What do you think?
Rate this book
The Children of the Red King #1
Midnight for Charlie Bone
A magical fantasy that is fast-paced and easy-to-read. Charlie Bone has a special gift- he can hear people in photographs talking!
The fabulous powers of the Red King were passed down through his descendants, after turning up quite unexpectedly, in someone who had no idea where they came from. This is what happened to Charlie Bone, and to some of the children he met behind the grim, gray walls of Bloor's Academy.
His scheming aunts decide to send him to Bloor Academy, a school for geniuses where he uses his gifts to discover the truth despite all the dangers that lie ahead.
The fabulous powers of the Red King were passed down through his descendants, after turning up quite unexpectedly, in someone who had no idea where they came from. This is what happened to Charlie Bone, and to some of the children he met behind the grim, gray walls of Bloor's Academy.
His scheming aunts decide to send him to Bloor Academy, a school for geniuses where he uses his gifts to discover the truth despite all the dangers that lie ahead.
401 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Jenny Nimmo
158 books942 followersJenny Nimmo was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England and educated at boarding schools in Kent and Surrey from the age of six until the age of sixteen, when she ran away from school to become a drama student/assistant stage manager with Theater South East. She graduated and acted in repertory theater in various towns and cities: Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Hastings, and Bexhill.
She left Britain to teach English to three Italian boys in Almafi, Italy. On her return, she joined the BBC, first as a picture researcher, then as an assistant floor manager, studio manager (news) then finally a director/adaptor with Jackanory (a BBC storytelling program for children). She left BBC to marry a Welsh artist David Wynn Millward and went to live in Wales in her husband's family home. They live in a very old converted watermill, and the river is constantly threatening to break in, as it has done several times in the past, most dramatically on her youngest child's first birthday. During the summer they run a residential school of art, and she has to move her office, put down tools (type-writer and pencil, and don an apron and cook! They have three grown-up children, Myfawny, Ianto, and Gwenwyfar.
She left Britain to teach English to three Italian boys in Almafi, Italy. On her return, she joined the BBC, first as a picture researcher, then as an assistant floor manager, studio manager (news) then finally a director/adaptor with Jackanory (a BBC storytelling program for children). She left BBC to marry a Welsh artist David Wynn Millward and went to live in Wales in her husband's family home. They live in a very old converted watermill, and the river is constantly threatening to break in, as it has done several times in the past, most dramatically on her youngest child's first birthday. During the summer they run a residential school of art, and she has to move her office, put down tools (type-writer and pencil, and don an apron and cook! They have three grown-up children, Myfawny, Ianto, and Gwenwyfar.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,185 reviews
January 18, 2009
“Almost as good as Harry Potter!” This was the line I was repeatedly hearing on the internet about the so-called amazing Charlie Bone. Being a Harry Potter fan (actually, I rather hate the writing style but love the story) I quickly drove to my poorly stocked library and picked up the first book of the series. Never in my life since the Inheritance Trilogy have I been so disappointed by a book that may have had potential.
I have only a few things to comment on, the first being Jenny Nimmo’s writing style. Yes, I understand that this is a fantasy written for children younger than I am (I’m sixteen, by the way). But honestly, this gives her no excuse to write in the way that she does. What is it, exactly, that I am referring to? Simple—and believe me when I say that “simple” is the right word to use in this situation. Nimmo never gives her characters a chance to express themselves, instead speaking in their place and telling the readers about their actions. Never does Charlie “clench his fists and stare ahead through narrowed eyes”. He is merely described as angry. There is no indication of what he does when he’s angry, how he reacts, or even what he is thinking (more often than not). It isn’t only Charlie, however; every character you come into contact with is practically a cardboard cut out with a narrator following him/her around to explain how they feel. Even young children like to experience the characters’ emotions along with them, and Nimmo seems to think that young equals stupid.
Along with this, the sentences she uses are awfully short and rather choppy as well. Yes, children are used to reading such things, but taking the content of the Charlie Bone books into account, the kids reading them are at least able to understand what sentence variety is. Meaning, of course, that they should be able to handle it. In my opinion, this book would have been much better had the author allowed her characters to speak for themselves, and if she’d varied her sentences to include compounds.
Now, I have two other things I would like to mention that—so far—I haven’t seen mentioned in other reviews. One would be the “hero” of the story, Charlie. Why is he the hero? If you take a closer look at the book, you will find that Charlie doesn’t actually do much of anything that would label him as such. Examples? Benjamin is the one keeping a look out for the Tolly Twelve Bells; Feldacio or whatever his name is, is the one who looked after it as well; Gabriel Silk is the one who helped unveil the fact that Charlie’s dad was alive; and Tancred and Lysander are the ones who rescued him from the ruins. Yet in the book’s end, Emma thanks Charlie above everyone else despite all of this. (Oh, there is more that his friends do, but I can’t quite remember what.) It seems to me that Nimmo was sort of desperate to create a hero for her story and give him credit whether he did anything or not. I don’t think its fair to praise a character that hasn’t done anything other than get lost in the ruins. And I still don’t see how this makes him special.
Lastly, I must complain about the school, Boor’s Academy, because there’s something I don’t get. What exactly is this school doing to further the endowed children’s usage of their abilities? I mean, the only thing they do that is set apart from the normal arts students is do their homework in a different room. That’s it. They never undergo any training, they never study about the Red King, they never do much of anything that actually concerns their endowments! So what’s the point of sending them to Bloor’s in the first place? They could have gone to any other school and been subjected to the same treatment. I’m sorry to say this, but it truly looks as if the author just wanted to create a “special boarding school” like Hogwarts for the sake of making her story more interesting. We never really learn too much about Bloor’s, anyway, so I believe there is really no point in having the school there at all (except as a means of meeting new people, of course).
Well, that’s all I really have to say for now. I’ve only gotten to the third book, but only because I skipped the second. I can’t stand the writing enough to make it through. Sad, though, because this story definitely had the potential to be great.
I have only a few things to comment on, the first being Jenny Nimmo’s writing style. Yes, I understand that this is a fantasy written for children younger than I am (I’m sixteen, by the way). But honestly, this gives her no excuse to write in the way that she does. What is it, exactly, that I am referring to? Simple—and believe me when I say that “simple” is the right word to use in this situation. Nimmo never gives her characters a chance to express themselves, instead speaking in their place and telling the readers about their actions. Never does Charlie “clench his fists and stare ahead through narrowed eyes”. He is merely described as angry. There is no indication of what he does when he’s angry, how he reacts, or even what he is thinking (more often than not). It isn’t only Charlie, however; every character you come into contact with is practically a cardboard cut out with a narrator following him/her around to explain how they feel. Even young children like to experience the characters’ emotions along with them, and Nimmo seems to think that young equals stupid.
Along with this, the sentences she uses are awfully short and rather choppy as well. Yes, children are used to reading such things, but taking the content of the Charlie Bone books into account, the kids reading them are at least able to understand what sentence variety is. Meaning, of course, that they should be able to handle it. In my opinion, this book would have been much better had the author allowed her characters to speak for themselves, and if she’d varied her sentences to include compounds.
Now, I have two other things I would like to mention that—so far—I haven’t seen mentioned in other reviews. One would be the “hero” of the story, Charlie. Why is he the hero? If you take a closer look at the book, you will find that Charlie doesn’t actually do much of anything that would label him as such. Examples? Benjamin is the one keeping a look out for the Tolly Twelve Bells; Feldacio or whatever his name is, is the one who looked after it as well; Gabriel Silk is the one who helped unveil the fact that Charlie’s dad was alive; and Tancred and Lysander are the ones who rescued him from the ruins. Yet in the book’s end, Emma thanks Charlie above everyone else despite all of this. (Oh, there is more that his friends do, but I can’t quite remember what.) It seems to me that Nimmo was sort of desperate to create a hero for her story and give him credit whether he did anything or not. I don’t think its fair to praise a character that hasn’t done anything other than get lost in the ruins. And I still don’t see how this makes him special.
Lastly, I must complain about the school, Boor’s Academy, because there’s something I don’t get. What exactly is this school doing to further the endowed children’s usage of their abilities? I mean, the only thing they do that is set apart from the normal arts students is do their homework in a different room. That’s it. They never undergo any training, they never study about the Red King, they never do much of anything that actually concerns their endowments! So what’s the point of sending them to Bloor’s in the first place? They could have gone to any other school and been subjected to the same treatment. I’m sorry to say this, but it truly looks as if the author just wanted to create a “special boarding school” like Hogwarts for the sake of making her story more interesting. We never really learn too much about Bloor’s, anyway, so I believe there is really no point in having the school there at all (except as a means of meeting new people, of course).
Well, that’s all I really have to say for now. I’ve only gotten to the third book, but only because I skipped the second. I can’t stand the writing enough to make it through. Sad, though, because this story definitely had the potential to be great.
