Midnight For Charlie Bone

Title : Midnight For Charlie Bone (The Children of The Red King #1)

Writer : Jenny Nimmo

Number of Page : 346

Publisher : Egmont Books Ltd

I encountered Charlie Bone for the first time when my mother bought very cheap books in a garage sale years ago. I wanted to read them at that time, but the problem was that she didn't buy the first book. I was curious because she said that Charlie Bone was as good as Harry Potter. However, I soon forgot about the books. 

Then, last month my sister told me that she saw cheap book sets in a bookstore. It was Charlie Bone, of course. She wanted to buy but she knew that she would not have time to read. So, I offered to read them and would tell her the stories afterward. And she bought the books with her money. *happy evil wink (muhahaha...)

Now come the review...

Charlie Bone was an ordinary boy who lived with his two grandmothers and her mother. He had best friend named Benjamin who was also his neighbour.

One day when he saw a strange photo he heard the sounds from it, some mysterious conversations about a lost baby. He tried to hide his ability but one of her grandmother knew it. She forced him to go to Bloor's Academy where the other specials like him studying. 

In Bloor's Academy, Charlie belonged to blue group, music students. There were green for drama and purple for arts. He stayed in the dormitory and met new friends. I think it's a bit like Hogwarts without magic. 

Charlie had to adapt with his new life and also the danger that suddenly surrounded him. And it all started with only a single strange photo!

So, Charlie and his friends had to investigate about the photo subjects and stay out from the bad people who targeted them. What did they find out at the end?

First of all, I should say that you cannot compare it to Harry Potter because Charlie Bone was meant for children. The plots are simple, the dialogs are more childish, the mysteries are not as deep as Harry Potter. Both are very different.

Charlie Bone gave me chills and dark feeling because all people around him were all strange and suspicious. Even his grandmother, his uncle, and his friends. It seemed that the only normal people were Charlie, her mother, and Benjamin's dog. Furthermore, I could not even guess what would happen next because all characters seemed suspicious. It was both good and bad. Good because the story was unpredictable, bad because I didn't like the characters. They were all freaks and creepy. But, that was just my opinion. The adventure and the mystery were actually not bad. It's just that this book was definitely not for me.

Moreover, the plots were quite to the point. Fast-paced actions without emotional conflicts. Not my type since I enjoy descriptions and deep feeling. 

Oh, I will still read the next installments. I was still curious about many things that were not solved in this book. And I had promised my sister to read it. Hehehe...

2/5