Review by Jill Williamson
Charlie bone had a special picture blown up for his best friend’s birthday present. His mom picks it up from Kwik Foto, but when Charlie opens up the package, it’s not his order. He stares at the photo of a man holding a baby, mesmerized. Then a conversation floods his mind. He can hear a woman and a man talking about the baby. Charlie convinces himself that he imagined it, but Grandma Bone has her own theory.
His grandma enrolls him at Bloor’s Academy, a school for gifted children. She thinks that Charlie is endowed with special abilities. Charlie doesn’t want to go to any special school. But since Grandma Bone supports him and his mother, he doesn’t have a choice. Life at Bloor’s is different, and soon Charlie discovers that there are other students in his class who have equally mysterious powers.
The people in the photo and a mysterious gift set Charlie hot on the trail to solve a mystery of a missing girl. Can Charlie find her at his school? And what other secrets might the Bloor’s hiding? Could any of them have to do with Charlie’s past?
This series has some parallels to Harry Potter. A British author. A magically gifted boy away at boarding school. Some kids are good, some are bad. Charlie has wicked relatives. But these students aren’t studying magic. They are born with their endowments which are anything and everything including: shape shifting, mind reading, controlling the weather, speaking to animals, and flying. I found the book fun. It was a little predictable, but entertaining. The characters are amusing and real, sometimes choosing to do what’s right, sometimes not. There is no strong element of faith, but the story is clean and the plot centers on righting a wrong. I recommend this for younger readers who love fantasy.
Age Range: 8-12
Genre: fantasy
Part of a Series: book one is the Charlie Bone series
Pages: 401
Publisher: Orchard Books
Released: 2002
it was an ok book