Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy (Children of the Red King Series #3)
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Overview
The third book in the Children of the Red King series, CHARLIE BONE AND THE INVISIBLE BOY offers more magical fantasy that is fast paced and easy to read.This semester at Bloor's Academy brings a few changes. There is a new art teacher, Mr. Boldova, and a new student named Belle, who lives with the Yewbeam aunts and seems to have strange power over them. Emma and Charlie soon discover Mr. Boldova's secret identity: He is the older brother of Ollie Sparks, the boy who lives in the attic of Bloor's Academy. Ollie had always been prying into matters that didn't concern him, so Ezekiel Bloor had made him invisible. When Charlie and his friends find him, Ollie is alone and hungry, so they promise to help him become visible again.
Synopsis
This semester at Bloor's Academy brings a few changes. There is a new art teacher, Mr. Boldova, and a new student named Belle, who lives with the Yewbeam aunts and seems to have strange power over them. Emma and Charlie soon discover Mr. Boldova's secret identity: He is the older brother of Ollie Sparks, the boy who lives in the attic of Bloor's Academy. Ollie had always been prying into matters that didn't concern him, so Ezekiel Bloor had made him invisible. When Charlie and his friends find him, Ollie is alone and hungry, so they promise to help him become visible again.
Publishers Weekly
Readers return to Bloor's Academy in the paper-over-board Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy by Jenny Nimmo. This third installment in the series finds Charlie and friends helping a boy who was turned invisible by a magic snake, as punishment for snooping. An ancient, hypnotic shape-shifter arrives and attempts to thwart their efforts, a formidable foe for the magically endowed students. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewJenny Nimmo's spellbinding series continues with Charlie Bone setting out to help an invisible boy as the ominous presence of a new girl at Bloor's threatens to stop him. In Nimmo's third installment, Charlie's nasty aunts bring home a mysterious girl named Belle, whose eyes constantly change color and who has a knack for calling the shots. Charlie is wary of her, but when he learns that Ollie, an invisible boy, needs help regaining his shape, the adventurous descendant of the Red King decides to put his fears aside to help. Through a series of surprising plot twists, Charlie realizes that the new girl is more powerful (and older!) than he ever imagined, while Ollie's invisible plight has been caused by a magical snake. It's up to Charlie -- with the help of Skarpo, Uncle Paton, and his school chums -- to put things right, and readers are sure to have a blast until the last page. Nimmo keeps the suspense high and the action coming throughout the book, developing the story line by introducing striking new characters and delivering juicy plot morsels to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. For a great episode and more insight into the Children's history, don't pass this one up. Matt Warner
Publishers Weekly
Readers return to Bloor's Academy in the paper-over-board Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy by Jenny Nimmo. This third installment in the series finds Charlie and friends helping a boy who was turned invisible by a magic snake, as punishment for snooping. An ancient, hypnotic shape-shifter arrives and attempts to thwart their efforts, a formidable foe for the magically endowed students. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
Although Harry Potteresque in everything from the cover to the characters (the names are fabulous; Skarpo, Mr. Ominous, Dr. Bloor, Zelda Dobinski, Tancred, Julia Ingledew, and Lucretia Yewbeam, just to name a few) to the setting, this book was definitely not penned by J. K. Rowling. It (and one would assume the two previous books in the series) is a gentler fantasy series. Charlie Bone is one of the endowed, descendants of the ten children of the Red King (who was a magician and left Africa with three leopards in the 1300's). He also took a rare boa that was his guardian, which, through the unfortunate actions of his eldest son, turned the boa into an evil creature with a hug that could kill. The king's daughter cast a spell that reduced the boa's deathly squeeze to a curse of invisibility. Now the boa lives in the attic of Bloor's Academy, awaiting his vindication. Join Charlie and his friends as they delve into what is really happening in the attic! The author lives in Wales in a very old converted watermill, and in addition to writing, has acted in repertory theatre, taught English and worked for the BBC in various and sundry capacities. This is third in the series of the "Children of the Red King" books. Recommended. 2004, Orchard Books/Scholastic Inc, Ages 9 to 12.—Cindy L. Carolan