Children of the Red King

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Children of the Red King, also known as the Red King Quintet and the Charlie Bone books, is a popular series of children's fantasy books written by British author Jenny Nimmo. The main character, Charlie Bone, discovers that he is endowed with a magical talent (to converse with people inside photographs) and is sent to the interesting Bloor's Academy, a boarding school for other endowed students as well as students with artistic, dramatic, or musical talents. Charlie develops both friendships and enemies as he learns about and responds to the various schemes that are hatched at Bloor's. Little by little, Charlie discovers clues about the disappearance of his amazing father some ten years before.

There are currently five books in the series, published by Egmont in England and by Scholastic in the United States. (Original English titles first, followed by American titles):

Midnight for Charlie Bone (2003)
The Time Twister / Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (2003)
The Blue Boa / Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy (2004)
The Castle of Mirrors / Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors (2005)
Charlie Bone and the Hidden King (2006)

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 The Time Twister
2 The Blue Boa / The Invisible Boy
3 The Castle of Mirrors
4 Charlie Bone and the Hidden King
5 Characters
6 Trivia
7 Charlie's Family Tree
8 External links

[edit] The Time Twister

The year is 1916. Henry and James Yewbeam, two brothers, have been sent to stay with their cousins at Bloor's Academy for the winter. The coldest winter in living memory. Henry just wants to hide from his mean cousin and play marbles for a while. He finds a long hall and begins to roll his marbles until he finds a marble that doesn't look familiar. This is soon revealed to be the Time Twister. Suddenly a series of strange events take place, and Henry finds himself beginning to disappear. He only has time to write on the floor "James...the marbles..." before he vanishes. The Time Twister forwarded him to the present day, at the exact temperature as it was in 1916. Henry was soon discovered by Charlie Bone, who originally was looking for Tancred Torsson. Henry was soon prompted by Charlie to stay in the Music Tower. However, Billy got some bits of information and soon told them to Ezekiel Bloor. After Ezekiel was informed the Yewbeam aunts and the Bloors were hunting for Henry. When Henry had wandered too far out from his sanctuary, he was caught by the Bloors and was soon imprisoned within the ruin. However, Henry was soon rescued via another route which the users had sworn to keep secret. In this time, Charlie Bone finds out he is the sole heir of a wand owned by a Welsh wizard. Henry was soon returned to his cottage by the sea and is reunited with his brother by the help of Charlie Bone.

[edit] The Blue Boa / The Invisible Boy

A new art teacher named Mr. Boldova has come to Bloor's, and there is a new student named Belle who lives with the Yewbeam aunts and seems to exert a strange power over them. Emma and Charlie soon discover that Mr. Boldova is the older brother of Ollie Sparks, the boy who lives in the attic of Bloor's Academy. Because Ollie was always prying into matters that didn't concern him, Ezekiel Bloor made him invisible with the Blue Boa. When Charlie and his friends find him, Ollie is alone and hungry. Charlie and his friends promise to make Ollie visible again with the help of Mr. Boldova and the Blue Boa. However, before Mr. Boldova can be told about his brother, he was hypnotised by Belle and driven away by one of the Yewbeam aunts. When Charlie finally persuades Billy to turn away from spying for the Bloors, Billy manages to talk to the Blue Boa and persuaded it to make Ollie Sparks visible again. However, because it would be hard to hide Ollie when visible again, they transported the Boa through a hamper basket to the Onimous's cafe and managed to sneak Ollie out on 'The night of wind and spirits' where Ollie is made visible again. However, Mr. Boldova is still missing. Charlie Bone and Uncle Paton find Belle in Aunt Venetia's house. When Uncle Paton electrocutes Belle and burns the house down, Mr. Boldova is rescued at the very last minute. The story ends when Uncle Paton, Miss Ingledew, Charlie Bone and all his friends go to Sparkling Castle, the castle belonging to the Sparks.

[edit] The Castle of Mirrors

Charlie's magical gifts begin to take on a new dimension. He meets some new characters, including Mr. Pilgrim's replacement named Tantalus Ebony, and a strange new student named Joshua Tilpin, who appears to be magnetic. But not all is well. Billy Raven has been adopted by the de Greys, a child-hating couple who carry a gray bag of oaths with them. They force Billy to sign an oath of obedience before locking him up behind a force field in a strange place called The Passing House. Charlie finds out that his friend Olivia Vertigo is also magically endowed with illusions. When Billy escapes, with the help of a magical spirit named Queen Berenice, brought to life by a spell gone awry on the part of the Bloors, (wife of the Red King), Charlie and Billy come closer to finding Charlie's father and Billy's guardian than ever.

[edit] Charlie Bone and the Hidden King

Book description from Amazon.com: When Charlie turns twelve on New Year's Eve, the Flame Cats give him a grave warning: Something ancient has awakened, 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's only hope is to find the Mirror of Amoret. Although the spirit who possesses this mirror is almost impossible to find, nothing is impossible for Charlie Bone and his friends.

Book description from Amazon.co.uk: Charlie Bone awakes one morning to find the city covered with snow and all the animals gone. Where have they gone - and why? Blessed, the dog tells Billy there was a terrible shuddering of the earth and immediately after, he saw a witch with two shadows crossing the hall in Bloor's Academy. Could the discovery of an ancient mirror, and the movement of the shadow in the Red King's portrait have something to do with it? And a strange girl appears outside Charlie's house. She tells him he must follow her to find the animals. Can he trust her, and will she perhaps lead him to find someone he lost long before the animals?

Synopsis

In Charlie's most perilous adventure yet, the shadow from the Red King's portrait escaped. Charlie's mom falls in love with an enchanter, plus Maisie gets frozen. Charlie is getting closer and closer for unraveling the truth about his father, Lyell Bone.

Apparently this book takes place in 2004, according to Charlie turning twelve and Charlie being born in 1992

[edit] Characters

Charlie Bone is the protagonist of the series. His relatively ordinary life ends when he discovers he can hear the thoughts of people in photographs. This magical endowment places him in a new school, Bloor's Academy, and he is caught up in its many intrigues. Charlie helps Cook maintain the balance of the endowed children at the school. His magical talent seems to derive from his family's connection to a powerful Welsh wizard from the past, Mathonwy who was a friend to the Red King. He is also descended from the Red King's youngest daughter, Amoret. As a Picture-traveller, Charlie is able to travel into photographs and pictures and even talk to the people in them.

Fidelio Gunn is a good friend of Charlie's and an amazing violin player, although not magically endowed. He tutors Charlie in music to help him prepare for enrollment at Bloor's. Fidelio's home is generally filled with the clamor of the many musicians in his large family.

Emma Tolly was lost for the first ten years of her life. Her father gave her to the Bloors in exchange for a suitcase with extraordinary contents. Due to the efforts of Charlie and his friends, Emma was released from her hypnotically-induced state and returned to the care of her aunt, Miss Julia Ingledew. Her surname is derived from the Spanish swordsman Toledo, whose daughter married the Red King. She is an exceptional artist and her endowment enables her to transform herself into a bird.

Olivia Vertigo is a spirited, independent-minded drama student who often assists Charlie in his efforts to foil evil plans at Bloor's. Her outstanding acting skills probably keep her from getting expelled. In the fourth book, when she doesn't receive a hoped-for movie role, she sinks into a bout of depression. She, like Gabriel, is descended from the Red King's daughter Guanhamara who fled the Red King's castle and married an Italian Prince. Olivia is an Illusionist, which enables her to create the image of anything she wants, whether it be a giant alligator or a swarm of bees.

Cook is one of Charlie's friends and the "lodestone," whose job is to keep the balance of endowed children at Bloor's. Her real name is Treasure and she has a sister named Pearl. Cook has many rooms under Bloor's Academy. Cook has the power of good luck and grace. She takes care of Blessed (semi-bad dog), who is actually owned by Ezekiel Bloor.