May 9, 2014
The trouble with Charlie Bone is he's much more like Charlie Bucket than Harry Potter and let's be honest--Jenny Nimmo is enthusiastically trying to channel some of Rowling's magic, so this is a bit of a problem. As I've said before, the heroes of these series tend to fall into two camps: the Horatio Alger throwback (orphan/survivor with grit who eventually is rewarded for his selfless acts) and the preternaturally mature and intelligent youngster who makes the adults around him look like bumbling morons. Even though he is not an orphan, Charlie Bone falls unmistakably in the former category. His father is gone. His family is dysfuntional. It's likely he's getting lunch money stolen from him at lunch on a fairly regular basis. He discovers a magical predisposition and ends up getting packed off to a school for similarly gifted kids. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, Charlie never feels as fully fleshed-out as the boy he was undoubtedly modeled after. The characters feel gimmicky and not particularly relatable. Charlie's primary magical talent is somewhat interesting, but he doesn't get to use it to much purpose in the course of the book. Of the many Harry Potter wannabes out there, there are some that are at least entertaining if not particularly original. This series unfortunately, just feels like a watered down replica.
Unfortunately, Charlie never feels as fully fleshed-out as the boy he was undoubtedly modeled after. The characters feel gimmicky and not particularly relatable. Charlie's primary magical talent is somewhat interesting, but he doesn't get to use it to much purpose in the course of the book. Of the many Harry Potter wannabes out there, there are some that are at least entertaining if not particularly original. This series unfortunately, just feels like a watered down replica.
August 3, 2011
My eight year old son is currently reading this and absolutely loving it, reading it every chance he gets and proclaiming how good it is after every session of reading. My husband and I have been reading Harry Potter to him at night, and he is very enthusiastically following that story. Charlie Bone books are very VERY similar to Harry Potter, but for a younger audience, and Midnight for Charlie Bone is the perfect book for him to read on his own and still get his "troubled boy discovers his magical powers" fix. I think the suggested age on this book (according to Amazon, anyway) is 4th - 6th grades.
My son talked me into reading this with him. Now that I'm done with it, I can see how he is fascinated by it. The story is good (not great, but good), the characters are semi-interesting (though a little hollow), and the struggles are just a bit too easily won. Charlie himself is a fairly passive figure, even though it seems like a lot happens to him, but he decides more than he does, if that makes any sense. I would strongly recommend this as a pre-cursor to Harry Potter, to get children used to reading longer books and the basic idea of both: a child being mildly abused by the grown-ups (and a few of the kids) around him, finding a heretofore unknown sort of magic (both in the world, and within himself), and then emerging triumphant over the vast majority of the adversity (but saving a bit of it for future volumes). For adults, it's not a very fulfilling read, but don't get me wrong - I'm thrilled with it because it keeps my son reading!
My son talked me into reading this with him. Now that I'm done with it, I can see how he is fascinated by it. The story is good (not great, but good), the characters are semi-interesting (though a little hollow), and the struggles are just a bit too easily won. Charlie himself is a fairly passive figure, even though it seems like a lot happens to him, but he decides more than he does, if that makes any sense. I would strongly recommend this as a pre-cursor to Harry Potter, to get children used to reading longer books and the basic idea of both: a child being mildly abused by the grown-ups (and a few of the kids) around him, finding a heretofore unknown sort of magic (both in the world, and within himself), and then emerging triumphant over the vast majority of the adversity (but saving a bit of it for future volumes). For adults, it's not a very fulfilling read, but don't get me wrong - I'm thrilled with it because it keeps my son reading!
October 18, 2014
Now first let me get this out of the way. A lot of people think Charlie Bone is a downright rip-off of Harry Potter. I'm here to tell you that No, it is not. In fact it is very different. YES it does have a character who finds out he has a magical ability, and YES he gets sent to a school/academy where other children have these magical powers (although the majority of the children at the school don't have powers, and the powers don't involve wands and brooms). That's about all that is similar to Harry Potter in this series, and I find it sad how people won't give this series a try because of that. A "magical school" shouldn't be left only for Harry Potter, I believe it can be used in many different ways so that the idea never feels the same. And this is coming from a Harry Potter fan.
Anyway... on with the review shall we?
Charlie Bone is a story about a young boy who discovers he is "endowed", meaning, has a magical power, and can hear people in photographs. He is then forced by his grandma to go to Bloors Academy, a school for endowed children, as well as children who are just very smart. The children at the academy are split into three groups with their own color, judging by their endowed power or prodigy; blue for the musical, purple for the drama group, and green for the art group. All the children must wear a cape with the color of their group. Charlie Bone is set into the music group, although his power doesn't have to do with music but he has no other talent, so screw it, he's put in the music group. This academy does not seem similar to Hogwarts at all to me, as all the classes are basically normal such as English, math, music etc. The academy is run by the evil Bloor's family, and it's obvious they are keeping something secret from everyone. And of course, it is Charlie's job (as well as his friends and a family member) to reveal what the Bloor family is hiding.
That's the basic storyline, without getting into spoilers, so now let's talk about if this book is good or not. It is obvious this book is for a young age, It even seems less dark and more basic then Harry Potter, So I would say it is a great book to start younger kids on. However, I believe this book can be enjoyed by any age, as I am 18 years old and I still thoroughly enjoyed my time reading Charlie Bone. Although I do feel that I would have liked it A LOT more if I was younger. When I started reading this book I knew what to expect, and I was in a 'mood' to read a easy and quick adventure fantasy novel. This book gave me exactly what I wanted, a cute, fast read, that took me on an adventure.
I don't have all praise for this book, there is still a lot of things that could have been improved on. Let's start with the characters. The personalities for the characters were pretty basic and I found that I didn't really enjoy them that much and at times they seemed to lack emotion. Besides Charlie's uncle Paton. Uncle Paton is the best. I was already sort of expecting basic character design though, because this is a book that's leaned towards a young audience, but I still think it could have been better. The writing style was pretty good, although at times it switched character in the next paragraph and I feel it would have been better to make a pause in between switching characters by adding a line/sub-chapter type of thing. I'm not sure what it was about this book (maybe because it was a very easy read) but I found that I could picture every scene perfectly in my mind while I read, so I mean, that's good. The overall plot was good, but at times it seemed to be lacking, and I wish there was more fast paced adventure in between.
With its flaws I still thoroughly enjoyed Midnight For Charlie Bone, and I will be continuing the series. I totally recommend Charlie Bone to any parent who would like to introduce their child to a new book, or just to anyone of any age who wants to read a quick, light-hearted (yet still somewhat dark) story. This book is not at all as good as Harry Potter, but it's still a great adventure
Anyway... on with the review shall we?
Charlie Bone is a story about a young boy who discovers he is "endowed", meaning, has a magical power, and can hear people in photographs. He is then forced by his grandma to go to Bloors Academy, a school for endowed children, as well as children who are just very smart. The children at the academy are split into three groups with their own color, judging by their endowed power or prodigy; blue for the musical, purple for the drama group, and green for the art group. All the children must wear a cape with the color of their group. Charlie Bone is set into the music group, although his power doesn't have to do with music but he has no other talent, so screw it, he's put in the music group. This academy does not seem similar to Hogwarts at all to me, as all the classes are basically normal such as English, math, music etc. The academy is run by the evil Bloor's family, and it's obvious they are keeping something secret from everyone. And of course, it is Charlie's job (as well as his friends and a family member) to reveal what the Bloor family is hiding.
That's the basic storyline, without getting into spoilers, so now let's talk about if this book is good or not. It is obvious this book is for a young age, It even seems less dark and more basic then Harry Potter, So I would say it is a great book to start younger kids on. However, I believe this book can be enjoyed by any age, as I am 18 years old and I still thoroughly enjoyed my time reading Charlie Bone. Although I do feel that I would have liked it A LOT more if I was younger. When I started reading this book I knew what to expect, and I was in a 'mood' to read a easy and quick adventure fantasy novel. This book gave me exactly what I wanted, a cute, fast read, that took me on an adventure.
I don't have all praise for this book, there is still a lot of things that could have been improved on. Let's start with the characters. The personalities for the characters were pretty basic and I found that I didn't really enjoy them that much and at times they seemed to lack emotion. Besides Charlie's uncle Paton. Uncle Paton is the best. I was already sort of expecting basic character design though, because this is a book that's leaned towards a young audience, but I still think it could have been better. The writing style was pretty good, although at times it switched character in the next paragraph and I feel it would have been better to make a pause in between switching characters by adding a line/sub-chapter type of thing. I'm not sure what it was about this book (maybe because it was a very easy read) but I found that I could picture every scene perfectly in my mind while I read, so I mean, that's good. The overall plot was good, but at times it seemed to be lacking, and I wish there was more fast paced adventure in between.
