Reviews

Charlie Bone und die magische Zeitkugel by Jenny Nimmo

Only show reviews with written explanations

kimouise's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.0

average_jane's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

deschatjes's review against another edition

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4.0

Seriously engaging and just scary enough book for upper elementary students as Charlie continues his adventures and finds out more about & encounters other members of his strange family.

ashmeanything's review against another edition

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3.5

3.5/5 - While the individual elements still had the same charm, the overall structure of this book took a dip from the first one. It introduced a lot of disparate plot elements, seemingly to heighten the mystery and intrigue, but the overarching story really suffered. It was chaotic and unfocused a lot of the time, which was especially ironic given the ending, which felt very definite and gave almost no hint at needing to continue and find out more. Things got a lot darker, too, which felt a bit out of line for the age and audience set by the first book. Characters also felt deeper this time, though, with more moments of development and backstory, additional POVs, and showing emotions, not telling. I'll keep reading the series, but it's mostly being carried by the foundation laid already in book one.

It might be confirmation bias, but I also noticed multiple times when describing someone's appearance that it seemed to only mention skin color if the person was black or brown. I really don't like when stories do that and center white characters as a default. There's actually decent diversity in the story, but this feels like going against it completely.

Content warning for bullying, animal abuse, gaslighting, kidnapping, injury, and torture (or whatever you'd call breaking someone's bones on purpose).

amselbb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

lmwrites's review against another edition

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3.0

Re-read. Still one of my favorite childhood books, and definitely the driving force behind my phase in which I was obsessed with playing marbles. Kind of annoying since Henry kept not listening to the people that knew more than him about the situation, but he's a kid, so it's understandable to a point. Billy got on my nerves this book -- but his character arc in the series is pretty cool to watch.

Edit: Another re-read, and more notes. While Billy was still annoying in this book, I have always known that he was being manipulated by the adults in his life. It was a very weird situation and I'm glad that it does not last the entire series. Also, Mr. Onimous getting potentially connected with Olivia's acting parents for the "Wind in the Willows" -- BRO. So funny!