Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
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
As far as audiobooks go, this was THE BEST. The actor's cadence lulled me into a state of bliss while I was driving, and his ability to keep about 12 characters' voices straight astounded me. Excellent audiobook! As usual, I had to have a print copy to continue reading while not in the car, and it was less impressive. I think that I loved the audio features more than the story itself. So 5 stars for the audiobook.
About the story itself: It was an entertaining, Harry-Potter-but-not-half-as-good type book. I wish that I had discovered it when my son was in 4th-6th grades...I would have preferred this to the Percy Jackson series, probably. Adventure, magic, mystery, creepy version of Hogwarts prep school, good vs. evil, endearing protagonists....but it will not satisfy adults in the way that Harry Potter does. I appreciated the story with the purposeful tucking-away of my inner-critic of implausible plots. I consciously reminded myself that I should pretend that I'm 10 when reading it, and in that way, it was very enjoyable.
I recommend this to children and perhaps children and their parents in grades 4-6, although it's popular with a few 7th and 8th grade boys in my school. Although, they could just read Harry Potter..... but if they've read Harry Potter, this would be a disappointment. So....maybe a series for the pre-Harry Potter fan? Who knows? The weird thing is that this is a large series, with the words "To be continued...." at the end, but without a cliff-hanger or any reason for the reader to pick up the sequel. I won't be reading any more of the series. In sum, not bad!
About the story itself: It was an entertaining, Harry-Potter-but-not-half-as-good type book. I wish that I had discovered it when my son was in 4th-6th grades...I would have preferred this to the Percy Jackson series, probably. Adventure, magic, mystery, creepy version of Hogwarts prep school, good vs. evil, endearing protagonists....but it will not satisfy adults in the way that Harry Potter does. I appreciated the story with the purposeful tucking-away of my inner-critic of implausible plots. I consciously reminded myself that I should pretend that I'm 10 when reading it, and in that way, it was very enjoyable.
I recommend this to children and perhaps children and their parents in grades 4-6, although it's popular with a few 7th and 8th grade boys in my school. Although, they could just read Harry Potter..... but if they've read Harry Potter, this would be a disappointment. So....maybe a series for the pre-Harry Potter fan? Who knows? The weird thing is that this is a large series, with the words "To be continued...." at the end, but without a cliff-hanger or any reason for the reader to pick up the sequel. I won't be reading any more of the series. In sum, not bad!
3.5
Jenny Nimmo said yes there will be plot convinces, and what about it?
Very fun to be back in this world, I really like the overall ideas of this book, and I wish it had been written now where middle grade is allowed to be more detailed and complex, while still being aimed at children. It was just a little too bare bones, a little too simple. But I still had a really fun time with it and appreciate the tone the book was going for
Jenny Nimmo said yes there will be plot convinces, and what about it?
Very fun to be back in this world, I really like the overall ideas of this book, and I wish it had been written now where middle grade is allowed to be more detailed and complex, while still being aimed at children. It was just a little too bare bones, a little too simple. But I still had a really fun time with it and appreciate the tone the book was going for
I can see where this book gained popularity. It's a quickly paced read with some charming elements. However, it really is just too reminiscent of Harry Potter, both in content, style, and character description, to be exceptionally notable on its own.
I loved this story. It was sweet and full of friendship and kindness. The mystery solving was fun. Fully recommend for children and up
I think the main audience for this book is around age 9 to 10. Personally, I am not a large fan of books like this (fantasy) but, the cliffhanger in the end had me thinking! I would recommend this book to someone who is starting to read and needs a quick read to get them started. I would also recommend this to any who has never read a fantasy as it is still in the real world. If you are looking for a quicker paced story, check this one out.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
I loved discovering this story of Charlie Bone and how it all started, with him and his family, his mother, is grannies, his uncle, his best friend and the new friends he makes at boarding school.
Loved specifically the representation of this quite unique family setting in Charlie Bone's family, but also all the other families that show up. And then the friendship. And the animals.
Loved specifically the representation of this quite unique family setting in Charlie Bone's family, but also all the other families that show up. And then the friendship. And the animals.