Today I am here to discuss a new kids series that I have recently started reading. The series may be unfamiliar as I don’t know how popular they are but from what I have seen so far the series is pretty good. It the Children of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo and the first book is called Midnight for Charlie Bone. Now Charlie Bone is a ten year old boy who is the main protagonist of the series. He lives with his mother and a few other assorted relatives, these include his mother’s mother, or Maisie, his father’s mother, Grandma Bone, and Grandma Bone’s brother, Uncle Paton. Charlie’s father died in a car accident when he was just a toddler so he has no memories of him. The book opens when Charlie starts having weird things happen, more specifically when he starts hearing voices that appear to be coming from photos. When Grandma Bone discovers this she insists on having him tested to see if he is endowed, meaning he has special powers, and sending him to Bloor’s academy for the gifted if he does. At the same time Charlie ends up getting embroiled in a mystery due a mix-up regarding some photos. The mystery requires Charlie to try and track down a girl that had disappeared years prior and may be related to mysterious happenings at Bloor’s academy. With the help of old friends such as Benjamin and his dog Runner Bean and new friends like Fidelio and Olivia, Charlie does his best to figure out the truth about what is really going on.
This sounds like it has a similar premise to any number of other stories about a young boy finding out he is special and having to go away for training so a special school or a special camp or something similar. In some ways I can see the similarities but I also have to admit that this book is also wildly different from other similar works that I have read. Charlie Bone is sent to a new school but not to be trained in his powers as they don’t train the endowed in the use of their powers. The school only keeps an eye on them. There is also the fact that very few of the students at the school are endowed. I think there was only about ten of them and the rest of the student body are students gifted in the arts such as music, art or theater. This creates an odd setup for the story as not all of the characters are gifted. In fact, Charlie is the only character in his close friend group of Charlie, Benjamin, Fidelio and Olivia that is endowed. This doesn’t stop these characters from helping but it sets an odd tone to the story. Another odd thing about this book is the family dynamics as it is heavily implied that Grandma Bone and her three sisters are not necessarily good people and that they conspire heavily with other people who are just as bad. This creates a huge division within Charlie’s family over the course of the book as his mother and her mother both support him but the only member of his father’s side of the family that does is Uncle Paton. In many ways, this is as odd and original as the idea that not all of the characters have to be gifted or endowed. Like I said previously, this book may seem like it has an extremely similar premise to any number of other series, and in some ways it does, but due to these inclusions the book comes across as wholly original and different. Overall, it was a great book and I genuinely look forward to reading the rest of the series. I am giving it four out of five stars.
This book is a kids book, as I said at the beginning, and in my opinion would hold a great deal of appeal for kids, especially for kids who enjoy fantasy stories about kids with special powers. If you happened to have enjoyed Harry Potter or Percy Jackson then I would suggest that you consider trying Charlie Bone as well. Outside of kids, I am not sure if the book would hold a lot of appeal. It may appeal to teens as well but it is obviously aimed at kids so the characters hold a lot more innocence and hope than you typically see in books aimed at teens or young adults. Due to this the book would probably hold little appeal to adults as well, though I would suggest that if you know a kid who is reading this series that you consider trying it so you can discuss it with them. In terms of content there is little that would potentially make it difficult for kids or something that parents should be aware of beyond what I have already mentioned in review. If you decide to try it or wish to discuss your thoughts on the book feel free to mention them in the comments. And remember to keep your eyes out for my reviews on the rest of the series.