With its flaws I still thoroughly enjoyed Midnight For Charlie Bone, and I will be continuing the series. I totally recommend Charlie Bone to any parent who would like to introduce their child to a new book, or just to anyone of any age who wants to read a quick, light-hearted (yet still somewhat dark) story. This book is not at all as good as Harry Potter, but it's still a great adventure
February 6, 2017
Here's a review from my seven year old son - as he's the one who read it!
"I liked Midnight For Charlie Bone because it was exciting and there were loads of secrets. At the end, it's nice when you find out what the secrets are. I liked the characters because they are very different. Olivia Vertigo was my favourite because she was weird! I didn't like that it didn't tell you what was in the ruin, because I wanted to know.
"I liked Midnight For Charlie Bone because it was exciting and there were loads of secrets. At the end, it's nice when you find out what the secrets are. I liked the characters because they are very different. Olivia Vertigo was my favourite because she was weird! I didn't like that it didn't tell you what was in the ruin, because I wanted to know.
May 3, 2010
This is a really fun book. It does have some similarities to Harry Potter with the magical aspects and it being set in, I believe, England. However, there are more non-magical people in these books and the school is run by bad people, so it's not necessarily a good place to be. My 9-year-old daughter started reading this at school, so I thought I'd read them too to see what they're about. I read this first book in about 3 days, very fast read. It's an enjoyable story, though I figured a few things out from the clues in the story. I think those would be easier for an adult to pick out than a younger kid. I think these books will be a good starter point and stepping stone before my daughter starts the Harry Potter books.
June 6, 2021
Oh my god y'all!! I found a box full of books I used to love as a kid and this one is probably the one that means the most to me because it's the series that made me fall in love with reading ^^
June 14, 2016
Well, I don't have the latest one, but I just finished books 1-5. Lots of similarities with Harry Potter, but this series is targeted toward readers who are a bit younger. Charlie Bone is a young boy who discovers that he can hear pictures talking. Once his aunts discover his talent, they send him to Bloor's Academy, a creepy private school where he will study with kids who are rich and/or gifted in music, art, or drama and/or endowed with magical talents. Each book tends to focus on someone who has been held hostage by the evil members of the Bloor or Yewbeam families. Charlie and the good endowed children rescue various victims from the bad endowed children.
The Books:
Midnight for Charlie Bone
Charlie Bone and the Time Twister
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy
Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors
Charlie Bone and the Hidden King
Charlie Bone and the Beast
There are some good moments. Charlie is an interesting character and I absolutely love the flame cats. There are some truly funny moments in the animal cafe. On the whole, this is a better series for younger readers than Harry Potter--not as scary. Recommended for younger readers or readers who are looking for something like Harry Potter, but lighter.
The Books:
Midnight for Charlie Bone
Charlie Bone and the Time Twister
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy
Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors
Charlie Bone and the Hidden King
Charlie Bone and the Beast
There are some good moments. Charlie is an interesting character and I absolutely love the flame cats. There are some truly funny moments in the animal cafe. On the whole, this is a better series for younger readers than Harry Potter--not as scary. Recommended for younger readers or readers who are looking for something like Harry Potter, but lighter.
June 15, 2012
Once again I return to you with another comparison to Harry Potter. I recently read the book Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo.Before I read this book most people told me it was just like Harry Potter , but I hate to disappoint once again this is nothing like Harry Potter. There might be some similar things, but lets clear the table this is a different story and just as good. Midnight For Charlie Bone is a very compelling story that keeps you longing for more. The book starts out with a Prologue that gives you a brief history of The Red King, it then starts with Charlie's dilemna over getting the wrong photograph and hearing what people are saying in pictures. This picture leads to a chain of events which include three cats called Sagitarius, Leo, and Aries, who belonged to The Red King about 950 years ago. Charlie was just a normal boy but from an endowed family basically families that have powers.Charlie Bone is one of the descendants of the Red King. Charlie has inherited one of the kings powers where he can hear voices in photos. He is sent to a school that endowed children with powers have to go to or students that are just geniuses in the area of art or music. Bloors is not an ordinary school. Many strange things happen there and Charlie Bone is trying to figure out what they are. Not only are there strange things going on these things are very evil. All around Charlie there is evil but in his hero journey he has found very reliable friends to help him.
Charlie a bit like Harry feels that it is his duty to help solve all the bad things that are happening at the Bloor's academy. The picture he found was a picture of a baby that was stolen by the Bloors . They hypnotized the girl and her family to not remember her past. The girls biological aunt had been searching for the baby girl for years. When Charlie and his friends find out that the girl is someone at the academy, the search is on! But the girl has no idea of her past, so the small team must figure out which student it is, how to bring back her memory, and help her escape her cruel guardians who want to use her powers for evil. As Charlie goes on his quest he has to dodge his evil great aunts and his evil grandmother. While solving the mystery of the missing girl he has stumbled on very interesting facts based on the supposed death of his father.
I really loved this book. Number one reason why I love this book was because of my little cousin who is eight. He loves Harry Potter as do I. I let him read the first 3 Harry Potters but once Harry started getting older and the plot became darker, I felt like it was not age appropriate, yet. I had a really hard time getting my little cousin into another book series until I stumbled on this series. As great as Harry Potter is the older books might not be age appropriate for younger children. Not only age appropriate but those book get pretty big and it might be a hard read for little kids. So I Loved this book because it was a great read plus younger kids like my little cousin could enjoy it. It is about the size of the first Harry Potter so we read it together.
The main character of the Charlie is a very loveable character. He sort of reminds you of a young Harry Potter. He is very courageous but more relate-able than Harry Potter. When I read about ,Harry even though he is scared ,you as the reader would get the feeling that he can accomplish anything. I mean from the beginning you got the feeling that Harry is destined for greatness and he always jump into trouble without looking back kind of like superman. You know like he is not afraid because he had a suit of armor of some sort. That alone from the beginning always made me feel that Harry was older then his real age. This book Charlie is ten and thought he is more courageous then I was at ten years old he still acts like a ten year old. For instance when it was midnight he ask his uncle to accompany him outdoors. That's something a ten year old would do , but you know if it was Harry he would just head out, maybe bring Ron. What can Ron do.Basically the thing is Charlie has a lot of courage for a ten year old but it is not as exaggerated as Harry's courage. He says things like I'm scarred. Which just makes you scared for him. Charlie is a cute hero , that you want to hug and keep from danger.
I couldn't help but compare this book to the Harry Potter series, as it has many of the same elements like children with supernatural abilities going to a special private school. You can see the beginnings of the children (as well as others) taking sides, good vs. evil style. This is the comparison ends. Do not be fooled by the legion of people crying that it's copying Harry potter, much more it is simply a book about a boy going to a magic school. Using prose similar to Lemony Snicket and Diana Wyne Jones, this is a cunning, twitchy tale, full of breathtaking characters and unusual settings. Another thing that I liked was that all "endowed" children have powers, but they aren't taught spells they just have to discover what their powers are and nurture it. After that they learned normal things that kids would learn in a really tough boarding school.The vast array of already presented characters and their very different powers sets this book apart from the Potter series.. Though i might say the author of the book is no quite at J.K. Rowling's level(J.K. is a geniuuussss!) the books was very good. If you can learn to accept the book and love it for what it is you will love this book. Some people might get annoyed by some of the Harry Potter similarities but understand she is not copying Harry Potter, some things that are mentioned in both books are normal in England J.k. Rowling did not invent those things. For instance someone told me there were prefects in this book so that mean that she copied Harry Potter, but Prefects are just a normal thing in boarding schools in England. Harry Potter is just a great book probably the highest of it genre. So people are going to compare lots of book in the same genre to it but most of those books are different.
I would recommend this book to anyone.Midnight for Charlie Bone stands out on its own, and is a very worthy read. Sometimes I think readers forget that though we are all critics, but it is still okay to enjoy what you are reading, even if it is a kids' book. I don't think there is an age limit for good literature, and what makes a book good is the desire for a reader to want to finish what is being read because the book presents elements of intrigue that keep that book in your hands up until completion. This book actually pulls you right in the story and you get a very clear picture in your mind. It creates lots of suspense. It has a range of adjectives, nouns, connectives, openers, and vocabulary. I found Charlie to be a wonderful role model and a sweet boy who trusts people, counts on his friends, is kind, thoughtful, and respectful. That being said, he is still independent, brave, makes good choices, and stands up for what is right. The plot lines do not have a lot of twists, which I find helpful for young readers. I loved this book a lot . I'm always trying to find books to occupy my time since i love to read. I can see myself reading the other 7 books in 2 weeks , that's how good I think they will be. My only criticism is that the ending feels a bit rushed and things fall in to place a little too neatly. I still loved the book.
