(DLA Las Piñas GS LRC) October Book of the Month - Midnight for Charlie Bone

Midnight for Charlie Bone is the first novel in the series of eight children's fantasy adventure novels called Children of the Red King (sometimes referred as the "Charlie Bone Series" after its main character) by the British author Jenny Nimmo. It might be Harry Potter all over again but specifically for younger children. Every book in the series is shorter for one thing and uses a lighter style of writing.

However, there are more non-magical people in these books and the creepy private school is run by bad people so it's not necessarily a good place to be. There's also no wands and brooms involved, believe it or not!

The fabulous powers of the Red King were passed down through his descendants, after turning up quite unexpectedly, in someone who had no idea where they came from. This is what happened to 11-year-old Charlie Bone as he starts to notice strange things happening to him and to some of the children he met behind the grim gray walls of Bloor's Academy where his cruel and uncaring grandmother and her even meaner sisters send him to.

Bloor's looks like a dreaded thing at first but it could lead to the whereabouts of a missing girl he's been asked to find by a bookstore owner Julia Ingledew's long lost niece that her brother had traded for a case of some sort. With the help of a friend and a loyal dog, as well as some of his other family members, Charlie goes on his first adventure to the school with the hopes of not letting Miss Ingledew down.

The author's vivid imagination is priceless with simply charming characters, believable depth, magical settings, and heartpounding mysteries. The entertaining fast-paced story is a real winner and will absolutely keep you at the edge of your chair. The sequel, Charlie Bone and the Time Twister, along with the other books in the series are all currently on display at the LRC and are available for checkout.