Amy Bone is Charlie's mum, a kind mother who works part-time at a market to help support herself and her son.

Maisie is Charlie's maternal grandmother. She was always a bit jealous of the Yewbeams for their magical heritage until she discovered that she was related to a Welsh magician Mathonwy.

Grandma Bone, whose first name is Grizelda, is Charlie's paternal grandmother. Her siblings are Paton, Lucretia, Venetia and Eustacia. She is a horrible grandmother who is always trying to persuade Charlie to tell her things, and she always sneaks into his room. She seeks to emulate her three sisters and behaves subserviently toward them.

Uncle Paton is Charlie's kind great-uncle. He is the mentor of the good endowed children at Bloor's and is always willing to help. His endowment is Power-Boosting which often causes light bulbs to explode, this is why he hardly ever goes out during the day. Paton and Miss Ingledew(Emma Tolly's aunt) are in love.

Lucretia, Venetia and Eustacia are Charlie's wicked great-aunts. Lucretia, unendowed, is a matron at Bloor's Academy. Eustacia is clairvoyant, and Venetia has the power to bewitch clothes.

Benjamin Brown is Charlie's all-time best friend. Ben doesn't go to Bloor's, but he did just return from an eight-month trip to Hong Kong. He owns a dog named Runner Bean. It should be noted in book 1 Paton says he may be a child of the Red King possibly meaning he may be endowed.

Asa Pike is one of Charlie's enemies. He follows Manfred Bloor around everywhere. It is found at the end of the fifth book, however, that he has decided to switch sides and become good, or at least help to vanquish the Shadow. He turns into a sort of were-beast after dusk.

Manfred Bloor is Charlie's arch-enemy, and the son of the Headmaster. A hypnotist and fire-bringer (the same as his ancestor Borlath), has hypnotized Lyell and Charlie Bone, and Emma Tolly for long periods of time. Supposedly he had/has a "thing" for Lydia Pieman.

Lydia Pieman was a fellow senior drama student before she graduated from Bloor's Academy. Manfred wanted her to play the lead role in the summer play he wrote, and consequently was the object of "insane jealousy" on the part of Zelda Dobinski. Unendowed. She not been seen since.

Gabriel Silk is a friend of Charlie's. He owns many gerbils, and is descended from a long line of psychics. He, like Olivia, is descended from the Red King's daughter Guanhamara. An interesting note is that the Red King's portrait in Bloor's Academy originally belonged to the Silk family. Gabriel's family also owns a cloak that belonged to the Red King himself. He is Psychometric, but his power seems to only work on clothes. He predicted in the first book that Charlie's father was not dead, but lost.

Doctor Harold Bloor is the Headmaster of Bloor's Academy. He has no magical endowment, but his physical image is very intimidating to most people.

Ezekiel Bloor is Manfred's great-grandfather. Flawed magician whose spells never go his way.

Billy Raven is a friend of Charlie's, but for the first three books he wasn't sure which side to take. He was at first a spy for Ezekiel Bloor, who promised to give him parents. One of his ancestors conversed with ravens that sat on a gibbet where dead men hung, for this talent he was banished from the village. Billy can speak and understand any animal like his ancestor Amadis.

Zelda Dobinski is an enemy of Charlie's. She is of Polish descent. Telekinetic. Seems to have a crush on Manfred. Extremely jealous of Manfred's crush Lydia Pieman. Later is discovered to be a math genius and leaves Bloor's to go to a university.

Tancred Torsson, one of Charlie's friends. His Scandinavian ancestor was named after the thunder god, Thor. Tancred is a Weather-monger, he can create rain, wind, thunder, lightning and snow.

Lysander Sage is one of Charlie's friends. He is descended from an African wise man. Ancestor-bringer or a Spirit Summoner, this enables him to call up his spirit ancestors.

