Charlie Bone And The Hidden King (Children of the Red King Book 5) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—In the fifth installment (Orchard, 2006) of the series by Jenny Nimmo, Charlie Bone has a whole new set of mysteries to figure out—and his father is still missing. The boy discovers that the shadow from the portrait of the Red King that hangs in his school has disappeared, and everyone's pets are vanishing as well. Charlie meets Naren, a strange girl who claims to know the whereabouts of the pets. As if this wasn't enough, Charlie's mother seems to have forgotten about his father and fallen in love with an enchanter. Charlie needs his friends now more than ever if he's finally going to get to the bottom of things. To fully understand the characters and situations, the books should be read in sequence. Narrator Simon Russell Beale gives each character a distinct and recognizable voice. A must for science fiction/fantasy collections where the previous volumes are popular.—Traci Glass, Southeast Regional Library, Gilbert, AZ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Description

When Charlie turns twelve on New Year's Eve, the Flame Cats give him a grave warning: Something ancient has awoken, and Charlie must be watchful. Soon Charlie learns that the shadow from the Red King's portrait has been released, and that it will do anything to keep Charlie from finding his father. Meanwhile, pets are mysteriously vanishing from the city, and Olivia is in danger of revealing her newfound powers.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439545307
• ISBN-13: 978-0439545303
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,861 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back to form!, June 12, 2006

By	T. Burger (Chicago) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I felt that the last book, The Castle of Mirrors, was missing some of Ms. Nimmo's usual "zip". It felt like there was a bit of hesitancy in her writing. Of all the books, I enjoyed that the least. However, in The Hidden King, Ms. Nimmo is back to her wonderful, enjoyable form that has made this series so pleasant and charming.

New characters continue to appear, old ones remain and rivalries still exist. A tremendous secret is uncovered - well, several, to be honest. Quite a bit is at stake here, and there are several threads that need to be managed and I found her management to be deftly done.

In earlier reviews I had voiced a concern that the books always revolved around children that the Bloors/Yewbeams didn't want to be found. That stopped in the last book, and continued here. There are no lost children...but someone else is lost, and we know why. In this instance, it makes sense - and that's so important in art. Things need to make sense, because if they don't, not many people will buy the book.

The momentum has returned...and while I said my mouth was dry after finishing the last book, it is nearly drooling in anticipation for the next book. What a magnificent ending! This is an excellent series for its intended audience, blending in the right amount of mystery, intrigue, with a firm understanding of what is right and what is wrong.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple But Satisfying, July 5, 2006

By	Jarrod T Thompson "Young Adult Author" (Junction City, KS) - See all my reviews

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Charlie Bone and the Hidden King is another in a series of fun books to read. Jenny Nimmo is skilled in her storytelling.

The plot is simple, straightforward, and compelling enough to get the reader to the end of the book with ample satisfaction. The Hidden King adds extra elements about those who are endowed with the introduction of the existence of other academies for descendants of the Red King throughout the world.

The battle with the shadow, the continuation of the search for Charlie's brain wiped father, and the introduction of just enough new characters who are good and evil make this book another in the series that leaves the reader begging for the next book to be done sooner.

It is easy to see that Jenny Nimmo is skilled because when her Charlie Bone books come out I put them off as long as I can because I know that once I start reading, I will read the book straight through and then I will have to wait FOREVER, or it seems like forever for the next installment. The fact that I approach these books knowing I will love them and then finish wanting more proves that Nimmo has a gift.

I hope Charlie Bone goes on forever and that Jenny Nimmo gets a movie contract for screenplay adaptations of the series that rivals JK Rowling's deal.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Installment to the Series, July 8, 2006

By	A-M (Near D.C., USA) - See all my reviews

Took me longer to get around to reading this than I would have liked. However, as always Nimmo's writing is very easy to read, so I zipped through the book. Charlie and his friends (allies) have more of the Red King mystery to unravel this time around. Finally things are happening that I had been anticipating since the first book. (I won't spoil the book for anyone, but I was really happy with the results).

Some great new characters are introduced, who will really add some layers of complexity to other dynamics down the road. The villian of this book--doesn't seem to do as much as he threatens to--Charlie is very effective at stopping him, it seems. Shades of gray are really seen in this book too--which goes really well with the title, characters act in ways you might not have expected them to in the past.

I really love this books, they aren't hard to read and are a much lighter story than alot of their contemporaries (Harry Potter etc). I'd say great for anyone above 3rd grade or there abouts. A very fun series, and clearly Nimmo has more to tell,so I will be eagerly awaiting the next book.