A gorgeous new edition of the first book in Cornelia Funke's internationally celebrated trilogy - magical, thrilling and mesmerising. 'I don't think I've ever read anything that conveys so well the joys, terrors and pitfalls of reading' Diana Wynne Jones Meggie loves stories, but her father, Mo, hasn't read to her since her mother disappeared. When a stranger knocks at their door, Mo is forced to reveal an extraordinary secret - when he reads aloud, words come alive, and dangerous characters step out of the pages. Suddenly Meggie is living the kind of adventure she has only read about in books, but this one will change her life for ever ... Also a major film starring Andy Serkis, Paul Bettany and Brendan Fraser!