Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Charlie Bone and the Hidden King: Children of the Red King Book Five
Fiction Series
For ages 9 to 12
Scholastic, 2006 ISBN: 978-0439545303
Charlie Bone is now twelve years old and a new term will be beginning at Bloor’s Academy in just a few days. It has been a relatively normal Christmas holiday until now. A peculiar snowfall begins and then the three Flames, the cats with magical powers, turn up at Charlie’s house in the middle of the night. With the help of Billy Raven, the boy who can talk to animals, Charlie learns that something has “been released” and that his mother is in danger. The cats cannot be more specific but Charlie and his friends soon find out what the cats mean.
First of all they find out that all the animals in the town have disappeared. Every pet and every wild creature has vanished into thin air. Then, back at Bloor’s Academy, Charlie notices that the shadowy figure which used to reside in a portrait of the Red King has disappeared. Apparently someone has let the shadow out of the portrait and this is not a good thing at all. Indeed it could be a disaster for Charlie and his mother.
Once again Charlie wishes that he could find his father, especially now that his mother is in danger. When she starts to date the mysterious Mr. Noble and begins to forget Charlie’s father, Charlie decides that something drastic needs to be done. He will have to get the help of the Red King himself. Only the Red King can save Charlie’s family now.
In this gripping continuation of the Charlie Bone story, Charlie and his friends work their way towards finding out what happened to Charlie’s father and they begin to truly appreciate the fate of their ancestor, the Red King. All the while they battle with the Bloors and Charlie’s unspeakable Yewbeam relatives who will do anything to stop him from finding out the truth. Packed with adventure and interesting plot and character developments, this fifth book in the Charlie Bone series will certainly leave readers wondering what is going to happen next in this thoroughly engaging and cleverly crafted series.
