The Secret Kingdom

April 11, 2011
Nimmo expands her popular Charlie Bone universe with this first book in the Chronicles of the Red King series about Charlie's ancestor, the Red King of Africa. His name is Timoken, and he is blessed and cursed at birth with jinni giftsâflight, the ability to speak with animalsâthat give him "one foot in the world of men and the other in the realm of enchantments." Timoken and his sister, Zobayda, are thrown into a cruel world to find a new home after their birthplace is sacked by the evil viridees, and Timoken's gifts both save the children's lives and draw the viridees eternally after them. The narrative voice is direct and matter-of-fact, conveying the fantastic as well as the mundane facts of Timoken's incredible life accessibly; new readers will have no difficulty making this an introduction to Nimmo's work (in a prologue, Charlie provides backstory for those unfamiliar with Nimmo's earlier books). Timoken is a highly appealing young hero, and his panoply of human and magical friends provide just the right amount of help without stealing the show. Ages 8â12.

September 1, 2011

Gr 4-6-Charlie Bone returns to introduce the story of his magical ancestor, Timoken the Red King. Born under the cloud of his mother's overwhelming sense of foreboding, Timoken finds protection and magic in three gifts given to his mother by a mysterious forest jinni: the web of the last moon spider, a magic ring, and the Alixir of youth. The powerful web does protect him, but it also invites danger, setting in motion events that will define his life. Readers will be instantly drawn into the author's captivating and thrilling tale of magic and adventure. Timoken's story takes flight after his kingdom is destroyed by viridees, wicked sorcerers who want the moon spider's web. He's forced to travel the world in search of a "New Kingdom," but what readers will soon understand is that he is really searching for a home and all that it symbolizes. The protagonist is a kind and thoughtful hero who engenders respect and loyalty in those he meets. This is evidenced in his relationship with his camel, Gabar, and the ragtag group of children they rescue from slave traders. They, along with Timoken's sister, Zobayda, explore the meaning of friendship and family. And it is this recurring theme that drives the story. Charlie Bone fans can rest easy knowing that Nimmo does not disappoint as she spins her magical web in this well-paced and expertly crafted tale.-Mary Beth Rassulo, Ridgefield Library, CT

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
Grades 4-7 Nimmo begins a new series related to the Children of the Red King series (aka the Charlie Bone series) but with a fresh setting, a different time period, and a new cast. In the prologue, 13-year-old Charlie Bone recalls helping his uncle research their illustrious thirteenth-century ancestor, the Red King, by traveling to Africa and magically communicating with the king when he was a boy. Charlie fades from the novel almost entirely, for the Chronicles of the Red King series purportedly offers his uncle's books on Timoken, the boy king himself. After his family's African kingdom is invaded by evil spirits called viridees and his parents are murdered, Prince Timoken becomes a king with no kingdom. Timoken, his sister, and his camel have hair-raising escapes from the viridees, who pursue them in hopes of capturing certain magical objects of great power. Nimmo pulls out all the stops, creating three main characters with distinct personalities and placing them in an action-packed fantasy with drama, tension, and welcome bits of humor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2011
This prequel series to the Charlie Bone books begins with Charlie's ancestor Timoken (the future Red King) protecting a jinni's magical gifts from the viridees after his parents are murdered. The tale's succeeding episodes don't build tension, relying on deus ex machina storytelling, but the fanciful events still pass agreeably. Other series entries are likely to follow.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)