Charlie a bit like Harry feels that it is his duty to help solve all the bad things that are happening at the Bloor's academy. The picture he found was a picture of a baby that was stolen by the Bloors . They hypnotized the girl and her family to not remember her past. The girls biological aunt had been searching for the baby girl for years. When Charlie and his friends find out that the girl is someone at the academy, the search is on! But the girl has no idea of her past, so the small team must figure out which student it is, how to bring back her memory, and help her escape her cruel guardians who want to use her powers for evil. As Charlie goes on his quest he has to dodge his evil great aunts and his evil grandmother. While solving the mystery of the missing girl he has stumbled on very interesting facts based on the supposed death of his father.
I really loved this book. Number one reason why I love this book was because of my little cousin who is eight. He loves Harry Potter as do I. I let him read the first 3 Harry Potters but once Harry started getting older and the plot became darker, I felt like it was not age appropriate, yet. I had a really hard time getting my little cousin into another book series until I stumbled on this series. As great as Harry Potter is the older books might not be age appropriate for younger children. Not only age appropriate but those book get pretty big and it might be a hard read for little kids. So I Loved this book because it was a great read plus younger kids like my little cousin could enjoy it. It is about the size of the first Harry Potter so we read it together.
The main character of the Charlie is a very loveable character. He sort of reminds you of a young Harry Potter. He is very courageous but more relate-able than Harry Potter. When I read about ,Harry even though he is scared ,you as the reader would get the feeling that he can accomplish anything. I mean from the beginning you got the feeling that Harry is destined for greatness and he always jump into trouble without looking back kind of like superman. You know like he is not afraid because he had a suit of armor of some sort. That alone from the beginning always made me feel that Harry was older then his real age. This book Charlie is ten and thought he is more courageous then I was at ten years old he still acts like a ten year old. For instance when it was midnight he ask his uncle to accompany him outdoors. That's something a ten year old would do , but you know if it was Harry he would just head out, maybe bring Ron. What can Ron do.Basically the thing is Charlie has a lot of courage for a ten year old but it is not as exaggerated as Harry's courage. He says things like I'm scarred. Which just makes you scared for him. Charlie is a cute hero , that you want to hug and keep from danger.
I couldn't help but compare this book to the Harry Potter series, as it has many of the same elements like children with supernatural abilities going to a special private school. You can see the beginnings of the children (as well as others) taking sides, good vs. evil style. This is the comparison ends. Do not be fooled by the legion of people crying that it's copying Harry potter, much more it is simply a book about a boy going to a magic school. Using prose similar to Lemony Snicket and Diana Wyne Jones, this is a cunning, twitchy tale, full of breathtaking characters and unusual settings. Another thing that I liked was that all "endowed" children have powers, but they aren't taught spells they just have to discover what their powers are and nurture it. After that they learned normal things that kids would learn in a really tough boarding school.The vast array of already presented characters and their very different powers sets this book apart from the Potter series.. Though i might say the author of the book is no quite at J.K. Rowling's level(J.K. is a geniuuussss!) the books was very good. If you can learn to accept the book and love it for what it is you will love this book. Some people might get annoyed by some of the Harry Potter similarities but understand she is not copying Harry Potter, some things that are mentioned in both books are normal in England J.k. Rowling did not invent those things. For instance someone told me there were prefects in this book so that mean that she copied Harry Potter, but Prefects are just a normal thing in boarding schools in England. Harry Potter is just a great book probably the highest of it genre. So people are going to compare lots of book in the same genre to it but most of those books are different.
I would recommend this book to anyone.Midnight for Charlie Bone stands out on its own, and is a very worthy read. Sometimes I think readers forget that though we are all critics, but it is still okay to enjoy what you are reading, even if it is a kids' book. I don't think there is an age limit for good literature, and what makes a book good is the desire for a reader to want to finish what is being read because the book presents elements of intrigue that keep that book in your hands up until completion. This book actually pulls you right in the story and you get a very clear picture in your mind. It creates lots of suspense. It has a range of adjectives, nouns, connectives, openers, and vocabulary. I found Charlie to be a wonderful role model and a sweet boy who trusts people, counts on his friends, is kind, thoughtful, and respectful. That being said, he is still independent, brave, makes good choices, and stands up for what is right. The plot lines do not have a lot of twists, which I find helpful for young readers. I loved this book a lot . I'm always trying to find books to occupy my time since i love to read. I can see myself reading the other 7 books in 2 weeks , that's how good I think they will be. My only criticism is that the ending feels a bit rushed and things fall in to place a little too neatly. I still loved the book.
September 17, 2024
Ugh I love this series with all my heart. This is my Harry Potter series.
Just finished my FOURTH reread of this book. Probably one of the very few books I ever reread. The audio is fantastic.
I love the magical system and the mystery of it all. I’m intrigued because I forgot what happened since my last reread and I hope to listen to the whole series.
Charlie discovers his powers and gets involved in several mysteries and makes new friends. These books are such easy reads and I can picture the school setting so well with the long hallways and creepy towers. We get introduced to quite a bit of characters but it's easy to know who's who by the end of the book. Everyone has different powers and all of the personalities are so different.
I loved the multiple mysteries that get introduced in this first book. The missing child, the mystery of Charlie's father and what is going on with those aunts?! There's also a bit of a love story when it comes to Uncle Payton. Not even to mention the magical cats (love the astrology reference there) and good old Runner Bean. It's easy to get caught up in this mysterious and wonderous world.
I highly recommend this to those who loved Harry Potter and other YA magical tales. It truly is such an underrated series. I’m still hoping for this to become a movie or a show!
Just finished my FOURTH reread of this book. Probably one of the very few books I ever reread. The audio is fantastic.
I love the magical system and the mystery of it all. I’m intrigued because I forgot what happened since my last reread and I hope to listen to the whole series.
Charlie discovers his powers and gets involved in several mysteries and makes new friends. These books are such easy reads and I can picture the school setting so well with the long hallways and creepy towers. We get introduced to quite a bit of characters but it's easy to know who's who by the end of the book. Everyone has different powers and all of the personalities are so different.
I loved the multiple mysteries that get introduced in this first book. The missing child, the mystery of Charlie's father and what is going on with those aunts?! There's also a bit of a love story when it comes to Uncle Payton. Not even to mention the magical cats (love the astrology reference there) and good old Runner Bean. It's easy to get caught up in this mysterious and wonderous world.
I highly recommend this to those who loved Harry Potter and other YA magical tales. It truly is such an underrated series. I’m still hoping for this to become a movie or a show!
June 12, 2010
Charlie Bone has grown up knowing that his family is a little, okay a lot, different than most. Little does he know that his family are descendents of the Red King and that he has passed down his powers to them. Now Charlie Bone has discovered an unusual gift-he can hear people in photographs talking! His scheming aunts decide to send him to Bloor Academy, a school for genius's where he uses his gifts to discover the truth despite all the dangers that lie ahead.
I really liked this book. I think the lack of deadly violence was the part I liked the most. I got very tired of having people die in the Harry Potter series. In this series, they don't die - they are found. I also like the way each character has a different endowment. This makes it interesting to see how their particular endowment works for and against the other characters.
I really liked this book. I think the lack of deadly violence was the part I liked the most. I got very tired of having people die in the Harry Potter series. In this series, they don't die - they are found. I also like the way each character has a different endowment. This makes it interesting to see how their particular endowment works for and against the other characters.
July 1, 2021
I'm rereading this series before giving away the books to my new younger brother. This book was even more fun than I remember it being! It's about a formerly unexceptional boy named Charlie Bone who suddenly finds he can hear people in photographs. His life rapidly changes and he now has to go to an old school for children with exceptional abilities in art, music, or drama, which also teaches children with special powers like talking to animals and telekinesis. Adventures, mysteries, friendships and villains await him inside and outside the doors of Bloor's Academy.
March 25, 2009
First off, I have to admit that I bought these books because I thought (maybe I saw this on the internet somewhere, I’m not sure) that the story was similar to the Harry Potter books.
Yes, there is an 11 year old boy who has a magical “ability”. Yes, there is a special school for children with these abilities. Apart from that, the story is quite different. I had to push the Harry Potter thought out of my head and start thinking Charlie Bone, because wherever I got that idea…I was wrong…and it was wrong of me to continue reading with that thought in my head.
This was a slightly longer children’s book than normal, but it draw me in and captivated me from the beginning. I loved the characters and the setting. Although I never worked out when the story took place, it didn’t matter. It felt “up-to-date” and that was enough for me.
Reading this book showed the writer in me that whilst characters need to learn and grow throughout a story, their problems don’t have to be resolved completely.
As I mentioned before, Midnight for Charlie Bone is the first book in a series. Although the immediate problem in the story was solved and the author gave the impression that everything was fine for the characters, it was quite obvious that it wasn’t and the very last line of the story confirmed this. However, I didn’t feel cheated and I don’t feel as if I have to read the next book (although I will, because I’ve already got it).
Recommendation: A definite “yes”. Read this book.
Yes, there is an 11 year old boy who has a magical “ability”. Yes, there is a special school for children with these abilities. Apart from that, the story is quite different. I had to push the Harry Potter thought out of my head and start thinking Charlie Bone, because wherever I got that idea…I was wrong…and it was wrong of me to continue reading with that thought in my head.
This was a slightly longer children’s book than normal, but it draw me in and captivated me from the beginning. I loved the characters and the setting. Although I never worked out when the story took place, it didn’t matter. It felt “up-to-date” and that was enough for me.
Reading this book showed the writer in me that whilst characters need to learn and grow throughout a story, their problems don’t have to be resolved completely.
As I mentioned before, Midnight for Charlie Bone is the first book in a series. Although the immediate problem in the story was solved and the author gave the impression that everything was fine for the characters, it was quite obvious that it wasn’t and the very last line of the story confirmed this. However, I didn’t feel cheated and I don’t feel as if I have to read the next book (although I will, because I’ve already got it).
Recommendation: A definite “yes”. Read this book.
October 1, 2021
I'm so happy to be in this world again! Apparently, it has already been 7 years since I last reread this and that baffles me. This is one of my favorite series that I grew up with but unfortunately, I only own the last two books and so there hasn't been a lot of chance for me to read them. There are some of my favorite characters in these books and I love the setting, there is a lot of similarities between this and Harry Potter and a bit of Percy Jackson. I really binge-read this and I was happy the entire time. It is by no means a perfect book and I don't think adults reading this for the first time would like it, even adults who like to read middle-grade, but I do think elementary and middle schoolers would like it.
I was planning on only rereading this first book because my library doesn't have all of them but I now really want to read than all after this one. Luckily I managed to hunt down them down: my library has books one, three, and four, Hoopla has an audiobook six, I own physical copies of books 7 & 8, and I'm going to buy the Kindle books for Two and Five.
I was planning on only rereading this first book because my library doesn't have all of them but I now really want to read than all after this one. Luckily I managed to hunt down them down: my library has books one, three, and four, Hoopla has an audiobook six, I own physical copies of books 7 & 8, and I'm going to buy the Kindle books for Two and Five.
February 11, 2019
Must admit that nostalgia is a major factor in this rating, but I really do think this is a great series. Comparing it to Harry Potter doesn’t make sense to me. I enjoy the magic of that world and I enjoy superhero stories, but I also find this story refreshing in the sense that the magic is subtle. The endowed children make up a small percentage of Bloor’s academy, the gifts they have are unique, and often it’s alluded to and not just part of action sequences, which sets up future books in this series pretty well!
I only wish I enjoyed the audiobook as much as the paperback. The narration is great but the character voices are a little bizarre. Grandma Bone sounds like a perpetually angry pantomime villain and 17 year old Manfred sounds more like a 43 year old chain smoker.
I only wish I enjoyed the audiobook as much as the paperback. The narration is great but the character voices are a little bizarre. Grandma Bone sounds like a perpetually angry pantomime villain and 17 year old Manfred sounds more like a 43 year old chain smoker.
August 22, 2021
I originally read this way back in 5th grade after purchasing it at the scholastic book fair! I genuinely think this book sparked my initial interest in reading. While it isn’t perfect, it’s a fun story with some interesting characters.
April 12, 2022
when u figure out a childhood fave is actually not well written at all :(
June 27, 2019
The day has come, folks. I think I'm too old to legitimately enjoy middle grade books that aren't rereads.
I remember reading this series years and years ago. I'm talking "wow I honestly thought I imagined this series" years ago. Like that one siamese cat cartoon show that everyone suddenly remembered after someone posted a photo of it on tumblr. So when I saw the title whilst scrolling through categories on Libby to find a random book to read, I just had to quench my curiosity.
This book is about a child named Charlie Bone,obviously. Charlie was just living his normal, slightly boring life until he one day discovers that he's able to witness the story behind a photograph. Be it a picture of Charlie's best friend with his dog, a newspaper clipping of yesterday's events, or even a years old photo of a couple and their child. When he looks at a photo, he hears what happened while it was being taken.
As soon as his family finds out that he's "endowed" with a power, Charlie is informed of his father's family lineage and enrolled in Bloor's Academy. There, he meets other endowed children as well as just normally gifted students. Chaos ensues, and Charlie finds himself on a wild ride of magic and powers and secret, age old histories.
It has been so long since I read this series, that I honestly can't even remember how I felt about it as a child. Obviously, I enjoyed it, otherwise I never would've continued after finishing this first one.
However, as an adult, I can't say that this was an exceptional read. The plot was extremely stilted and jumpy, the characters were flat and totally underdeveloped, and the writing was-excluding the fact that this is indeed a middle grade fiction- waaaaay too juvenile. I could honestly believe that this was just a really long children's book, if the author had decided to include pictures. The sentence structure reminded me of those books for tiny children (toddlers?) that used simple rhyming words such as "cat", "bat", or "hat" to teach the english language.
I believe that a much younger, advanced reader would love this series. I wish I could remember how old I was when I read this originally so that I could better recommend it. I guess I'll just say that, if your child is an advanced reader who is tired of picture books and small chapter books like The Magic Tree House, they would most likely enjoy this book. Give it a try, at the very least. I just don't think I'll be continuing the series with any enthusiasm due to my age.
I remember reading this series years and years ago. I'm talking "wow I honestly thought I imagined this series" years ago. Like that one siamese cat cartoon show that everyone suddenly remembered after someone posted a photo of it on tumblr. So when I saw the title whilst scrolling through categories on Libby to find a random book to read, I just had to quench my curiosity.
This book is about a child named Charlie Bone,
As soon as his family finds out that he's "endowed" with a power, Charlie is informed of his father's family lineage and enrolled in Bloor's Academy. There, he meets other endowed children as well as just normally gifted students. Chaos ensues, and Charlie finds himself on a wild ride of magic and powers and secret, age old histories.
It has been so long since I read this series, that I honestly can't even remember how I felt about it as a child. Obviously, I enjoyed it, otherwise I never would've continued after finishing this first one.
However, as an adult, I can't say that this was an exceptional read. The plot was extremely stilted and jumpy, the characters were flat and totally underdeveloped, and the writing was-excluding the fact that this is indeed a middle grade fiction- waaaaay too juvenile. I could honestly believe that this was just a really long children's book, if the author had decided to include pictures. The sentence structure reminded me of those books for tiny children (toddlers?) that used simple rhyming words such as "cat", "bat", or "hat" to teach the english language.
I believe that a much younger, advanced reader would love this series. I wish I could remember how old I was when I read this originally so that I could better recommend it. I guess I'll just say that, if your child is an advanced reader who is tired of picture books and small chapter books like The Magic Tree House, they would most likely enjoy this book. Give it a try, at the very least. I just don't think I'll be continuing the series with any enthusiasm due to my age.
March 24, 2023
This was a nostalgic read (well listen) for me. I read this series when I was younger and loved it and when I saw the audio book available for it I thought it'd be fun to revisit it. I still very much enjoyed the book and yes it's definitely for younger readers but it was still entertaining as an adult. Not a ton action wise happens in this first book, but it's definitely setting up for more interesting storylines later on. I remember later books having more happen and mysteries solved. Overall a solid read and I plan on continuing to listen to the next books and revisiting this fun series.
August 11, 2020
I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed Charlie Bone yet! Growing up, I loved Charlie Bone ever so slightly more than Harry Potter. There are so many characters to fall in love with and it’s such a fantastic story. I hunted down all 8 volumes and while they’re all different editions, they no longer print them so it’s what I have to make do with.
If you have a kid slightly too young for Harry Potter (the later books are rather dark and violent), then this is always the first series I recommend.
If you have a kid slightly too young for Harry Potter (the later books are rather dark and violent), then this is always the first series I recommend.
January 4, 2015
I got less than half-way through this book and had to put it down.
How this came to be a successful series I don't know. The writing is god awful, the story as unoriginal as you can get, and the characters are all unbelievably dense.
How this came to be a successful series I don't know. The writing is god awful, the story as unoriginal as you can get, and the characters are all unbelievably dense.
February 14, 2019
This was a good middle grade read about magic and friends. It reminded me a lot of Harry Potter, which was good and bad. I liked the premise and Charlie and his best friend Benjamin, but I thought it was a bit of a rip off, but whatever. Charlie lives with his mom and aunts, one of whom treats him terribly. Charlie suddenly finds out he has powers and is sent off to a school for the "endowed." See what I mean? But, the mysteries Charlie and his friends investigate were fun and I liked Charlie's mom and uncle, who were nice and helped him. It was a quick read and well paced.
