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Read Charlie Bone And The Castle Of Mirrors (2005)

Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors (2005)

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Rating
4.44 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0439545285 (ISBN13: 9780439545280)
Language
English
Publisher
orchard books

Charlie Bone And The Castle Of Mirrors (2005) - Plot & Excerpts

Charlie Bone is worried about his friend, Billy Raven. Billy, an albino and an orphan, has longed for a family of his own and it seems like his wish has come true when Mr. and Mrs. de Grey agree to adopt him. Charlie is happy for Billy, but the de Grey's are friends of the Bloor family and Charlie doesn't trust them. Charlie is right to be worried - the de Grey's have powers that literally won't let Billy leave the house unless he is going to school. Charlie, his Uncle Paton, and his friends all try to find a way to get Billy out of the de Grey's house and to a place where he'll be safe. Charlie also wonders what is going on at his school Bloor's Academy. Piano teacher Mr. Pilgrim is gone and his replacement, Tantalus Ebony, is a bit odd. Charlie also wonders what's up with a new student, Joshua Tilpin, who seems to be magnetic. Charlie also wonders why his friend Olivia is acting so strange. On top of it all, Charlie keeps searching for his missing father. "Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors" certainly has its good points. For one thing, some of the children grow as characters, especially Billy and Olivia. Author Jenny Nimmo also shows some increasing aspects of Charlie's ability to read the thoughts of people in photographs and pictures. There's a nice sense of humor throughout the book, with some punny word play and an especially funny scene at the Pet's Café. The fantasy elements are nicely done, especially the introduction of Alice Angel, and a wonderfully imaginative scene involving written oaths coming alive and attacking Charlie and his friends. The "flames" as always, add much to the fantasy elements. However, the book has its flaws. While some characters are well developed, other characters aren't developed at all. Once again Nimmo awkwardly gets rid of characters without any real explanation as to why they are gone. New characters that are added are underdeveloped, especially Joshua Tilpin and Tantalus Ebony. With the exception of Uncle Paton, most of the "good" adults are once again useless, especially Charlie's mother, Amy. Charlie's life at school is not particularly well-written - it's not clear what classes he takes and what classes many of the teachers actually teach. One plotline - losing balance - was very interesting, but felt thrown in at the last moment and could have been much more developed. The ongoing plot line of Charlie looking for his father could have been plotted and written better since it's obvious who his father really is. The Children of the Red King series is a quick, at times enjoyable read, but continues to be somewhat frustrating.

Old Ezekiel has decided that he will bring his ancestor, a ferocious man who killed anyone who got in his way, back to life. It seems that Asa digging in the ruins of the castle found a heart wrapped and in a casket marked with a B and they believe it to be their ancestor. The take the horses bones and the heart and Charlies old aunts, Manfred and Ezekiel work together to bring the ancestor to life. Only it is the Queen and she wants to protect her "children" and does this. While the children are in the ruins, they hear the horses hoof beats and are scared. Olivia who was previously thought to be unendowed is starting to show the signs that she is endowed. She uses her powers to help herself and her friends. Billy is sent to live with an evil couple who don't really want him and whenever he tries to get some information he is tortured by the "oaths" that he is forced to sign in order to go home with them. He escapes from the couple with the help of the "flames" (the Red King's Cats) and the help of his friends keeps him from being held prisnor by the Bloors.

What do You think about Charlie Bone And The Castle Of Mirrors (2005)?

Jenny Nimmo's Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors is about Charlie's fourth term at Bloor's Academy. His friend Billy Raven, an albino orphan who can communicate with animals, is suddenly adopted by a mysterious couple known as the de Greys. Charlie manages to find a photograph of the de Greys on Manfred Bloor's desk, and immediately suspects that they don't really want to adopt Billy. Charlie and his endowed friends have also been hearing sounds of a ghost horse running around the grounds of Bloor's Academy, and they notice that their supposedly unendowed friend Olivia Vertigo is acting very strange. Billy's guardian, Christopher Crowquill, returns to the city after spending several years in prison, attempts to get custody of Billy. All of the mysterious activities occurring at Bloor's at the time seems to be related to the legendary Castle of Mirrors, where Charlie goes and visits with Billy, only to find that Billy is the rightful heir of the Castle of Mirrors. Along the way they find that the cause for Olivia's strange behavior, was the sudden development of her endowment of creating elaborate illusions. The novel ends with Charlie and his friends returning to Bloor's, and trying to keep Olivia's new found powers a secret. What I like about this installment of the Children of the Red King series is that it focuses on the back story of some of secondary characters that aren't direct relatives of Charlie. This is the first book in the series to do so, with its focus on Billy and Olivia. I also like how Charlie is shown in this novel taking his first notable interest in his own personal family history, and the history of his fellow endowed children.
—Cindell Nelson

In a dark labatory deep within Bloor's Academy, Manfred and Ezekiel Bloor are brewing up a very nasty kind of trouble with Charlie Bone...The prologue begins when the Red King and his wife, Queen Bernice, are riding by the sea. They spot a beautiful island, the Island of a Thousand Blues. She had a premonition of her children fighting there, and tells her husband that her children must never see the island. Charlie starts a new term at Bloor's Academy, and already trouble begins to brew. Ezekiel Bloor, with the help of his grandson and the Yewbeam Aunts, have brought the horse of Borlath back to life. But in fact, it's not Borlath, it's Queen Bernice, the Red King's wife. Billy Raven is promised new parents from the Bloors, and gets the horrible de Greys for parents. Can Charlie and his friends rescue Billy from the de Greys? And more importantly, can Charlie really tell Billy his past?However, Uncle Paton is in danger. Yorath Yewbeam told him not to harm Yolanda; and Paton electrocuted her. Will Yorath get his revenge, or will Paton destroy the older shape-shifting Yewbeam?I think that this series is a major find. It's good for people of all ages and anyone CAN read it. I specifically recommend this series to people who like Harry Potter, fantasy, magical powers and... boarding schools.
—Katie

I really liked this book because it was intriguing and I wanted to read more and more of it. Certain parts of it are kind of dull, with not as much action happening as there usually is. Although, there are very few of those parts and the characters are very interesting. Such as Tancred, a boy who can control the weather. When Charlie went to the castle of mirrors, I was excited because I thought that he would finally find his father. Charlie ended up being disappointed though, as it was not actually his father. Maybe he will in the next one, at least I certainly hope so! I wish that another book comes out soon in this series, as it is a great [series]. I have read all of these books so far and can't wait for the next one to come out. If you are a person that loves fiction with magical powers, this is a book for you. Jenny Nimmo is a great author.
—Jacob Bennett

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