The fabulous powers of the Red King were passed down through his
descendants, after turning up quite unexpectedly, in someone who
had no idea where they came from. This is what happened to Charlie
Bone, and to some of the children he met behind the grim, gray walls
of Bloor's Academy.
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.
Ollie Sparks needs the help of Charlie Bone!
This semester at Bloor's Academy brings a few changes. There is a new art teacher, Mr. Boldova, and a new student, Belle, who lives with the Yewbeam aunts and seems to hav a strange power over them.
Emma and Charlie soon discover Mr. Boldova's secret identity: He is the older brother of Ollie Sparks, the boy who lives in the attic of Bloor's Academy. Ollie had always been prying into matters that didn't concern him, so Ezekiel Bloor made him invisible. When Charlie and his friends find him, Ollie is alone and hungry. They promise to make Ollie visible again with the aid of his brother, Mr. Boldova.
Can Charlie and his friends save the invisible boy?
Back in Bloor's Academy, Charlie's power takes on a new dimension.
He meets a new gallery of characters, including Mr. Pilgrim's replacement,
Tantalus Ebony, and the mysterious new student Joshua Tilpin, who
appears to be magnetic. But not all is well. Billy has been adopted
by the O'Gres, a child-hating couple, who carry with them a gray
bag of oaths wherever they go, seducing Billy to sign an oath of
obedience, before locking him up behind a force field in an odd
place called The Passing House.
In Charlie's most perilous adventure yet, the shadow from the Red King's portrait has escaped. Strange things start to happen at Bloor's Academy: But, with the help of a mysterious force, Charlie and his friends are closer to discovering the truth about Charlie Bone's father.
Life should be perfect for Charlie now that his parents have been reunited. But mystery and adventure always find him. This time Asa, a fellow classmate who changes into a beast at dusk and Charlie's sometime enemy, is missing. His parents seek out Charlie for help, and now Charlie needs the help of the Flames to rescue his classmate.
The enchanter Count Harken is back to take his revenge on the Red King's heirs, starting with Charlie Bone's family! Charlie's ancestor has been kidnapped and imprisoned in the dark, forbidding land of Badlock, and it's up to Charlie to save him. Traveling through a painting to the terrifying countryside, Charlie and his best friend's dog, Runner Bean, take up the quest. But when Runner Bean gets trapped, Charlie needs the help of his friends. Can they get past an army of trolls, rescue Runner Bean and Charlie's ancestor, and get out before it's too late?
Charlie and his friends take on the most powerful and dangerous magic in Book Eight of this extraordinary series. As wicked forces come to a head at Bloor's Academy, Charlie and his friends must use all their magic and all their might to fight the evil and save Charlie's parents.
In his greatest adventure yet, Charlie must discover the fate of his family, the evil intentions of the Bloors, what has become of Septimus Bloor's will, and, most important, the destiny of the Red King's heirs. But are the Children of the Red King strong enough to defeat the darkness to find the answers?
Join Charlie and his friends as they race to unlock the mystery of the Red King in this final chapter. . . .