April 5, 2013
So, some might argue with the shelves I chose for this book, particularly the POC-main-character shelf. Here's the thing: Charlie is, in the context of this story, a descendent of the Red King. The Red King came from Africa. Yes, the Red King could have come from a section of Africa that was colonized by a European nation. But he could also have come from a number of other areas in Africa. Nimmo also chooses to focus on Charlie's hair a number of times- she often mentions that it has a course texture. The cover is a bit ambiguous, since the illustration is clearly set at night. (However, if the cover depicted a White boy, it wouldn't be the first time a Black character was white-washed on the cover of a novel). So that's the reasoning behind my decisions to put this on the POC-main-character shelf. Maybe the sequel can shed some light on his ethnicity for me.
Now, for the plot: Maybe it is the ELA teacher in me, but as I read I couldn't help myself from mapping out the plot as I read. The exposition was obviously easy to pick out. As I read, I found myself prediction what part would be the climax of the story, and what the resolution would be. I was pleasantly surprised.
I love that Charlie has Benjamin as a friend, and I love how loyal Charlie is toward Benjamin and his dog, Runner Bean. Also: a dog named Runner Bean- what a fantastic little detail to include in a story! I think that having poor, lonely Benjamin in the story really opens up the audience- many readers can relate to either having a friend such as Benjamin, whose parents are frequently away working, or they can relate directly to Benjamin.
As I read, I made many connections to the Harry Potter series, as well as Dianna Wynne Jones' The Chronicles of Chrestomanci. We have a young boy who discovers a strange power. He is whisked away to a strange school, where he is expected to hone his skills. However, the rules of this school are foreign and make life very difficult, as do the plethora of strange and interesting students. However, in all cases, our main character makes it through their first year.
...I am still waiting for a YA magical series that passes the Bechdel test though....
Now, for the plot: Maybe it is the ELA teacher in me, but as I read I couldn't help myself from mapping out the plot as I read. The exposition was obviously easy to pick out. As I read, I found myself prediction what part would be the climax of the story, and what the resolution would be. I was pleasantly surprised.
I love that Charlie has Benjamin as a friend, and I love how loyal Charlie is toward Benjamin and his dog, Runner Bean. Also: a dog named Runner Bean- what a fantastic little detail to include in a story! I think that having poor, lonely Benjamin in the story really opens up the audience- many readers can relate to either having a friend such as Benjamin, whose parents are frequently away working, or they can relate directly to Benjamin.
As I read, I made many connections to the Harry Potter series, as well as Dianna Wynne Jones' The Chronicles of Chrestomanci. We have a young boy who discovers a strange power. He is whisked away to a strange school, where he is expected to hone his skills. However, the rules of this school are foreign and make life very difficult, as do the plethora of strange and interesting students. However, in all cases, our main character makes it through their first year.
...I am still waiting for a YA magical series that passes the Bechdel test though....
February 6, 2009
Review by Jill Williamson
Charlie bone had a special picture blown up for his best friend’s birthday present. His mom picks it up from Kwik Foto, but when Charlie opens up the package, it’s not his order. He stares at the photo of a man holding a baby, mesmerized. Then a conversation floods his mind. He can hear a woman and a man talking about the baby. Charlie convinces himself that he imagined it, but Grandma Bone has her own theory.
His grandma enrolls him at Bloor’s Academy, a school for gifted children. She thinks that Charlie is endowed with special abilities. Charlie doesn’t want to go to any special school. But since Grandma Bone supports him and his mother, he doesn’t have a choice. Life at Bloor’s is different, and soon Charlie discovers that there are other students in his class who have equally mysterious powers.
The people in the photo and a mysterious gift set Charlie hot on the trail to solve a mystery of a missing girl. Can Charlie find her at his school? And what other secrets might the Bloor’s hiding? Could any of them have to do with Charlie’s past?
This series has some parallels to Harry Potter. A British author. A magically gifted boy away at boarding school. Some kids are good, some are bad. Charlie has wicked relatives. But these students aren’t studying magic. They are born with their endowments which are anything and everything including: shape shifting, mind reading, controlling the weather, speaking to animals, and flying. I found the book fun. It was a little predictable, but entertaining. The characters are amusing and real, sometimes choosing to do what’s right, sometimes not. There is no strong element of faith, but the story is clean and the plot centers on righting a wrong. I recommend this for younger readers who love fantasy.
Charlie bone had a special picture blown up for his best friend’s birthday present. His mom picks it up from Kwik Foto, but when Charlie opens up the package, it’s not his order. He stares at the photo of a man holding a baby, mesmerized. Then a conversation floods his mind. He can hear a woman and a man talking about the baby. Charlie convinces himself that he imagined it, but Grandma Bone has her own theory.
His grandma enrolls him at Bloor’s Academy, a school for gifted children. She thinks that Charlie is endowed with special abilities. Charlie doesn’t want to go to any special school. But since Grandma Bone supports him and his mother, he doesn’t have a choice. Life at Bloor’s is different, and soon Charlie discovers that there are other students in his class who have equally mysterious powers.
The people in the photo and a mysterious gift set Charlie hot on the trail to solve a mystery of a missing girl. Can Charlie find her at his school? And what other secrets might the Bloor’s hiding? Could any of them have to do with Charlie’s past?
This series has some parallels to Harry Potter. A British author. A magically gifted boy away at boarding school. Some kids are good, some are bad. Charlie has wicked relatives. But these students aren’t studying magic. They are born with their endowments which are anything and everything including: shape shifting, mind reading, controlling the weather, speaking to animals, and flying. I found the book fun. It was a little predictable, but entertaining. The characters are amusing and real, sometimes choosing to do what’s right, sometimes not. There is no strong element of faith, but the story is clean and the plot centers on righting a wrong. I recommend this for younger readers who love fantasy.
June 29, 2015
Another one kind of hard to rate.
I didn't love the book in the beginning. Wait, that's a lie, I did. I loved the prologue. From there on, I didn't love the book in the beginning. Once we started to meet the people in the academy, though, it really got going and I went all in.
There was something about the writing that felt, for lack of a better word, clunky all the way through. Certain things were too obvious and seemed too simple. Those gripes didn't bog me down too much though, because I really loved most of the characters and the plot in general was very good, not to mention I am highly intrigued for things that are sure to come in future books.
A good, solid read. I won't be surprised if the series gets better from here out though. Loads of potential.
I didn't love the book in the beginning. Wait, that's a lie, I did. I loved the prologue. From there on, I didn't love the book in the beginning. Once we started to meet the people in the academy, though, it really got going and I went all in.
There was something about the writing that felt, for lack of a better word, clunky all the way through. Certain things were too obvious and seemed too simple. Those gripes didn't bog me down too much though, because I really loved most of the characters and the plot in general was very good, not to mention I am highly intrigued for things that are sure to come in future books.
A good, solid read. I won't be surprised if the series gets better from here out though. Loads of potential.
October 18, 2018
Charlie Bone es un niño de 12 años que vive con su mamá, abuelas y un tío. Un chico como cualquier otro excepto que está por descubrir que es un dotado, algo muy parecido a un mago. Su superpoder es oír a las fotografias hablar. Posterior a esto deberá internarse en una escuela para dotados.
Es un libro muy entretenido y muy parecido a Harry. Pese a la similitud con Harry: lugares con nombres simpáticos, un internado, pruebas mortales, familiares odiosos, una serpiente, etcétera. Ha sido una lectura que me ha dejado contenta y continuaré leyendo y tratando de conseguir más libros de esta saga.
Es un libro muy entretenido y muy parecido a Harry. Pese a la similitud con Harry: lugares con nombres simpáticos, un internado, pruebas mortales, familiares odiosos, una serpiente, etcétera. Ha sido una lectura que me ha dejado contenta y continuaré leyendo y tratando de conseguir más libros de esta saga.
February 21, 2018
I read the first three books in this series years ago. There are quite a few more now so I’m rereading the books I have already read first.
The Red King. Yewbeams. Three evil sisters. Children with magical powers including hypnotism, hearing conversations in photographs, and flying. Three magical fiery cats. One yellow. One orange. One red.
A school. Part evil. Part good.
Onward to book two...
The Red King. Yewbeams. Three evil sisters. Children with magical powers including hypnotism, hearing conversations in photographs, and flying. Three magical fiery cats. One yellow. One orange. One red.
A school. Part evil. Part good.
Onward to book two...
January 27, 2020
Well that was quite a waste of time. I only read beyond the first couple of chapters to learn what the point of the whole thing was, and there really isn't one.
