Jenny Nimmo Talks Charlie Bone

Posted on July 25, 2006

British author Jenny Nimmo, author of the Charlie Bone young adult fantasy series, discusses her bestselling series, and why her editors had her change certain things in her books about a boy with magical powers.

This is an interview with a British author who has written some very popular books about a boy with magical powers who goes to school in a castle. No, not that British author. In fact, Jenny Nimmo, author of the Charlie Bone series, hasn't even read the books about that other magical boy, Harry what's-his-name. But her editors made her change some things in her stories because of similarities between the two.

"I had a maze in one of my books ... and my editor called me up and said I had to take it out because there was a maze in one of the Harry Potter books. I was a bit put out because Charlie was certainly in my mind before Harry Potter."

*****

Q. Where did the idea for Charlie Bone come from?

A. "I was mulling writing a book for a long time. My own kids always wanted me to write about the boarding school I went to. It was a dark, dreadful place. I was only 6 when I was sent there. I don't think I was ready to write it until my own children went to college. ... I wanted a hero who was not completely magical but had one talent. I have a dyslexic son, and I thought it was always important for him to have the sense of having a talent."

Charlie's talent is to be able to talk to people in photographs, which would certainly be an interesting talent to have. