Charlie Bone And The Time Twister

The Children of the Red King #2

by Jenny Nimmo

Charlie Bone berharap semester baru di Bloor’s Academy tidak akan memberikan kejutan yang mengecewakan. Namun, muncullah Henry Yewbeam, yang keluar melalui mesim waktu dari musim dingin bersalju pada tahun 1916. Dengan para bibi Yewbeam yang jahat selalu memata-matainya dan keluarga Bloor siap menangkapnya, Henry membutuhkan bantuan Charlie hanya untuk bertahan hidup.

“Novel yang sangat menarik.”
—Sunday telegraph

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Magic, Adventure

416 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Jenny Nimmo was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England and educated at boarding schools in Kent and Surrey from the age of six until the age of sixteen, when she ran away from school to become a drama student/assistant stage manager with Theater South East. She graduated and acted in repertory theater in various towns and cities: Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Hastings, and Bexhill.

She left Britain to teach English to three Italian boys in Almafi, Italy. On her return, she joined the BBC, first as a picture researcher, then as an assistant floor manager, studio manager (news) then finally a director/adaptor with Jackanory (a BBC storytelling program for children). She left BBC to marry a Welsh artist David Wynn Millward and went to live in Wales in her husband's family home. They live in a very old converted watermill, and the river is constantly threatening to break in, as it has done several times in the past, most dramatically on her youngest child's first birthday. During the summer they run a residential school of art, and she has to move her office, put down tools (type-writer and pencil, and don an apron and cook! They have three grown-up children, Myfawny, Ianto, and Gwenwyfar.

Reviews

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Unfortunately, not as good as the first book. It did
have a "very nice personal moment" with the strange piano teacher Mr.Pilgim, that I really enjoyed .

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best. Middle-Grade. Series. Ever.

Okay, I might be a tiny bit biased when it comes to this book as I loved reading it as a child and it’s one of the few childhood favorites that still live on my adult bookshelf, but I still stand by my statement that it is also the best.

On paper the series isn’t anything special: A magical boy with magical friends who goes to a magic school where he has to fight off evil powers with magic.

I’m sure you have heard that one before. We probably all did after the Harry Potter Hype spawned more magically boarding schools than one could ever read about.

But hear me out, you should still give this one a try.

Why? Because every once in a while one of the thousand and thousands of similar sounding books is special. Harry Potter sure is. And so is the Charlie Bone series.

The Bloor Academy also isn't your usual magical school because it is not only a school for the specially gifted kids but instead the majority of students are actually normal kids and the gifted ones are actually seen as the odd ones out.
The students get sorted by special talents in art, acting and music which is just so cool and we get to see the Kids enjoy and live out their passions which is something I always love in books.

The main character here is Charlie, who has the ability to talk to people in pictures.
Not especially a talent you would choose if you could pick one for yourself would you?
But here lots of the kids have seemingly pointless magical gifts like Charlie's friend Gabriel who can feel the emotions of others when he wears their clothes.

There are lots of characters in general and yet after just one book it feels like you know every single one since forever. Charlie has both magical and normal friends which is also cool.

Honestly the best thing about this book is that every single character with all their unique talents play an important role in the end.

What is also cool about the series are the villains because the villains are actually the school owners, mainly the director his old wizard father and his son and you know how usually when the director of the magical school turns out to be the villain everyone is fleeing and in the end the school gets shut down

Well, here that isn't the case.
So in every book Charlie and his friends are fighting against the Bloor family but in the end they are still staying at the school and make it a little bit a better place which is just wild if you think about it, but it also makes things very interesting.

While every book follows the same formula, it’s still far from predictable and each book brings new challenges, characters and adventures for Charlie.
Charlie Bone and the timewister has always been one of my favorites because I just love the whole time traveling plot and it always makes me especially happy every time I reread it.

[Amanda Trumpower · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I've said, I *really* want to like this series. I love spec-fic set in a boarding school. But this one....this one had some major issues I struggled to forgive. My biggest beef is how absurd the character's reactions are to practically anything.

Oh, there's a ten year old boy who's just been living up in the attic for years, avoiding these terrible people and not running away because of a flimsy line of reasoning?

