Jenny Nimmo’s Charlie Bone is a series of children’s fantasy and adventure tales published between 2002 and 2009. After its primary character, it is frequently referred to as “the Charlie Bone series.” Chronicles of the Red King is a prequel trilogy that relates the story of the Red King.
After the first trilogy, two follow-up volumes, Henry and the Guardians of the Lost and Gabriel and the Phantom Sleepers were published. The series appears to be ongoing, though there is no news of a new title.
Charlie Bone has had to live in the house of the dreadful Grandmother Bone since the death of his father. But when he realizes that he can hear people chatting in photographs, a different world opens up for him. He starts attending Bloor Academy at the insistence of his grandma. It is a school with other children with magical abilities. Here, they learn they are Red King’s descendants. This King, an African magician, gave some of his powers nine hundred years ago to his 10 offspring. But several of them have turned evil. Charlie and his pals must stop them from wreaking havoc on the community.
In each book in the Charlie Bone series, he meets new allies and enemies. The entire story culminates in one massive battle between Charlie Bone and the Red Knight. The book is built on the search for a will, a journey that brings together the series’ themes.
Charlie Bone Series in order
The Children of the Red King
- Midnight for Charlie Bone (2002)
- Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (2003)
- Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy (2004)
- Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors (2005)
- Charlie Bone and the Hidden King (2006)
- Charlie Bone and the Beast (2007)
- Charlie Bone and the Shadow (2008)
- Charlie Bone and the Red Knight (2009)
Chronicles of the Red King
Similar authors
- Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series follows a young criminal prodigy. He hunts down a secret society of fairies to find his missing father.
- P.B. Kerr’s Children of the Lamp series tells the story of twins John and Philippa. They discover how to act in the world of djinn.
- Kaza Kingsley’s Erec Rex series follows twelve years old Erec Rex. He goes on a mission to find his missing mother.
See also: Keeper Of The Lost Cities Books in Order.
Most recommended books of the series
- Leopards’ Gold (Chronicles of the Red King, #3) (4.1 Goodreads score)
- Charlie Bone and the Shadow (The Children of the Red King, #7) (4.03 Goodreads score)
- The Stones of Ravenglass (Chronicles of the Red King, #2) (4.00 Goodreads score)
- Charlie Bone and the Hidden King (The Children of the Red King, #5) (4.00 Goodreads score)
- Charlie Bone and the Beast (The Children of the Red King, #6) (3.95 Goodreads score)
Latest books in the series
The latest books in the series are ‘Charlie Bone and the Shadow of Badlock (2008) and Charlie Bone and the Red Knight (2009).
Book summaries
Midnight for Charlie Bone (2002)
A magical fantasy that is fast-paced and easy-to-read. Charlie Bone has a special gift- he can hear people in photographs talking.The fabulous powers of the Red King were passed down through his descendants, after turning up quite unexpectedly, in someone who had no idea where they came from. This is what happened to Charlie Bone, and to some of the children he met behind the grim, gray walls of Bloor’s Academy. Charlie Bone has discovered an unusual gift-he can hear people in photographs talking! His scheming aunts decide to send him to Bloor Academy, a school for genius’s where he uses his gifts to discover the truth despite all the dangers that lie ahead.
Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (2003)
The second book in the Children of the Red King series, time twister offers more magical fantasy that is fast paced and easy to read.January 1916:Henry Yewbeam and his younger brother, James, have been sent to stay with their cousins at the Bloor’s Academy. It is one of the coldest days of the year, and all Henry wants to do is hide from his mean cousins and play marbles. He finds a nice, long hall and begins to roll his marbles. Then he discovers a marble that doesn’t look familiar to him. Suddenly a series of strange events takes place. Henry begins to disappear. He quickly scribbles on the floor give the marble to James, and then he vanishes from the year 1916.
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy (2004)
The third book in the Children of the Red King series, Charlie bone and the Invisible boy offers more magical fantasy that is fast paced and easy to read.This semester at Bloor’s Academy brings a few changes. There is a new art teacher, Mr. Boldova, and a new student named Belle, who lives with the Yewbeam aunts and seems to have strange power over them. Emma and Charlie soon discover Mr. Boldova’s secret identity: He is the older brother of Ollie Sparks, the boy who lives in the attic of Bloor’s Academy. Ollie had always been prying into matters that didn’t concern him, so Ezekiel Bloor had made him invisible. When Charlie and his friends find him, Ollie is alone and hungry, so they promise to help him become visible again.
Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors (2005)
But Charlie isn’t the only one dealing with changes . . . Billy has been adopted by a child-hating couple called the O’Gres, who carry a gray bag of oaths wherever they go, pressuring Billy to sign an oath of obedience, and locking him behind a force field in an odd place called The Passing House. Will Charlie be able to rescue Billy and uncover the mystery behind Joshua’s power?
Charlie Bone and the Hidden King (2006)
Something ancient has awoken, and Charlie must be watchful. Soon Charlie learns that the shadow from the Red King’s portrait has been released, and that it will do anything to keep Charlie from finding his father. Meanwhile, pets are mysteriously vanishing from the city, and Olivia is in danger of revealing her newfound powers.
Charlie Bone and the Beast (2007)
Life should be perfect for Charlie now that his parents have been reunited. But mystery and adventure always find him. This time Asa, a fellow classmate who changes into a beast at dusk and Charlie’s sometime enemy, is missing. His parents seek out Charlie for help, and now Charlie needs the help of the Flames to rescue his classmate. Manfred Bloor has also taken the new endowed student, Dagbert Endless, under his wing and Charlie is highly suspicious of the pair. Can the Flames and Charlie rescue Asa without being caught by Manfred and Dagbert?
Charlie Bone and the Shadow (2008)
The enchanter Count Harken is back to take his revenge on the Red King’s heirs, starting with Charlie Bone’s family! Charlie’s ancestor has been kidnapped and imprisoned in the dark, forbidding land of Badlock, and it’s up to Charlie to save him. Traveling through a painting to the terrifying countryside, Charlie and his best friend’s dog, Runner Bean, take up the quest. But when Runner Bean gets trapped, Charlie needs the help of his friends. Can they get past an army of trolls, rescue Runner Bean and Charlie’s ancestor, and get out before it’s too late?
Charlie Bone and the Red Knight (2009)
Wicked forces come to a head at Bloor’s Academy, and Charlie and his friends must use all their skills and magic to fight the evil and save Charlie’s parents. In his greatest adventure yet, Charlie must discover the fate of his family, the evil intentions of the Bloors, what has become of Septimus Bloor’s will, and, most important, the destiny of the Red King’s heirs. But are the Children of the Red King strong enough to defeat the darkness and find the answers?
The Secret Kingdom (2011)
Timoken is a prince born in a secret kingdom. At his birth, a forest jinni bestows magical gifts upon him: a cloak made by the last moon spider and a potion called Alixir. When the peaceful land is attacked, Timoken and his sister, Zobayda, must find a new kingdom to call home. Together, with only the magical gifts and a talking camel, the siblings set off.
The Stones of Ravenglass (2012)
Timoken, a magician king, has found a new home in a castle in Britain. But when an evil steward takes control of the castle, he imprisons Timoken and wreaks havoc on surrounding villages. With the help of Gabar, the talking camel, Timoken escapes and embarks on a quest to find and rescue his friends, and build himself a kingdom to call home for good.
Leopards’ Gold (2013)
Many years have passed since the end of Book Two, and we now meet King Timoken’s children, who, with their own magical endowments, stand divided between the forces of good and bad. Young Petrello and Tolomeo must fight to protect their siblings and their kingdom as an evil force invades the once-peaceful Red Castle.
