October 1, 2005
Gr 5-8 -Charlie Bone is starting a new school year and once again there are unpleasant surprises in store for him and his friends at Bloor's Academy. Little Billy Raven has finally been adopted, but the sinister de Greys have other plans for Billy, and it is up to Charlie and his friends to find a way to save him. Nimmo once again delivers an exciting, plot-driven tale that is sure to please fantasy and adventure fans. This new chapter in Charlie's saga is full of plot twists and thrills that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series. While the character development is a bit lacking, fantasy fans will enjoy the story." -Anna M. Nelson, Collier County Public Library, Naples, FL"
Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2005
Gr. 4-6. In the fourth book of the projected five in the Red King series, Charlie Bone and his friends (and enemies) begin a new term at Bloor's Academy, where many of the students and staff are endowed with magical abilities. Hoping to find his father and help a friend, Charlie travels to the ominous Castle of Mirrors. Nimmo adds several inventive elements to this magical world, including the transformation of Charlie's wand into a silent creature of mysterious power. Explaining the complex background story and introducing the many characters to new readers slows down the action quite a bit at the start, but the pace picks up nicely when Charlie goes to the rescue of his friend Billy. Prediction: this fantasy should do quite well, assuming a continuing demand for stories about a nice lad with magical powers who goes to boarding school, longs to see his father, has adventures, makes a few mistakes, and gets by with a little help from his friends.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2006
At Bloor's academy for magically endowed children, a ghostly warhorse helps Charlie and orphan Billy Raven find the half-mythical Castle of Mirrors, but it's no refuge for Billy, who's under the headmaster's thumb. Diverting invention drifts off into vague plot starts and stops, a problem not helped by the author's shallow descriptions and inability to shape a scene.
(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)