cimorene1558 's review for:

Charlie Bone Lúc Nửa Đêm by Jenny Nimmo

3.0

---

Harry Potter carbon copy in many ways, but less compelling and therefore easier to read. And although the scenario is HP almost to the life, there are some nice twists, and the whole point of the story (and the series) is quite different. Lots of fun, quirky characters, little silly bits of fun, and although there are some very nasty characters, no one as nasty as the Dursleys (although Charlie's female paternal relatives are pretty ghastly) or as evil as Voldemort. Magic in Charlie's world is both a smaller and a more normal thing than in HP's. People have magical talents that allow them to do one magical thing (Charlie can talk to people in photographs and pictures, his friend Gabriel feels emotions in used clothing), but most people don't have the magic, and the non-magical both know all about and don't think much of the magic. There's no non-magical underclass here, which is kind of nice. Also nice is that Charlie shows no sign of ditching his non-magical best friend, Benjamin Brown, even after Charlie discovers his magic and has to start going to the sinister Bloor's Academy with the other magical descendants of the mythical Red King. As a person who's always hoped to stumble upon some real magic, I firmly support this sort of interweaving of magical and normal life. Has anyone else ever wondered what it would be like to be a Muggle who liked fantasy? Miserable, it seems to me.