Lyell Bone is Charlie's father, who disappeared in 1992 after "breaking the rules." Lyell was unendowed; he went to Bloor's because of his talent in piano. Gabriel says that he is not dead, but lost. In the fifth book, it is found that he was hypnotized and transformed into "Mr. Pilgrim," a very spacey, quiet teacher in Bloors. He is reunited with his family.

Joshua Tilpin is a spy for Bloor's. His parents are Matthew Tilpin and Miss Chrystal. His endowment is Magnetism, which draws people and objects towards him.

Miss Ingledew is Emma Tolly's aunt. She originally gave Charlie Bone the invention that would later unhypnotize her niece, Emma. She is in love with Charlie's uncle Paton.

Idith and Inez Branko are Charlie's enemies. Very rarely show facial expression. Telekinetic. Distently related to Zelda Dobinski.

Dorcas Loom is an enemy of Charlie's. Her magical talent is the ability to bewitch clothes; her bewitched belt almost killed Miss Ingledew (Emma's aunt). She is a big fan of Charlie's great aunt Venetia's work: creating magic clothes.

Bindi Loom is a friend of Olivia's. Her magical talent has not yet been developed, even though it is definitely there. She is the older sister of Dorcas. The evidence that she is on the good side is that she helped to save Henry Yewbeam by putting Manfred and Asa on the wrong tracks so that herself and Olivia could save him.

Beth Strong is a telekinetic. She comes from a line of circus performers. She leaves the Bloor's between Second Book and Third Book.

Yolanda Yewbeam is the daughter of Yorath Yewbeam, who was killed when pushed off a cliff. She has two Endowments passed through her parents, Hypnotism and Shape-Shifting. She makes an appearance in book three in the guise of a student named Belle Donner. She meets her demise at the hands of Paton Yewbeam when she is electrocuted by a sewing machine.

Mr Orvill Onimous and Mrs Onoria Onimous are the small owners of the Pets' Cafe on Frog Street. They repeatedly help Charlie and his friends throughout the series, and also care for the flame cats. Mr. Onimous is endowed but it never says exactly with what.

Bartholomew Bloor is Dr. Bloors' father, Ezekiel's son. He supposedly disappeared in the Alps' during a climb. He is married to an Asian woman named Meng, and they have together adopted Naren. Bartholomew was a close friend to Charlie's father. He is considered the black sheep in the family (or white, depending on which way you look at it).

Naren Bloor is Bartholomew Bloor's adopted daughter. She is descended from the Red King's grandson who was abducted by pirates and taken to China. Naren can send messages through shadows.

Una Onimous is Mr. Onimous's five year old niece. She is endowed, but her talent is unknown as the Onimouses are keeping her endowment a secret until it is fully developed. It seems, however, that her power is invisibility, although this has not been confirmed.

Alice Angel is a white witch who helped Olivia finally accept her endowment. She only appears in Book 4.

Miss Chrystal is a violin teacher at Bloor's Academy. At first it was thought that she was on the side of good, but in Charlie Bone and the Hidden King, it is revealed that she is indeed evil, when she released "the shadow" from the Red King's portrait using the Mirror of Amoret. She was once in love with Charlie's father, Lyell Bone, but he rejected her. Afterward she married Matthew Tilpin and had a son, Joshua Tilpin. She is descended from the Red King's eldest daughter Lilith and her husband, the evil Count Harken Badlock aka "the shadow". A dark witch.

Count Harken Badlock/The Shadow is a nine hundred year old spirit which is known as "the shadow". He was the man who taught the 5 of the king's children to torture and murder. He married the king's eldest daughter, "Lilith".

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Trivia

In Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy, Jenny Nimmo spells churches as "chuches".
In "Charlie and the Castle of Mirrors", Jenny Nimmo spells curb as "kerbs". There is nothing unusual about this: 'kerb' is the British way of spelling it.
Jenny Nimmo has given a review for the book,The Revenge of the Shadow King by Derek Benz and J.S Lewis.

[edit] Charlie's Family Tree

Charlie Bone is descended from The Red King, a powerful magician who was born over 900 years ago, specifically from his youngest daughter, Amoret, while his closest relatives, the Bloors, are descended from his eldest son, Borlath, making him closely related to all of the other endowed. His family are as follows.