A beautiful little girl is discovered to be a thousand year old witch-hag, but students still go with it when the little girl comes to their classes?

Charlie's uncle is made deathly ill by his evil grandmother, and their solution is to just let him lie in his room IN THE SAME HOUSE AS THE WOMAN WHO TRIED TO KILL HIM and hope he gets better?!?

The girlfriend of Charlie's uncle is scared away by one mean thing the grandmother says, never thinking to investigate the strange going-ons, never thinking to sneak past the grandma to check on things?

Charlie's own mother just puts up with the constant danger Charlie is in because she lets people who HATE HIM and want to CONTROL HIM or KILL HIM come in and out of the house as they please?!?

There's so much more. Teachers disappear. Kids disappear. Kids are attacked, bitten, tied up, and threatened at school yet never once do they call the police and never once do they refuse to go back to the school, NEVER MIND THEY ARE FREE TO LEAVE EVERY WEEKEND.

I smiled at a fair amount of dialogue and laughed a few times. It really is a cute concept. But the characterization and reaction of the characters make the whole thing feel like an absurdist farce rather than immersion into another world. Disappointing.

[Jude: The Epic Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was not at all as good or exciting as the first one. It was kind of hard to get through. It didn't help that I had to read this on Kindle and not physically like the first one. I remember liking this one a lot more.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this episode in the Charlie Bone series more than the first book, but still feel this series is only okay. My seven year old son is really enjoying these books and we already have the third book out from the library, but I wouldn't continue the series if I were reading these by myself. The characters are pretty black and white and their emotions seem relatively uncontemplative and unreflective. The plot centers around a relative of Charlie's who accidentally uses the time twister of the title story to hurl himself about 70 or 80 years into the future. Now he's stuck in the future, but old grudges from his relatives remain (for reasons not explained, but simply taken as a given), so Charlie and pals have to rescue him from the evil intentions of the Bloors and Yewbeams. Passing reference is made to Charlie needing to teach modern stuff to the boy from the past, but there's not much consideration of the real details of the plot line.

Bottom line: adequate as a children's book -- probably not of tremendous interest to adult readers.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again a good series...a boy from the past gets "slung" into the future by a speicial magic "marble". Bummer huh? Since he can never go back...history has moved on without him and now he has to make his way in the present. Too bad the one who tricked him into using the Time Twister is still around (though an old, old man now...old Ezekiel Bloor, top dog at the school) and he'd still like to "do away" with his cousin Henry, and also of course Charlei who is also related and in the stew up to his own neck.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great continuation to the series and more is starting to come out about Charlie's missing father, although, again, I think it's pretty obvious to adults reading it where he is. There's enough going on in the story that you don't think too much about his dad, though. This is a fun, fast-paced, fantasy series that's not quite as serious as Harry Potter but is a good place for younger kids to start before getting into the Harry Potter books, which I think are pretty heavy for them.

[Furrawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just read this book for the second time. I don’t think Jenny Nimmo’s books are very well known here in the states. The books are immersive and quite wonderful.

Very different from Harry Potter... and yet, if you love HP, you should give this series a try.

These books are perfect for a Netflix series... just sayin’.

[Sugar Pill · Rating 5 out of 5]

U nastavku životne avanture Čarlija Bouna, u Blurovoj akademiji pojavljuje se njegov čukundeda, koji je nestao devedesetak godina ranije, kada je imao jedanaest godina. S tim što on i dalje ima jedanaest godina, a došao je u budućnost posredstvom vremenskog tvistera. Njegov zli rođak koji je učinio da nestane je i dalje živ i u Blurovoj akademiji.

Čarli i njegovi drugari pokušavaju da zaštite Henrija od starog Jezekilja i ostatka porodice Blur. On otkriva mnogo misterija u vezi sa akademijom i njenim stalnim stanovnicima, njegova sposobnost da sluša fotografije se unapređuje, a planove i dalje žele da mu poremete zle tetke.