This was obviously Ms Nimmo's attempt at a Harry Potter type story. It's not an exact copy or anything, but it's pretty difficult to miss that she was hugely influenced by Rowling's world. Unfortunately, this is nowhere near as good as Harry Potter. It's barely even coherent. If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably because it was a forced attempt to cash in on the Harry Potter craze.
The writing isn't great. It's choppy and awkward. Ms. Nimmo likes to jump around suddenly with no natural transition. You'd be following Charlie for nearly an entire chapter, and then suddenly be focused on Billy or Fidelio right as Charlie is doing something. Several times, I had to stop and and go back and reread to find out what the heck just happened.
As for the story itself:
*Slow and uneventful.
*There is absolutely no point to Bloor's Academy. At least not one that makes any kind of sense.
It's supposed to be a school for geniuses. Okay, sure. There wasn't much to indicate that anyone there was actually very smart, but alright. But then, it's also a school for the "endowed" kids. Why? What purpose does it serve to have any of those kids there? There's no training for any of them, and there's no management of their powers at all. Well, other than their endowed only homework session. Not any special homework, of course. They just all have to sit at the same table, work on whatever they have, and not talk. It was entirely pointless.
There wasn't even a point in keeping them separated from public school because apparently no one cares if the world knows they have special powers.
*Speaking of pointless, most of their "gifts" were totally useless outside of the wacky non-plot of this book. (Can you say 'contrived'?) I mean, making light bulbs explode? Hearing voices in pictures? "Feeling" things from the person whose garment you're wearing?
Very practical, useful powers...sure... I was waiting for the kids to pop up, who could hear colors or speak to doorknobs.
*Where are the police throughout this whole thing? Police are mentioned later in the book, so we do know they exist in this world, but where the heck have they been all along? Kids have gone missing and been traumatized in their "ruin game". In any kind of reality, the ruins would have been condemned. There's no way something like that would be allowed to exist in the middle of a school, and there would have been investigations into the missing kids. For a while at least. In reality, the school would have been shut down long before Charlie had a chance to go there.
And speaking of missing kids, the entire premise of Mr. Tolly giving Emma away was ridiculous. I get that it's a kids book and all, but even kids aren't naive enough to believe people can just hand off their babies on a whim and no one would care.
*The big drama to get the birth certificate back was stupid. Perhaps they hadn't heard of a little thing called DNA? It would have been exceptionally easy for the authorities to prove that Emma was related to her aunt through a very basic test.
But somehow, it was super easy for them to tell that the signature on the adoption papers was a forgery. Um....what? They care about that, but not her physical DNA and who her actual family is? Or how she came to be in the care of her adoptive family?
Then at the end, Emma and her aunt don't want to bother with the details, so they stop caring that Emma was imprisoned her entire life and that her father was murdered. And Emma is perfectly happy to return to the school that is run by her captors.
*Emma being hypnotized was totally unnecessary and pretty stupid. A two year old has no clue what their true identity is. If a child is kidnapped at that age and raised away from their family, they don't remember their family. Emma "waking up" was just stupid. What was she waking up from? It's the only life she ever knew. Crappy maybe, but not something she'd see as being wrong just because some switch was flipped in her brain.
On top of that, her involvement in the story had basically no purpose at all.
She was kidnapped as incentive for her father to get the thing in the case working - for some unknown reason. Once he failed, they had no reason to want to keep the baby. After he died, they really had no reason to keep her. Not even as some sort of punishment. Cuz he's dead and no longer cares. It was far more inconvenient for them to keep her because they were paying her fake family lots and lots of money.
The plot literally makes no sense whatsoever.
*Charlie, his mom, and several other people in this story are incredibly dense. Charlie would miss painfully obvious thing after painfully obvious thing and I'd just shake my head. Apparently Ms Nimmo thinks kids are idiots.
The best was when he writes off the strange (and exceptionally talented) music teacher in the tower, who seems to be in a trance. After learning that his father was still alive. After learning that he was lost and likely hypnotized. After learning that he was an exceptionally talented musician.
I mean, it was like a week(if that)after he learned all of that, yet he never stops to go, 'hmmm'.
His mom was either incredibly stupid or incredibly lazy.
Her excuse for forcing Charlie to go to Bloors was that she didn't have any money. That after his father 'died', he left them with nothing and so they had to rely on his hated grandmother for everything.
She has a part time job though. Where is that money going? Why doesn't she get a full time job? Why isn't she looking for other work? Why isn't his other grandmother doing anything?
Just how lazy are these people?
Rather than getting a real job, she'll rely on the woman(and her sisters) who she's pretty sure murdered her husband (their own son and nephew), just because she doesn't want to work 40 hours a week?
And then you've got the opposite in Ben's parents who are so busy working, they barely even remember they have a kid. Um, CPS?
On top of all that, there's no indication that Charlie's grandma or any of her sisters have any kind of power. It's stated that they're powerful, but there's no power actually mentioned or even alluded to. They can't even figure out how to get into Ben's house to look for the case they want (for some reason) - four supposedly powerful adults can't figure out how to get past a relatively gullible 10-12 year old kid who is perpetually home alone.
Why exactly is Charlie and his mother so afraid of them? Why is Paton? And why does Paton feel so empowered after deciding to embrace his light bulb bursting power? Are they afraid of bursting light bulbs?
And why do they want Charlie to go to Bloor's anyway? Aside from there being no point in the endowed kids going there, (I'm guessing here) they must know his father is there.
So, they want him to think his father is dead for some reason, but they decide to send him to the one place he can bump into him. The one place he will meet other kids with oddly specific gifts to lead Charlie right to his dad.
Not that he's smart enough to catch on of course.
All that aside, there were some pretty random and stupid things that jumped out at me.
*What the heck is with the capes? Why do they need capes at all? Why are they color coded? And why do people freak out if a kid doesn't have one?
*What's with the various cafeterias? There's a large cafeteria they all use for dinner. It's clearly big enough to hold everyone. What's the point of the other cafeterias? Lots more work for the heck of it?
*Why aren't kids allowed to talk practically ever? Olivia falls and she gets in trouble for making noise.
*Why aren't they allowed to swap the food they won't eat with a kid who will?
*What's with the "Mom's don't exist here" line? It would have fit if they made fun of Charlie for wanting his mom or something, but why the ominous and fairly idiotic statement?
It's never explained.
It was like the author just wanted to make it a weird place without putting the effort in to have any of the weird things make any kind of sense.
Other incredibly stupid things that stuck out:
*Ben magically being able to play the flute.
I play the flute. Unless someone is extraordinarily gifted -and I mean with magic - they aren't going to be playing the flute in a time span of ten minutes. It takes quite a bit longer than that to get any kind of sound out of it at all. Sometimes it can take kids days of practicing through frustration to get their mouth positioned in the right way. Forget learning the notes and fingerings.
But in this story, Ben picks up the flute with no prior experience and "Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, Benjamin was playing the flute."
Um, sure.
*When Dr. Bloor sees Charlie.
He approaches him like a psycho, says his name ominously and that it's a pleasure to meet him, before walking away. Then after everyone's done eating, he makes him stand (again ominously) and gives him bland instructions that he easily could have given him before.
No point, yet again.
*When Ben thinks Fidelio "just looks musical", and offers no explanation as to why. How does someone look musical?
*The names! Fidelio, Eustacia, Dorcas, Manfred, Lysander, Tancred...
A few odd names are fine in this type of story, but this was getting ridiculous.
*When Olivia giggles while hiding in a closet that is literally full of skeletons, when they think they're about to be caught and possibly killed by a psychopath. There's no indication of her finding anything funny, but suddenly she has trouble stopping her giggles.
Is she nuts? Bipolar maybe?
I'm sure there's lots more I could go on and on about, but I'll stop there.
Suffice it to say, I will not be continuing on with the series.
How anyone past the age of 8 thinks this even comes close to Harry Potter is beyond me.
This was obviously Ms Nimmo's attempt at a Harry Potter type story. It's not an exact copy or anything, but it's pretty difficult to miss that she was hugely influenced by Rowling's world. Unfortunately, this is nowhere near as good as Harry Potter. It's barely even coherent. If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably because it was a forced attempt to cash in on the Harry Potter craze.
The writing isn't great. It's choppy and awkward. Ms. Nimmo likes to jump around suddenly with no natural transition. You'd be following Charlie for nearly an entire chapter, and then suddenly be focused on Billy or Fidelio right as Charlie is doing something. Several times, I had to stop and and go back and reread to find out what the heck just happened.
As for the story itself:
*Slow and uneventful.
*There is absolutely no point to Bloor's Academy. At least not one that makes any kind of sense.
