Parents' Guide to

Midnight for Charlie Bone: Children of the Red King, Book 1

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Mild but enjoyable fantasy good for middle grades.

Book Jenny Nimmo Fantasy 2006
Midnight for Charlie Bone: Children of the Red King, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 8+

Harry Potter Lite, but it still engages

Absolutely agree with Common Sense Media's "Mild but enjoyable fantasy good for middle grades." It's Harry Potter meets Famous Five, with too many similarities to list. It doesn't shine like the original, with some clunky plot lines, revelations that are well telegraphed and saggy dialogue. That said, it kept my 8 year-old (reading age of a 10 y.o.) spell-bound , and he is chugging happily through the rest of the series.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
age 7+

Pretty Good read

You may need to explain some British words to your kids but other wise a safe read to introduce young readers to fantasy reading.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (8 ):

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.

Book Details

  • Author: Jenny Nimmo
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: Orchard Books
  • Publication date: June 11, 2006
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 14
  • Number of pages: 401
  • Last updated: July 12, 2017

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