The Originals ('historical personages' from within the books):

The Knight from Toledo (b. ?, d. ?) Unendowed, father-in-law of The Red King.

Queen Berenice (b. ?, d. ?) Daughter of the Knight from Toledo, wife of The Red King. Died and was brought back to life by Ezekiel Bloor after being mistaken for Borlath and now lives in her favourite horse's body.

The Red King (b. ?, d. ? still living in the form of a tree) His powers are: speaking to animals, hypnotism ,fire-bringer, photo-travelling, designer of magic clothes, wizard, shape-shifting, magician, can feel emotions in clothing, can transform into a bird and fly, turns into a were-beast at dusk, can turn stones into super heated sparks and with-stand the heat, can call on his spirit ancestors, creating illusions, force field generation, can make powerful oaths that make people do whatever they have sealed in them unless the oaths are destroyed,weather-monger, power booster, clairvoyant, the endowment of luck and grace, telekinetic. Father of ten children:

Amadis: Endowment is the ability to speak with animals. Ancestor of the Ravens and Crowquills.
Amoret: Youngest daughter of the Red King. Ancestor of the Yewbeams.
Borlath: Eldest son of the Red King. Endowment is fire. Ancestor of the Bloors.
Guanhamara: Ancestor of the Silks and Vertigos.
Lilith: Eldest Daughter Married Count Harken Badlock ancestor of the Tilpins
Petrello.
Tollemeo.
Mathonwy (b. ?, d. ?) Welsh Wizard, friend of the Red King. Ancestor of Charlie's mum's family.
Scarpo (b. ?, d. ?) Wizard; from same generation as Red King because he said he stole Mathonwy's wand.
Crowquill, descendant of Amadis.
Charles Penybuck, mentioned by Paton in book 2, photo-traveller possibly who Charlie is named after.
Harken Badlock, married the King's daughter Lilith, enchanter
Owine, son of Amadis father of Crowquill.

The First Generation consists of:

Beatrice Bloor (b. 1835), a witch and sister of:
Bertram Babington Bloor (b. 1840), a scientist-magician and husband of :
Donatella Da Vinci (b. 1845), an assisting magician, electrocuted during an experiment.
Yorath Yewbeam (b. 1850), a still living (until the fourth book?) shape-shifter and husband of:
Vera Kuragina (b. 1862), a hypnotist.

The Second Generation consists of:

Gideon Bloor (b. 1875), an unendowed mathematician son of Bertram Babington and Donatella Bloor, and husband of:
Gundrun Solensson (b. 1876), amateur singer and sister-in-law to:
Grace Bloor (b. 1885, d. 1965), unendowed painter daughter of Bertram Babington and Donatella Bloor, and wife to:
Manley Yewbeam (b. 1884, d. 1918), solider, son of Yorath and Vera Yewbeam and brother to:
Yolanda Yewbeam (b. 1900, d. 2003), a shape-shifter and hypnotist (and seems to have a limited amount of magical clothes designing), daughter of Yorath and Vera Yewbeam.

The Third Generation consists of:

Ezekiel "Zeke" Bloor (b. 1902), magician, son of Gideon and Gundrun Bloor and husband of:
Hilda Hansoff (b. 1902), botanist, poisoned by a rare plant.
Henry Yewbeam (b. 1905), unendowed, son of Manley and Grace Bloor, sucked in by the Time-Twister and brother to:
Daphne Yewbeam (b. 1908, d. 1916), clairvoyant, daughter of Manley and Grace Bloor, died of diphtheria and sister to:
James Yewbeam (b. 1910), unendowed historian, son of Manley and Grace Bloor and husband to:
Solange Sourzac (b. 1912, d. 1964), French actress, broke her neck when Yolanda pushed her down the stairs of her castle.

