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Review Summaries
"Charlie Bone's life is normal until one day when his mother comes home with a photo that he had enlarged at Kwik Foto. The only thing is that it isn't his photo. Instead of his photo of his friend's dog which he was going to use as a birthday card, he finds a photo of a man, a woman, a baby and a cat. Worst of all, he can hear their voices talking. The man is persuading the woman to take the baby, but the woman is refusing. Charlie tells his Grandma Bone and mother and Grandma Bone is immediately pleased. Charlie's family is descended from the Red King, a powerful magician and some of his descendants got passed on some of his powers. These people are called the endowed. So far, most of Charlie's family on his dad's side have gotten these powers, but Grandma Bone and her sisters, the Yewbeam Aunts, were convinced that Charlie was normal. Grandma Bone calls the Yewbeam Aunts, Lucretia, Eustacia and Venetia, to give Charlie a test to see whether he is endowed or not. He passes. They send him to Bloor's Academy, a school for the endowed or talented. Charlie is miserable. He does make friends, two boys named Fidelio Gunn and Billy Raven and a girl named Olivia Vertigo. But aside from that, nothing much is going well. From the help of 3 odd cats and a mysterious man named Mr. Onimous, Charlie was able to return the photo to the right owner in exchange for his own. The woman who gave the photo to him was the woman in the picture who rejected the baby, but now she wishes she had it. She gives a box which inside it, has the only thing that can wake the baby (who is now a 10 year old girl) from the deep sleep that she has been put under. Supposedly, the girl is at Bloor's Academy..."
Lucy, Resident Jenny Nimmo Scholar
"Charlie's aunts had given up all hope that he would show signs of having some of the mysterious and magical powers of the Red King, which are passed down through his descendants. Some of the gifts are evil and some are good. Some of them turn up unexpectedly...as in the case of Charlie Bone. After years of living life as a normal little boy, he begins to hear people talking in photographs. His horrible aunts are delighted to discover that he takes after their side of the family. They immediately enroll him in the gloomy Bloor's Academy for gifted children, forcing Charlie to leave his best friend behind. Still, Charlie tries to make the best of it and is able to make some new friends at his academy. But Charlie quickly becomes embroiled in the search for a stolen baby whom no one wants him to find. As Charlie struggles to master his magical gifts and to fit in with his fellow classmates, he begins to uncover old clues to more than one mystery...
Midnight for Charlie Bone was an absolutely delightful children's book following in the wake of Harry Potter's popularity. I am not saying that it is a Harry Potter copycat, no indeed. The plot is quite fresh and original and Charlie was a great character. Jenny Nimmo did such a wonderful job at capturing how a little boy thinks and it was really fun to see how Charlie felt about everything that was going on and how he puzzled through old clues. All of the characters were well developed and the plot was intriguing. If you are looking for a book that you will love almost as much as Harry Potter then this is the book for you! (If you don't want to pay extra for the library binding, look for it at your local school's book fair in paperback.)
"
Debbie, Resident Jenny Nimmo Scholar
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Overall Review
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Plot
Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence - 15% planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 45% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 25% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 15%
Tone of book
- very upbeat
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy story on current Earth
Coming of age
Yes
Youngster becomes
- a powerful magician
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Kid's book (ages 7-14)
Family relations
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a kid
- a teen
Has magical/special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- can cast many different spells
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- magical being
- Male
Age:
- a kid
Profession/status:
- student
Has magical powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- can talk to animals
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Setting
Earth setting:
- 20th century
- current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 1st
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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