Posted on

Book Review: Midnight for Charlie Bone

Midnight for Charlie Bone (The Red King Series) by Jenny Nimmo

I don’t remember who suggested this series to me; but they mentioned it in a kind of “If you liked Harry Potter, you ought to read Charlie Bone.”  Our family loved Harry Potter so I thought I would try this series and give Kristie something else to read.  But here is MY warning!  Other than magical abilities and a school for “gifted children,” I found this book to be NOTHING like Harry Potter.  I almost quit after 100 pages, but Kristie finished in record time.  She spoke excitedly about the fast paced plot.  So I soldiered on and finished.

Content

Charlie Bone is a young boy who discovers he can hear voices from photographs.  At the same time, he acquires a mysterious case that is the key to finding a girl who was lost as a child and would be Charlie’s age now.  Charlie’s grandma and 3 great aunts immediately send him off to Bloor’s Academy, a school for gifted and talented children.  But Bloor’s is not Hogwarts.  It is not a home away from home, but more like a boarding school straight out of a Dickens’ novel.

Charlie enlists the help of new found friends to solve the mystery of the missing girl rumored to be at Bloor’s.  But in so doing, he finds himself at odds with the headmaster and his daunting Grandmother and aunts.  But with the help of an oddly powerful uncle, Charlie may have a chance to find the girl and uncover a greater mystery about himself.

Recommendation


I give this book a 5 out of 12 buttered rolls.  I’m just not a fan.  The backstory is so flawed, I can’t figure out what Charlie doesn’t know or understand and what is common knowledge.  The character development was non-existent.  Characters who were passed over as merely names, later accomplish important tasks and then treated like an integral part of the storyline.  In the last few chapters,  the characters discuss maintaining the balance between good and evil, but the entire book focused on the evil characters, good guys were merely footnotes.

There was nothing in the story that I would caution readers to avoid (or discuss with their children), but I found the whole thing kinda lame.  Kristie’s excitement has me reading book 2 though.  I guess with this kind of beginning, things can only get better from here.   However, I thought it only fair to give the recommendation of my 11 year old daughter, Kristie.

I love Midnight for Charlie Bone because there is a lot of adventure and fun in it. It is fun to read about stuff like this when I can figure out what to do and what is going to happen in it. For example, I’m pretty sure I have figured out who Charlie’s Dad is, even though they have no idea. I really like adventure books and it reminds me of books like Harry Potter and Fablehaven.  I like adventure and I really like books that have nothing to do with love. It is annoying to read a book when all they focus on is love. The only love in Charlie Bone is the love between family members. It is mysterious and cool how they are able to use there powers and able to solve the problems.

There you go.  I need a proper backstory or proper updates of history, non of this mere, “Oh yeah…by the way” stuff.  One-dimensional characters make one-dimensional books.  However, young readers are more forgiving of those fatal flaws.

Posted on

Book Review: Arcade Catastrophe

Arcade Catastrophe (The Candy Shop War) by Brandon mull

I know there are many books out there where children find themselves needing to save the world.  If you read my review of the first Candy Shop War, you will remember that I wasn’t thrilled with the way the children became involved.  I was prepared for untrustworthy adults preying on children.  Apparently, so were the children.

Content

Nate and his friends are now free to enjoy the magical sweet treats that had once put them in so much danger.  Their happy ending has come with new friendships and great respect in the magical world.  But danger lurks a few miles away.  Something fishy is going on at a new arcade owned by Mrs. White’s brother.  Children are playing games trying to earn tickets for 16 coveted prizes, stamps that have magical enhancements.  You can fly like a jet, be as strong as a tank, run as fast as a racecar, or dive and swim like a submarine.  But the games don’t end when the prize is won.

Mr. White has some more competitions in place for the winners of the stamps.  Each competition brings him closer to gaining the most dangerous and powerful talisman in the world.  When Nate and his friends learn of the disappearance of the friends, and magical policemen, they decide to play the game in hopes of stopping Mr. White.  Can they defeat this magician at his own game?  Will they be able to save their friends in time?

Recommendation

I give this read 12 out of 12 dozen rolls.  Like the first book, it was fun, adventurous and full of magical mayhem.  Unlike the first book, the children had learned their lessons on who to trust.  Their integrity helped others trust them as well.  They were able to use their experience to help the other kids caught in the magicians spell.  It was a great book where the kids were heroes.  I loved it!

Posted on

Book Review: The Candy Shop War

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

I did’t know what I expected for this book, but I was taken for a totally unexpected.  The first series I read from Brandon Mull was Fablehaven. I loved it.  I loved the world within a world, the magical creatures, the adventures, the characters.  The whole family gave up evening TV time so I could read the series aloud to them.  So I watched for other books written by Mull.  The Beyonders was well worth the read.  The last book in the Five Kingdoms series was released in March, so I will probably read that series here in the near future.  What I am trying to get at is…I thought I knew what I was getting into.  SURPRISE!!!

