Tag Archives: schools

Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo

Posted on by
1

Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors is the fourth book in the Children of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo.  I enjoyed this book, even though it is not my favorite in the series.  Charlie Bone is back for a new semester at Bloor’s Academy.  This is a school for students with magical powers.  Charlie Bone knows that he possesses magical ability, but he still has not fully learned the extent of his endowment. 

In this book, Charlie meets some new characters.  Billy Raven is an orphaned boy who has been adopted by a couple named Mr. and Mrs. de Grey.  The de Greys have magical powers, but it turns out that they are evil.  They force Billy to sign papers that contain oaths, which would compel him to do things against his will.  Billy becomes imprisoned in a mysterious place called The Passing House.  Mr. de Grey uses his magic to create a force field that prevents Billy from escaping.

My favorite part of the story is when Charlie Bone and his friends help Billy to escape from The Passing House.  They take Billy to the house of one of Charlie’s friends, named Gabriel Silk.  At Gabriel’s house, the papers with the oaths suddenly come to life, and attack Billy and his friends.  The friends need to join forces with their magical powers to rescue Billy from the evil magic of the de Greys.

One of my favorite things about this book is the development of the characters.  I especially liked to read about Charlie’s friends, Lysander Sage and Tancred Torsson.  They have special powers that prove to be very useful in this story.  This particular book may not be quite as exciting as some of the others in the series, but I definitely still enjoyed it.  I am not really sure why it is called The Castle of Mirrors, because that did not seem to be the most important part of the story.  Still, I am glad to have read this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Charlie Bone series.

-Simon H.

Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive/Libby.

Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy by Jenny Nimmo

Posted on by
2

Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy is the third book in the Children of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo.  This is my favorite book in the series so far.  These books are about a boy named Charlie Bone, who has a special magical power.  Charlie attends a school called Bloor’s Academy, where other students possess magical powers as well.  In this book, a new semester of school is beginning.  Charlie and his friends discover that a boy named Ollie Sparks has been secretly imprisoned at the school for a while.  Ollie is an “invisible boy,” because he was the victim of a magical snake that can turn its victims invisible.  Charlie and his friends try to save Ollie from his sad and lonely imprisonment.

In addition to Charlie Bone, two of my favorite characters in this book are Lysander Sage and Tancred Torsson.  Lysander is possibly the most powerful character in the book, but he is also very friendly.  Tancred also possesses very powerful abilities, and he is very helpful to Charlie throughout the book.  Charlie has other friends with special powers, and it is interesting to read about their different magical abilities.

My favorite part of the story is when Charlie and his friends help Charlie’s uncle after he was severely injured.  Charlie’s uncle, named Paton Yewbeam, had been away on a long and perilous journey.  He returns with many serious burns, and Charlie learns that he must find a special plant to cure his uncle.  The only place to find the plant is in the garden of one of Charlie’s evil aunts, so Charlie and his friends must risk their own lives to save Uncle Paton.

I enjoyed this book because Charlie and his friends take many risks to help others.  The story is very exciting, and Charlie’s life is in danger many times.  I like reading about the friendship between Charlie and his classmates, as they have many adventures together trying to save their friends and family.  I would recommend this book and the other books in the series to everyone.

-Simon H.

Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy by Jenny Nimmo is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.