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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Charlie has been living a relatively normal life with his mother and maternal grandmother, his father having died when he was a toddler. Charlie's normal life is upended one day when, instead of bringing home the picture he had given his mother to enlarge for his best friend Benjamin's birthday, she brings home a photo of a man and a baby. At first, Charlie is simply worried that he now has no gift to give his friend - which is a problem, but it's a normal kind of problem. All that normalcy gets thrown out when Charlie begins to hear voices in his head.
Unfortunately for Charlie, his paternal grandmother is there when this happens, and she calls in her sisters, three very scary aunts, to test Charlie. Though he tries to convince them he's not hearing anything, they are able to confirm his ability, which reveals him as being one of the "endowed" and immediately enroll him in Bloor's Academy - a school for other children with abilities like him.
It isn't long before Charlie has uncovered a mystery - one which may involve a fellow student - and gets caught up in the middle of a battle that is much bigger than he realizes.
I have seen many people compare this book to the Harry Potter series or calls it a knock-off of that series, but I don't really see that. Unless we want to say that any series in which kids with magic go to a school for kids with magic - which encompasses a lot of different series - is a Harry Potter knock-off, in which case, maybe. But, aside from those basic similarities, they are very different books. I would agree that the main characters of this book are not quite as well developed as HP 1, that book was also 30-40 pages longer than this one. While it doesn't seem like much, that allows for the difference in character development that we see - at least in my opinion. And it's not like the characters in this book aren't well-developed, because they are. For example, on a scary scale from 0 to Professor Umbridge, Charlie's aunts were just about at Umbridge level.
I also appreciated the nuance and depth we saw with several of the characters. Gabriel's reason for not wanting to wear his cloak, and what happens when he reveals that. Billy's desire for a family and how that is used to manipulate him. Benjamin's parents being absent, and how their absence leaves him vulnerable to dangerous situations. All of these situations were not only realistic - in so far as the emotion and the reactions, if not the actual magic - but also helped drive the plot forward.
As the first book of a series, there are certainly situations that are left unresolved at the end, as well as new questions raised that will likely drive the plot of the next book, the main plotline of this book is resolved by the end. Indeed, I enjoyed seeing Uncle Peyton's role in that resolution. He ended up being my favorite character by the end, though it was a close race between him and 2 other characters. No, I'm not going to say which ones.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Simon Russell Beale. This was my first audiobook with Beale as a narrator, and I rather enjoyed it. Though his pacing was a tad slow for my preference - I listened to it at 1.25 speed - I did enjoy the rest of the way he narrated the story, and I fully intend to listen to the audiobooks for the rest of the series.
Unfortunately for Charlie, his paternal grandmother is there when this happens, and she calls in her sisters, three very scary aunts, to test Charlie. Though he tries to convince them he's not hearing anything, they are able to confirm his ability, which reveals him as being one of the "endowed" and immediately enroll him in Bloor's Academy - a school for other children with abilities like him.
It isn't long before Charlie has uncovered a mystery - one which may involve a fellow student - and gets caught up in the middle of a battle that is much bigger than he realizes.
I have seen many people compare this book to the Harry Potter series or calls it a knock-off of that series, but I don't really see that. Unless we want to say that any series in which kids with magic go to a school for kids with magic - which encompasses a lot of different series - is a Harry Potter knock-off, in which case, maybe. But, aside from those basic similarities, they are very different books. I would agree that the main characters of this book are not quite as well developed as HP 1, that book was also 30-40 pages longer than this one. While it doesn't seem like much, that allows for the difference in character development that we see - at least in my opinion. And it's not like the characters in this book aren't well-developed, because they are. For example, on a scary scale from 0 to Professor Umbridge, Charlie's aunts were just about at Umbridge level.
I also appreciated the nuance and depth we saw with several of the characters. Gabriel's reason for not wanting to wear his cloak, and what happens when he reveals that. Billy's desire for a family and how that is used to manipulate him. Benjamin's parents being absent, and how their absence leaves him vulnerable to dangerous situations. All of these situations were not only realistic - in so far as the emotion and the reactions, if not the actual magic - but also helped drive the plot forward.
As the first book of a series, there are certainly situations that are left unresolved at the end, as well as new questions raised that will likely drive the plot of the next book, the main plotline of this book is resolved by the end. Indeed, I enjoyed seeing Uncle Peyton's role in that resolution. He ended up being my favorite character by the end, though it was a close race between him and 2 other characters. No, I'm not going to say which ones.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Simon Russell Beale. This was my first audiobook with Beale as a narrator, and I rather enjoyed it. Though his pacing was a tad slow for my preference - I listened to it at 1.25 speed - I did enjoy the rest of the way he narrated the story, and I fully intend to listen to the audiobooks for the rest of the series.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Enjoyable beginning of a series, especially to fans of magical school stories.
I read this book with my seven year old when we'd finished Harry Potter and wanted something else to read. I think he'll soon be a strong enough reader to read these on his own, which wouldn't be true of the Harry Potter books for a while yet. But therein lies the problem with these books for an older audience. They are written in such simple language and with basically uncomplicated characters, so they don't hold quite as much appeal as J.K. Rowling's books do. The magical premise here is interesting -- the "endowed" each have a talent specific to the individual. But it wasn't until the final chapter or two that this book really came together with any world-building or plot that felt strong enough to continue the series. I'm sure we'll read the next one because my son is excited about it, but I wouldn't continue as an adult reader.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ein nettes Buch für Kinder denen Harry Potter vielleicht noch etwas zu viel ist.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A middle grade series I adored, which I return to with my own kids. The audiobooks are truly the best format.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No