[Rida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book love it =)

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked this book out of the whole series. I don't know why but it was my type of book. yep.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one, but nostalgia is still at an extremely high level that makes it all worth it. Will be reading on

[Jreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

my spoiler-free review: A great sequel to a good first book, they answered
some questions left in the first book while still leaving some loose ends for the books
to come, the characters got development which was something i'd seen a lot of people complain
about in the first book. Overall good book and am happy to add it to my library

-spoilers ahead-

So, quick overall thoughts: Billy deserves to rot in a hole but going
more in depth with the book, here's my review:

1) The take on time travel
i really liked how they addressed exactly what we were thinking,
Paton explained very well (with an air of sarcasm which i thoroughly enjoyed)
that simply placing him back in time would cause more trouble then it's worth
also time travel itself makes no sense because if it succeeded wouldn't you remember that someone
was in the past? either way it worked out mostly in the end except for when mrs bloor went back, it makes sense that no-one remembers her but didn't she create some rifts? if she marries someone, then that persons path is altered it's SUPER messy and the author kind of avoided it

2)is it just me who's a tad confused with the family tree?
so, uncle paton, the 3 sisters and grandma bone are all siblings with paton having a 20 year age gap, then Lyell is grandma bones' son, who's also charlie's father
Then uncle patons father is Jamie and his brother is henry who travels in time and their cousin is
zeke who owns bloor's academy and is also the headmaster there and an old man living in an attic and his son is dr bloor and dr bloors son is manfred bloor and his wife is mrs bloor and i'm already confused
there's ALOT going on here and it was hard to keep track of everything but you get used to it ig?

3)how old is manfred?
this seems pretty weird but like is he a student? is he a teacher? what's up with that?

4)Cook is a really good ally to have, not only does she know a lot about magic, she can
also be an ally for the kids in case they're found she can make an alibi, then again the art teacher did more of that but she also has that authority

5) imagine trying to kill your cousin for over a hundred years because he finished your puzzle
that you didn't want him to finish? like seriously this old man needs to chill

6)i hate billy like, can he rot in a pit? thx

7)HOW DARE THEY RUN OVER PATON LIKE SERIOUSLY, IMMA THROW HANDS
if he died, i would've been SO upset (still hate his sisters though)

8)Charlie's new ability to enter paintings is super cool but they should've practiced on a less violent painting because charlie was really close to straight up dying

9)do endowed children have any common sense? like seriously they do the stupidest things,
did they trade common sense for their powers? is that how it works?

10)Paton being able to go out in the day is going to be really helpful, hopefully he can get a realllly good book to keep him distracted for awhile

overall, good book now i have to wait for the third one to arrive (hopefully very soon)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book in The Children of the Red King series!

Time is running out for Charlie Bone . . .

Charlies hopes that the new term at Bloor's Academy will hold no nasty surprises. But then Henry Yewbeam appears, twisted through time from the icy winter of 1916.

With the scheming Yewbeam aunts on the prowl, and the Bloors out to catch him, Henry will need Charlie's help just to stay alive. Bloor's Academy can be a very dangerous place . . .

I'm rereading this series for the (maybe) 5th time and still love it :)
Some people say it's similar to Harry Potter and i can see similarities.
The 2nd book isn't the best one in my opinion but not the worst(even though there is no bad one in this series), but i really like the ending of this one. that Henry and his brother finally get the chance to see each other again; that was so sweet :) and the overall fact that Charlie get to help his ancestor :)

I really recommend this series to everyone. It's about a group of children with magical abilites and the fight between good and evil which started 1000 years ago... :)

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this installment of the Children of the Red King series, you get a little more hint of the history of the red king, but once again, the primary plot of the book is weak. The biggest problem with this book for me was the lack of motivation for all of the crimes/sins/evil doings of the evil doers. The author just doesn't bother.


I feel that if you are going to have trio of sisters attempt to kill their brother, him being "meddlesome" is not enough of a motivation.
If you are going to have a group of adults and children work together to imprison an 11 year old boy, lock in him a hole in the ground with no exercise or light, little air, crusts of bread and water to eat for two weeks with the ultimate intention of killing him, ONE of the adults not liking the person 60 odd years ago is NOT enough motivation.

I suppose the author might just feel like people can be mean and evil just because they are mean and evil, but I feel that justification only goes so far. And often, it manifests in contradictory ways. Why would someone devote themselves to finding "endowed" children, but then choose to be against/cruel to/ make enemies of some of those endowed rather than try to charm and win them?