Content

This book was full of magic and mayhem.  Instead of a world within a world, or an alternate dimension, all of the magic happens in the sleepy little town of Colson, California.  When a new candy shop comes to town, four children find that candy can be more than just a sweet treat.  It is magical in every way.  Moon Rocks make them light as air.  Shock Bits fill their bodies with electricity.  Gum enhances your perception and performance, jawbreakers make you unbreakable.  Magic in every bite.

But two competing confectioners behind these sweet treats have ulterior motives for peddling their magical wares.  In search of a treasure that will make a magician all powerful, they enlist the help of children to do their dirty work.  Why children?  Because they are the only ones susceptible to the magical powers of these treats.  How does all of this mayhem go unnoticed by the rest of the town?  Just give out free samples of a highly addictive, mind numbing fudge.  Can anyone stop these magicians?  Is there hope for the children caught in the middle?

Recommendation

I give this read 8 out of 12 dozen rolls.  Charlee (age 9) couldn’t get through the first two chapters (but she has a hard time finishing any book so take that with a grain of salt).  I didn’t think it was a slow start at all.  It was fun and adventurous.  But man, these 10 year old little kids were put in quite the pickle.

The adventurous story deserved a higher recommendation.  However, I didn’t like that the adults were exploiting children and their natural instinct to trust.  Every bad decision made by the four children was because they trusted an adult or searched out an adult to help them.  That negative relationship warranted only 8 of 12 rolls.  I would have loved this book as a child.  As a mom…  Let’s just say, I hope my kids…”Don’t Take Candy From Strangers!”

Posted on

Book Review: The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

Book Review:

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Book Three in the Song of the Lioness Series) by Tamora Pierce

I actually finished this one weeks ago.  However, my full time construction job on top of motherhood leaves me very little computer time.  But here is my review of the third book in this saga. (And I mean that in the sense that the series is becoming a little long winded with only a few dramatic events.)

Content

Now that she has won her knighthood and defeated the sorcerer who threatened the peace of the kingdom, Sir Alanna of Trebond seeks adventure in the deserts of Tortall.  She defeats a band of robbers but breaks her sword irreparably.  In a strange twist of fate she is adopted by the desert Bazhir tribe, the Bloody Hawk, and becomes their Shaman.  And this is where the majority of the book takes place.

As Shaman, Alanna improves her own magic skills and trains apprentices, two girls and a boy.  Alanna spends much of her knighthood defending the rights of women in a male dominated culture, as opposed to seeking out adventure.  There is not a distinct antagonist in this book.  Instead, this books seems to be a sort of coming of age story for Alanna.  She continues her search for love and acceptance, while turning down a marriage proposal, and mastering her Gift.

Recommendation

I give Book Three 3 out of 12 buttered rolls.  This could be the “Empire Strikes Back” installment of this series but really, I was left totally underwhelmed.  There is so much drama.  I’m talking femi-nazi, “Girls can do anything boys can do,” “A family will kill my career,” “Anyone who supports a patriarchal society is enslaving women,” type feminism.  It got old, and without a specific antagonist or quest to focus on, it got old fast.  Don’t get me wrong, I do like the idea of a female heroine.  I encourage my daughters to be anything they want to be.  But between the what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life drama and the men-hate-strong-women femi-nazi propaganda, I am left hoping there is a “Return of the Jedi” finish to this series.  Here’s hoping for the best.

 

Posted on

Book Review: In the Hand of the Goddess

Book Review:

In the Hand of the Goddess (Book 2 in the Song of the Lioness series) by Tamora Pierce

I enjoyed the first book and dove right into the next book in this series.  Although I still only get a few minutes here and there, I enjoy my reading time and keep my books accessible throughout the day.  Steven often grabs my book and tells me to “Put that book down now!”

Content

This book follows Alanna and her quest for knighthood.  And apparently her quest is approved by the Goddess Mother.  Alanna is visited by the Goddess, who gives her a magical charm and a guardian cat.

At the end of the first book, Prince Jonathan found out Sir Alan of Trebond’s secret.  But that doesn’t stop Jonathan from choosing this young page as his squire when he is knighted.  As squire, it is Alanna’s duty to protect her friend and liege against foes seen and unseen.  Throughout many trials, Alanna serves boldly and gains her shield as a knight.

Although the storyline was fun and full of adventure, there was a lot of drama.  Alanna faces many challenges while hiding her gender.  One challenge is to acknowledge her romantic feelings towards her comrades as they learn her secret.  And even though there wasn’t anything explicit, I wasn’t impressed with the loose morals at court.

Recommendation

I give Book Two 8 out of 12 buttered rolls.  This is a drop from book one of the same series.  This series is definitely geared towards a younger audience.  However, I felt that much of the underlying subject matter would not be appropriate for my twelve year old.  Like I mentioned before, nothing was explicit or inappropriate in its conveyance.  But I didn’t like the inferences and those underlying messages distracted me from the adventure.