56 pages 1 hour read

Kenneth Oppel

Inkling

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

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Chapters 5-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 5 Summary

When Ethan wakes up, he finds Inkling playing with Sarah. Sarah is delighted when Inkling forms into a dog, and she names him Lucy. Ethan has Inkling hide when Peter comes in, and Sarah tells her dad about the “puppy.” Ethan mentions that Sarah desperately wants a dog, and Peter replies noncommittally. In school that day, everyone is very impressed with Inkling’s work. Vika accuses Ethan of having Peter do the drawings, but Ethan replies that he received no help from his father. Although this is objectively true, Ethan still feels guilty. Later, Ethan and his friend Soren walk home from school together, and Ethan confesses that he did not do the drawings. Ethan takes Soren to the Rylance’s house to show him Inkling.

Whenever Ethan is in school, Inkling feels the compulsion to find something to do. Inkling immerses himself in the comic books in Ethan’s desk drawers, absorbing all the stories. The colors and stories fill Inkling with energy. He swirls around the hallway until he finds a vintage King Kong poster. When Ethan enters his house with Soren, they find the hallway covered with onomatopoeia words and colorful designs. Ethan immediately searches for Inkling but finds Peter first.