The Ink Drinker

Sanvoisin, Eric

ISBN 10 : 0440414857 ISBN 13 : 9780440414858

Editeur : Random House USA Children's Books, 2002

Synopsis

WHAT IF YOUR Dad loved books, owned a bookstore, and even called his cherished volumes "my little bookies"? You would probably "despise "books--just like the young protagonist in this deliciously bizarre story. One summer vacation, while Odilon is working in the store and hoping shoplifters will ease his burden, he spots a weird, pale stranger drinking a book. With a straw. As soon as the ink drinker flees (at the sound of the boy's gasp), the young spy locates the customer's book and discovers that it is completely blank except for a letter or two! He races out of the store on the heels of this tough customer--all the way to the cemetery. . . .

A propos du livre

Extrait :

My father owns a bookstore. He loves books. He devours them like an ogre. All day and long into the night, he reads. It's an obsession. There's no cure, but our family doctor doesn't seem to worry.

Every evening, I find a new pile of books at our home. They're everywhere-even in the bathrooms. But it's useless to complain. With Dad, books are always welcome. He speaks to them as though they were people. He gives them first names and calls them "my little bookies." Every book is his special friend.

As for me, I have no special friend. And books definitely don't qualify. I hate them. You see, I may look like my dad, but deep inside we are very different people. Mom pre

tends not to notice this because she loves us both. Can you believe that she won't even come to my rescue when Dad forces me to read?

Summer vacation has just started and, to keep busy, I'm helping in the bookstore. I'm not allowed to do much, though. Dad won't let me tidy

up or even touch anything. He says paper doesn't last long in my hands. I guess I do like the sound of paper being torn. It's like music to my ears.

So I watch out for shoplifters. It's the only fun thing to do in the bookstore. But each time a book ends up in the pocket of a thief, I keep quiet. It pleases me to know that there's one less book! The problem is, there are hardly any shoplifters, since my dad almost always spots a thief as soon as one enters the store.

I end up spending most of my time observing the customers. I know all the regulars and all their little habits. Some sniff the books as though they were selecting a bouquet of roses. Some choose any old book because they love a surprise. And still others can't make up their minds. They pick up a book, put it back, take it again, and finally leave it. More often than not, those who walk away empty-handed look all embarrassed because they haven't bought anything.

I have a hiding spot in the back of the store, a tiny window carved in a wall of books. No one can see me. I am a spy. I write down the tiniest details of my observations in a notebook. Who knows, it might be the starting point for my very own book! But I doubt it because grammar isn't my strong point.

Today there was a new customer whom I'd never seen before. He must have just moved to the neighborhood. He was one weirdlooking guy, with a gray complexion and bristly eyebrows. His behavior was even weirder. I could hardly believe my eyes-it looked as if he was floating off the ground like a ghost!

Biographie de l'auteur :

Éric Sanvoisin was born in Valence, France in 1961. Father of seven children, he works in a library.

Thierry Martin was a French illustrator, known under his pen name Martin Matje. Born in Paris, Matje was originally educated as an engineer. Matje was the author of several children’s books published by Nathan, Gallimard and Nathan. Also a press illustrator, his work appeared in Libération, Marie-Claire, Lire, Le Monde de l’Education, Les Échos, and The New Yorker.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Random House USA Children's Books
• Date d'édition: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0440414857
• ISBN 13: 9780440414858
• Reliure: Livre broché
• Nombre de pages: 40