Synopsis: Charlie Bone is, understandably, quite surprised to find that he is able to hear voices coming from photographs. His grandmother and her sinister sisters are over the moon to find that he is endowed and before he can blink he finds himself packed off as a weekly boarder at Bloor's Academy, a peculiar school, not far from his home in the city, but nonetheless blessed with its own sprawling ruin. Bloors is part-school for the gifted and part-academy for the endowed, and Charlie is soon to learn that hearing voices in photographs is just the tip of the iceberg. There are deadly games, with stolen children and the fate of Charlie's missing father at stake, and all because of the legacy of the Red King.

Review: Midnight for Charlie Bone is the first book in Jenny Nimmo's Children of the Red King Quintet. First things first: yes, there are undoubtedly parallels to be drawn between this series and the adventures of a certain scar-faced wizardling; this can not be denied and it is rather unfortunate, as Midnight for Charlie Bone is not only quite distinct from Harry Potter, it is rather better.

The endowments of the heirs are specific and for, the most part, low key, meaning that the bulk of the drama comes down to very human cunning and heroism. Despite the fantastic setting, that drama and the characters in the book are sensitively-written and emotionally involving. Readers of many different ages could find something to appreciate in Midnight for Charlie Bone.