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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Fun read aloud. Enjoyable even the second or third time.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this with my 6 year old son. It's a great book for kids who are still just a tiny bit too young for Harry Potter.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of my fave childrenbooks which I just reread now. I love the world building, the meta narrative with the mysterious red king and how much colorful imagination went into the children's different gifts, the way the bloor academy is described I get a lot of images that make me want to explore the castle as well. For me all of that balances out the criticisms of 'unrealistic character set-up' in terms of that the adults act like children and the children superadult like, which I can see. I read the characters in the book in a caricature or comic way even though its true that these threads are sometimes flattening the depth of the characters and seem to be acting in such ways just to push the plot forward in the wished for direction.
I went for 4 stars because I love the whole saga and am even reconsidering reading them all again now. so, something definitely works for me here!
I went for 4 stars because I love the whole saga and am even reconsidering reading them all again now. so, something definitely works for me here!
I really enjoyed this. A bit different than Harry Potter, but excellent characters and a well-developed plot.
My 8 year old has quickly read through books 1-5 in the past two weeks so I thought I'd see what she's reading. Charlie finds out he's "endowed" with a power - he can hear what people say in a photograph. He is sent to a special school where there are other "endowed" children. Charlie is swept up into a mystery and is trying to help one of the other students remember who she is. I felt the ending was quickly wrapped up and I felt there could have been more but this is a children's book and my daughter loves it. Not as dark as the Harry Potter series and perfect for kids grades 3-6.
Bit of a rip off of Harry Potter which isn't by itself a bad thing. The characters were a bit flat and un-engaging and to be honest, I found Charlie's endowment to be a bit not that special. He can "hear" photos. What is so great about that? I think I liked this book just enough that I'd like to keep reading the series but again, I don't really understand what the big deal is. Then again, I'm also not in the target demographic either.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked the book, it's very similar to the harry potter series. Young boy with magical talent (the ability to hear the people in photographs), has to go to a boarding school (this one with magically talented and humanly talented...just to mix it up) and young boy must save the day and find out what happened to his dad. THe boarding school is run by the bad guys which includes part of his family. Oh and his father is missing but not dead, which Charlie finds out in the course of helping Emily escape the evil Bloors. I felt the end was a little rushed but it was cool to see how Paton's talent has some powerful uses. :)
The only part that wasn't really well done was the "ruin game" I felt that popped up all of a sudden and didn't really have a point except to scare Charlie. I thought that could have been fleshed out more.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
The only part that wasn't really well done was the "ruin game" I felt that popped up all of a sudden and didn't really have a point except to scare Charlie. I thought that could have been fleshed out more.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read these when I was a kid and loved them and I love them still as an adult. A nice quick, simple read that is whimsical and magical. Similar enough to H*rry P*tter with the overall theme and the length/amount of books within the series to keep you going for a bit of time!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent