Nimmo, Jenny. Midnight for Charlie Bone. Orchard Books, 2002. ISBN 0439474299. $9.99. 401 pp. Reviewer: Emily Fry Reading Level: Intermediate, Young adult Rating: Dependable Genre: Adventure stories; Fantasy fiction; Subject: Magic--Juvenile fiction; Schools--Juvenile fiction; England--Juvenile fiction; Books-Reviews; Life is seemingly normal for Charlie until the day he hears a photograph speaking to him. His mother is shocked to find out that he is endowed with a magical power, while his Grandmother Bone is delighted and can't wait to ship Charlie off to Bloor's Academy for the magically endowed. Once at Bloor's Academy, Charlie must find a kidnapped baby (who would now be near his own age) and survive the attacks made on his life. Charlie finds help in a trio of cats and in his own quiet uncle. More questions are raised than answered by this book. This may be because it is the first in a series of books (Children of the Red King), but the questions left unanswered may leave the reader feeling empty. The action moves along quickly in the book, but everything is very mysterious and the author quickly moves on to other situations, leaving the reader grasping for understanding. This series could be a good place for Harry Potter fans to turn after finishing the fifth Harry Potter book. Hopefully the second book in the Children of the Red King series will answer the lingering questions from this first book.