The Fourth Generation consists of:

Meng (b. 1930), second wife to:
Bartholomew "Bart" Bloor (b. 1930), unendowed mountaineer, son of Ezekiel and Hilda Bloor, thought to be lost in the Himalayas and first husband to:
Mary Chance (b. 1930), impoverished dancer, danced to death when Bart was thought dead.
Maisie Jones (b. 1935), unendowed widow.
Montgomery "Monty" Bone (b. 1937, d. 1963), pilot and husband to :
Grizelda Yewbeam (b. 1927), unendowed, daughter of James and Solange Yewbeam and sister to:
Lucretia Yewbeam (b. 1942), unendowed matron, daughter of James and Solange Yewbeam and sister to:
Eustacia Yewbeam (b. 1942), clairvoyant, daughter of James and Solange Yewbeam and sister to:
Venetia Yewbeam (b. 1952), magical clothes designer, daughter of James and Solange Yewbeam and sister to:
Paton Yewbeam (b. 1957), power-booster, son of James and Solange Yewbeam.
Usher De Grey, force field generator, former adoptive father of Billy and husband to:
Florence De Grey, a witch who can create powerful "oaths" that force people to do whatever they have sealed, unless the oath is destroyed. Former adoptive mother of Billy and wife to the former.

The Fifth Generation consists of:

Harold Bloor (b. 1955), unendowed, son of Bartholomew and Mary Bloor and husband to:
Dorothy De Vere (b. 1957), violinist.
Lyell Bone (b. 1962), pianist, son of Monty and Grizelda Bone, went under the guise of Mr Pilgrim while hypnotized by Manfred. Husband of:
Amy Jones (b. 1967), unendowed, daughter of Maisie Jones.
Naren Bloor, shadow-sender, adopted daughter of Bartholomew and Mary Bloor.
Orvill Onimous, unknown, co-owner of the Pet Cafe and husband to:
Onoria Onimous, unknown, co-owner of the Pet Cafe.
Christopher Crowquill, Billy's guardian supposedly died when he and Yorath fell off a cliff, a duck was in the water, which may have been him or Yorath.
Treasure a.k.a. Cook, the endowment of luck and grace.
Pearl, Cook's sister, also has the endowment of luck and grace.
Chrystal Tilpin, thought that to be on the side of good, was revealed to be evil, a dark witch. She was the wife to:
Matthew Tiplin, former husband to Chrystal and father of Joshua.
Alice Angel, a white witch who helps others find their endowment.
Julia Ingledew, Emma Tolly's aunt. Unendowed.
Nancy Ingledew, Emma's mother, dead.
Dr. Tolly, an inventor and Emma's father. Also dead.
Rufus Raven, biological father of Billy.

The Sixth Generation consists of:

Manfred Bloor (b. 1985), hypnotist and fire-bringer, son of Harold Bloor and Dorothy de Vere.
Charles "Charlie" Bone (b. 1992), picture traveller, son of Lyell Bone and Amy Jones.
Billy Raven, speaks to animals.
Lysander Sage, can call up his spirit ancestors.
Samuel Sparks formerly; Mr Baldova, the abilty to turn stones into super-heated sparks, and can sustain their heat
Ollie Sparks, unendowed brother of Samuel Sparks.
Tancred Torson, weather-monger.
Emma Tolly, can transform into a bird.
Olivia Vertigo, illusionist; may be distantly related to Gabriel.
Una Onimous, possible invisibility.
Dorcas Loom, magical clothes designer.
Bindi loom, endowment unknown.
Asa Pike, turns into a were-beast at dusk.
Gabriel Silk, can feel emotions within clothing; may be distantly related to Olivia.
Beth Strong, telekinetic.
Zelda Dobinski, telekinetic.
Idith Branko, telekinetic, distantly related to Zelda.
Inez Branko, telekinetic, distantly related to Zelda.
Joshua Tilpin, magnetism, attracts both physical object's and people.
June Silk, unendowed sister of Gabriel.
May Silk, unendowed sister of Gabriel.
April Silk, unendowed sister of Gabriel.