Some of the characters are interesting and occasionally there is a plot point that I like (this one has a sideplot of a mysterious woman who "haunts" the music tower of the school who was mistreated in attempt to steal her money). However, all in all I find these books feel incomplete. I will not be reading any more of the series.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are very gloomy books. Perhaps that was a trend in the early 2000s (thinking of A Series of Unfortunate Events). Definitely not my favorite atmosphere, but the book picks up towards the middle/end and you get the ensemble cast of endowed and unendowed friends working together to help Charlie. Sometimes, the kids are stupid. I can't quite tell if it is realistic stupid or book stupid the way they get into unnecessary trouble. The main culprit this time was Henry. Unable to stay put or just wait. But I suppose it all works out in the end. Sometimes there are children's books that are so well written I'd recommend them to readers of any age. This isn't really one of those series. At least, not so far.

A bit of downer of a review, but that's the taste it leaves in my mouth. It was enjoyable enough to read though and had me coming back to find out what happens. There are aspects of it that I love, like Cook or the Sun room. And I do like how the friends finally start working together as a team.

[Robbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (The Children of the Red King, Book 2)
by Jenny Nimmo
402 pages
Listening Library
0807218987

This is the second book to The Charlie Bone series. In this book, Charlie's new term starts off at Bloor's Academy, and is hoping for no more surprises. Too bad for him though, he got into more than he could handle, and traveled back through time to the year 1916. In this time period he meats his Great-Great-uncle Henry, who needs his help to survive.

This was an okay book. I think it might haven been better if I had read the first book. It would have gave me a little bit more knowledge on Charlie's background, and the story setting. I liked the story line of Charlie going back to the past to help his uncle, since it reminded of "Back to the Future".

I would recommend this book if you have read the first Charlie Bone book, since it will help you understand it easier. However though, it is still a good book, and is interesting at points.

[joie de livre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do I always forget to update my progress so whenever I go back on Goodreads I see that a book with 300 pages took me ten days to read?smhXD

Other than that I have always loved the originality and creativity of the plot and history and the Harry Potter/school of magic vibes!The characters are great(especially the names) and the powers are cool.I gave this book four and a half stars because I really enjoyed it but some things the characters said didn't really flow.I generally really liked this book and I think the covers are awesome!
I recommend this to Harry Potter and the Magisterium fans!:)

[Chey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like I said, it's is childrens book and I'm not a child anymore. But still, it's a funny book, even though I'm too old for it. I know I've read this one before, in Dutch, but I actually couldn't remember anything from it. I'll probably read the next one too, but not right now.

Now I need a book that is actually written for my age haha.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i forgot how much i liked reading these books and am really glad that i have decided to read them again. although i have only read the first five of this series and am excited to read the ones that come after the fifth one after i have reread the first five so i can remember what happens before i finsish the series.

[⚘ Itz Lia the Bibliophile ⚘ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all of the books in this wonderful series a couple of years ago! And found out that I hadn't rated them so here it is!

[Selreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

this one was ok, characters were a little one dimensional

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts out where a boy named Henry is jolted through time by a time twister that is no bigger than a marble. This is how he meets Charlie bone who has returned to school following the events of the first book. Charlie sets out to save Henry from the people that even nearly a hundred years later still are out to get Henry. This is an interesting read that I really enjoyed even though it seems to move slower than the first book. It is full of suspense, as Charlie races against time to save his new friend.

[Amy Wong · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Love the additional background Henry brought to Charlie's journey. Liked it more than the first book as everything expanded and the story as a whole is progressing. It still feels like everything is being placed.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

My summary - Charlie’s long-lost cousin gets sent i a time twister to their time. So they hide him in the castle and a sad old woman goes back to her time and the cousin is saved by all the friends - and Charlie stepping into a painting to get a wand - and he gets to live with his younger brother (now old) again.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not well written. Characters are not rounded out. I won’t finish the series.

[Ashley Meihls · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying revisiting books from when I was in Middle/High School. I'm amazed these never got big attention, they're so fun and they have a pretty diverse cast of characters overall.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Elizabeth Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed how this book took you into the past to better expand on the story in the present. Enjoyable overall with much more going on.

[Kassie]

everyone’s problems would’ve been simpler if henry just stayed put the first time he was saved