 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Midnight for Charlie Bone: Children of the Red King, Book 1
- By Jenny Nimmo
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Mild but enjoyable fantasy good for middle grades.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this has to be the least violent, least scary of all the thick fantasy books on the market. The worst thing that happens is that a dog gets scratched up by a wolf, and even that is not described.
What's the story?
On his friend's 10th birthday, Charlie Bone discovers that he can hear the voices of people in photographs. This modest sign of magical talent is all it takes for his nasty grandmother to put him into Bloor's Academy, a boarding school for children with his kind of special talents.
There Charlie finds out that he is a descendent of the Red King, and that the good and evil sides of his family, all magically gifted, have been at war for generations, a fight that may have led to his own father's death. And the people who caused it may be those who run the school.
Is it any good?
Although comparisons to the Harry Potter series are inevitable, this is a very different sort of book. It is far milder than most fantasies: There's hardly any violence or even real scariness, and when Charlie confronts evil, it is of the cranky, rather than truly powerful and malevolent, sort.
This is a pleasant read, quite entertaining, in a nice, inexpensive hardcover edition, good for those who like fat fantasy series and not at all worrisome. Like vanilla pudding, it's tasty, but not likely to cause sleepless nights.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the comparisons between this series and the Harry Potter books. What are the similarities and differences? What makes one series better than the other?
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AGE
It's resemblance to Harry Potter has had people criticize it
but I still think it's a very good series, and this was a nice start. I'm currently reading Book 7.
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AGE
It is kind of like a milder Harry Potter, but it is still very different. I really enjoy them. Some violence , but not to bad good book for parents who are concerned that Harry Potter is to dark for their children.(not as dark, but still good). The rest of the series is very good to.
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AGE
an enjoyable fantasy book. Nothing special but fun all the same. If you like it, be sure to check out the next 4 books in the series.
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AGE
AWESOME!
Midnight for Charlie Bone is about a boy who finds out he has special powers. He finds out that he has powers when we got a photo that was mixed up with his. When he looks at the photo he starts to hear a conversation that took place when the photo was taken. The conversation was about a baby girl who has been taken away from her family and locked away at Bloors Acadamy. When his evil grandmother finds out about his powers she and her sisters force Charlie to go to Bloors Acadamy. Bloors is a school for geniuses and the specially gifted like Charlie. When Charlie gets to Bloors Acadamy he remembers what he heard from the photo and tries to find out where in the school she is. With the help of new found friends Charlie has must find and save the girl named Emma Tolly.
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AGE
Prefect for a 8 or 7 year old
Ok, like ages ago I hated reading! But then I read All of the Charlie Bone series and now my life is filled with books. Trust me this book is amazing along with all the other Charlie Bones.
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AGE
A half-hearted novel.
Jenny Nimmo seems to have just one day decided to make a series as good as Harry Potter. And yet, the work comes off as only half as good as it could be.
Something CB fans may not know is that even though the other four following books are listed here, there are two other CB books that Nimmo released without warning: CHARLIE BONE AND THE BEAST, and CHARLIE BONE AND THE SHADOW, both of which are about as good - if not worse -than this one.
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AGE
Fabulous!
What a great book! Perfect for young Harry Potter fans. Kids should read the whole series. Very exciting yet wholesome read.
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| Author: | Jenny Nimmo |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Orchard Books |
| Publication date: | June 11, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 401 |
| Hardcover price: | $9.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 8 - 14 |
| Read aloud: | 8 |
| Read alone: | 9 |
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