Author Description

Product DescriptionThe 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.About the AuthorJenny Nimmo is the author of the NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling Children of the Red King series as well as GRIFFIN'S CASTLE, THE DRAGON'S CHILD, and the award-winning Magician Trilogy, all published by Orchard Books. Several of her books have been awarded and shortlisted for the Smarties Prize, the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Award, and the WH Smith Mind-Boggling Books Award. She lives with her husband in an old mill in Wales.From AudioFileA young adolescent discovers he has supernatural powers and is sent off to a school for special youngsters, where he makes friends and enemies and finds himself in fantastic adventures. If this sounds like a cheap Harry Potter knock-off, don't be fooled. Jenny Nimmo, author of dozens of children's fantasies, has a brilliant sense of storytelling and a well-tuned ear for good writing. Shakespearean actor Simon Russell Beale adds wonder to this book with his rich baritone reading. At times, particularly when depicting evil characters, Beale descends into a gravelly bass, which can be off-putting, especially with teenaged characters. In this, the second of Nimmo's Charlie Bone novels, a boy who mysteriously disappeared in 1916 suddenly appears at modern-day Bloor's Academy without having aged a day. Charlie must find a way to protect his 11-year-old ancestor from wicked relations. S.E.S. 2004 ALA Notable Recording © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine--Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, MaineFrom School Library JournalGrade 4-7-In this sequel to Midnight for Charlie Bone (Scholastic, 2003), Nimmo continues the saga of the endowed descendants of the Red King, who attend a very Hogwarts-like boarding school called Bloor's Academy. "The Time Twister," a marblelike ball with the power to transport people through time, brings Henry Yewbeam from 1916 to present day Bloor's. His evil, scheming cousin Ezekiel, who was responsible for sending him to the future, is still alive, and Charlie Bone must protect Henry and find a way to send him back into the past. This is a breezy read, even at its 400-page length. Sadly, there are plot elements that seem to come totally out of the blue or that just don't make sense. The power with which each individual child is endowed, such as the ability to create storms or to transform into a bird, seems arbitrarily created to provide dramatic rescues. A painting of a wizard named Skarpo is left for Charlie by one of his aunts. As readers of the first book know, Charlie can hear voices in pictures, and they now discover that he can actually enter them as well. Oddly, Henry seems unfazed by his trip through time and by the modern world. The unexpected plot twist at the end is strangely unclimactic, and seems to pass by so quickly that any sense of triumph at the outcome is lost. Charlie Bone is a likable character to whom kids will turn to for a fix after they've finished the latest Harry Potter for the fifth time. For libraries where fantasy is popular.Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.Review'Addicts of Jenny Nimmo, of whom I'm proud to be numbered, will rush to buy The Time Twister... Classic Nimmo territory' * Independent * This book is a gripping fantasy tale of