disastrous consequence. Faced with a curse that is quickly turning Will to stone, the Reckless brothers are thrust into a race against time to find a cure before one of them is lost forever.
Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, master storyteller Cornelia Funke introduces a lush, enchanting landscape of fairy tales and legends re-imagined as never before. Reckless is a thrilling adventure and a tale of heroism, filled with danger, mystery, and above all, magic.
"Starred Review. Masterful storytelling." - Kirkus
"The rich re-imagining of familiar fairy tale details is the best part, as there is little character development .... Planned sequels will give Funke a chance to fill in the missing back-story that makes this a frustrating read. Ages 10–up." - Publishers Weekly
"The fact that the main characters are in their 20s will help to extend its potential readership to older students. Reckless will be enjoyed by Funke's fans, who will be pleased that she has left the door open for a sequel. Grades 7-10." - School Library Journal
"Story is king here, however, and this adventure-driven fantasy, the first in a series, will have readers turning pages. Grades 7-10." - Booklist
"I picked this book up at ALA 10 for my ten-year-old daughter. She loved the Inkheart series and was really excited to start reading it, but after about 15 pages, she brought it to me and said, 'I don't understand what's happening, this book makes no sense.' So, I told her that I'd read it, and try to explain it to her. I am SO glad that I started this book....for two reasons. First, my ten-year-old is not ready for it. There was way too much bone-chilling creepiness, and there was also quite a lot of adult innuendo ... The second reason is that I REALLY liked it a lot! ... an Epic adventure with a creepy twist on all the Fairytales we know and love." - ReadingTeen.net
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
The German author, Cornelia Funke was born in 1958 in Dorsten, in the German region of Westphalia. Following university, she worked for three years as a social worker in an educational project, working with children from difficult backgrounds. Following a post-graduate course in book illustration at the Hamburg State College of Design, she worked as a designer of board games and as an illustrator of children's books. Disappointment in the way some of the stories were told, combined with her desire to draw fabulous creatures and magical worlds, rather than familiar situations of school and home, inspired her to write her own stories for young readers.
During her time as a social worker, she worked with children from deprived backgrounds and discovered the sorts of stories that grasped ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Cornelia Funke's Website
Name Pronunciation
Cornelia Funke: cor-neelia funka -click the link in the bio to hear the author pronounce her own name (funke is German for 'spark')
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