It's supposed to be a school for geniuses. Okay, sure. There wasn't much to indicate that anyone there was actually very smart, but alright. But then, it's also a school for the "endowed" kids. Why? What purpose does it serve to have any of those kids there? There's no training for any of them, and there's no management of their powers at all. Well, other than their endowed only homework session. Not any special homework, of course. They just all have to sit at the same table, work on whatever they have, and not talk. It was entirely pointless.
There wasn't even a point in keeping them separated from public school because apparently no one cares if the world knows they have special powers.
*Speaking of pointless, most of their "gifts" were totally useless outside of the wacky non-plot of this book. (Can you say 'contrived'?) I mean, making light bulbs explode? Hearing voices in pictures? "Feeling" things from the person whose garment you're wearing?
Very practical, useful powers...sure... I was waiting for the kids to pop up, who could hear colors or speak to doorknobs.
*Where are the police throughout this whole thing? Police are mentioned later in the book, so we do know they exist in this world, but where the heck have they been all along? Kids have gone missing and been traumatized in their "ruin game". In any kind of reality, the ruins would have been condemned. There's no way something like that would be allowed to exist in the middle of a school, and there would have been investigations into the missing kids. For a while at least. In reality, the school would have been shut down long before Charlie had a chance to go there.
And speaking of missing kids, the entire premise of Mr. Tolly giving Emma away was ridiculous. I get that it's a kids book and all, but even kids aren't naive enough to believe people can just hand off their babies on a whim and no one would care.
*The big drama to get the birth certificate back was stupid. Perhaps they hadn't heard of a little thing called DNA? It would have been exceptionally easy for the authorities to prove that Emma was related to her aunt through a very basic test.
But somehow, it was super easy for them to tell that the signature on the adoption papers was a forgery. Um....what? They care about that, but not her physical DNA and who her actual family is? Or how she came to be in the care of her adoptive family?
Then at the end, Emma and her aunt don't want to bother with the details, so they stop caring that Emma was imprisoned her entire life and that her father was murdered. And Emma is perfectly happy to return to the school that is run by her captors.
*Emma being hypnotized was totally unnecessary and pretty stupid. A two year old has no clue what their true identity is. If a child is kidnapped at that age and raised away from their family, they don't remember their family. Emma "waking up" was just stupid. What was she waking up from? It's the only life she ever knew. Crappy maybe, but not something she'd see as being wrong just because some switch was flipped in her brain.
On top of that, her involvement in the story had basically no purpose at all.
She was kidnapped as incentive for her father to get the thing in the case working - for some unknown reason. Once he failed, they had no reason to want to keep the baby. After he died, they really had no reason to keep her. Not even as some sort of punishment. Cuz he's dead and no longer cares. It was far more inconvenient for them to keep her because they were paying her fake family lots and lots of money.
The plot literally makes no sense whatsoever.
*Charlie, his mom, and several other people in this story are incredibly dense. Charlie would miss painfully obvious thing after painfully obvious thing and I'd just shake my head. Apparently Ms Nimmo thinks kids are idiots.
The best was when he writes off the strange (and exceptionally talented) music teacher in the tower, who seems to be in a trance. After learning that his father was still alive. After learning that he was lost and likely hypnotized. After learning that he was an exceptionally talented musician.
I mean, it was like a week(if that)after he learned all of that, yet he never stops to go, 'hmmm'.
His mom was either incredibly stupid or incredibly lazy.
Her excuse for forcing Charlie to go to Bloors was that she didn't have any money. That after his father 'died', he left them with nothing and so they had to rely on his hated grandmother for everything.
She has a part time job though. Where is that money going? Why doesn't she get a full time job? Why isn't she looking for other work? Why isn't his other grandmother doing anything?
Just how lazy are these people?
Rather than getting a real job, she'll rely on the woman(and her sisters) who she's pretty sure murdered her husband (their own son and nephew), just because she doesn't want to work 40 hours a week?
And then you've got the opposite in Ben's parents who are so busy working, they barely even remember they have a kid. Um, CPS?
On top of all that, there's no indication that Charlie's grandma or any of her sisters have any kind of power. It's stated that they're powerful, but there's no power actually mentioned or even alluded to. They can't even figure out how to get into Ben's house to look for the case they want (for some reason) - four supposedly powerful adults can't figure out how to get past a relatively gullible 10-12 year old kid who is perpetually home alone.
Why exactly is Charlie and his mother so afraid of them? Why is Paton? And why does Paton feel so empowered after deciding to embrace his light bulb bursting power? Are they afraid of bursting light bulbs?
And why do they want Charlie to go to Bloor's anyway? Aside from there being no point in the endowed kids going there, (I'm guessing here) they must know his father is there.
So, they want him to think his father is dead for some reason, but they decide to send him to the one place he can bump into him. The one place he will meet other kids with oddly specific gifts to lead Charlie right to his dad.
Not that he's smart enough to catch on of course.
All that aside, there were some pretty random and stupid things that jumped out at me.
*What the heck is with the capes? Why do they need capes at all? Why are they color coded? And why do people freak out if a kid doesn't have one?
*What's with the various cafeterias? There's a large cafeteria they all use for dinner. It's clearly big enough to hold everyone. What's the point of the other cafeterias? Lots more work for the heck of it?
*Why aren't kids allowed to talk practically ever? Olivia falls and she gets in trouble for making noise.
*Why aren't they allowed to swap the food they won't eat with a kid who will?
*What's with the "Mom's don't exist here" line? It would have fit if they made fun of Charlie for wanting his mom or something, but why the ominous and fairly idiotic statement?
It's never explained.
It was like the author just wanted to make it a weird place without putting the effort in to have any of the weird things make any kind of sense.
Other incredibly stupid things that stuck out:
*Ben magically being able to play the flute.
I play the flute. Unless someone is extraordinarily gifted -and I mean with magic - they aren't going to be playing the flute in a time span of ten minutes. It takes quite a bit longer than that to get any kind of sound out of it at all. Sometimes it can take kids days of practicing through frustration to get their mouth positioned in the right way. Forget learning the notes and fingerings.
But in this story, Ben picks up the flute with no prior experience and "Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, Benjamin was playing the flute."
Um, sure.
*When Dr. Bloor sees Charlie.
He approaches him like a psycho, says his name ominously and that it's a pleasure to meet him, before walking away. Then after everyone's done eating, he makes him stand (again ominously) and gives him bland instructions that he easily could have given him before.
No point, yet again.
*When Ben thinks Fidelio "just looks musical", and offers no explanation as to why. How does someone look musical?
*The names! Fidelio, Eustacia, Dorcas, Manfred, Lysander, Tancred...
A few odd names are fine in this type of story, but this was getting ridiculous.
*When Olivia giggles while hiding in a closet that is literally full of skeletons, when they think they're about to be caught and possibly killed by a psychopath. There's no indication of her finding anything funny, but suddenly she has trouble stopping her giggles.
Is she nuts? Bipolar maybe?
I'm sure there's lots more I could go on and on about, but I'll stop there.
Suffice it to say, I will not be continuing on with the series.
How anyone past the age of 8 thinks this even comes close to Harry Potter is beyond me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
Another childhood reread. I got into this around the time I read Harry Potter but HP overshadowed it by alot. I'm pretty sure I've been going back to my childhood reads due to the new realizations around Rowling and my disappointment can't be put to words. So I'm probably searching for other childhood nuggets to fall onto while I go through my pain around HP.
This honestly, is not as exciting as I remember it but it could be the second book that picks up. Most of this is seems to be background and setup. I thought I remembered a more exciting setup of the school system but it's pretty simple. The prose is much simpler than other comparable books but I feel the story is more original than the others which I love. Will definitely keep reading.
This honestly, is not as exciting as I remember it but it could be the second book that picks up. Most of this is seems to be background and setup. I thought I remembered a more exciting setup of the school system but it's pretty simple. The prose is much simpler than other comparable books but I feel the story is more original than the others which I love. Will definitely keep reading.
March 5, 2021
Viena geresnių mano skaitytų knygų vaikams. Manyčiau, skirta plius minus 10 metų vaikams. Suaugę, žinoma, rastų prie ko prisikabinti, nelogiškumų ir pan., bet vaikai tokių dalykų juk per daug neieško :) Tuo tarpu knygoje pilna veiksmo, nuotykių, paslapčių, magijos, pavojų ir perskaičius skyrių norisi tuoj pat pulti skaityti toliau. Tačiau, kiek suprantu, šita knyga Lietuvoje "nepaėjo" ir tik vienintelė išleista iš visos Raudonojo karaliaus vaikų serijos knygų. Labai dėl to gaila, nes taip ir matosi, kad nuotykiai tęstųsi toliau - pagrindiniai veikėjai lieka mokytis toje pačioje pavojingoje ir paslaptingoje Bluro akademijoje, lieka neišspręstas Čarlio tėčio klausimas. Žodžiu, tikrai rekomenduoju šią knygą ;)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,185 reviews