Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke, 2003

The arrival of flame-eating, scar-faced Dustfinger and his horned marten sends 12-year old Meggie and her father, Mo, on a secret flight to safety at Meggie’s book-collecting great aunt’s home in Italy. Danger follows, and Meggie learns that the reason her father never reads aloud holds the key to her mother’s absence, and the danger they face from sinister Capricorn, a murderous villain who might have stepped out of legend. Danger, suspense, and love-to-hate villains suffuse this magical adventure, offsetting a prolonged and somewhat incomplete resolution, which invites a sequel.