Inkheart by Cornealia Funke

I found this a bit of a slog to get into, but once I had established exactly what the issues of Dustfinger, and Meg's missing mother were, I found that I enjoyed the book more; I guess I am an impatient reader! The book is about a story, set within a story, which has the potential to be complicated for a child, remembering that this is a children's book. There is a special relationship between Meg and her father Mo, with his secret friendship with Dustfinger, and their secret world. There is also the character of Aunt Elinor and her wonderful, wonderful library of books.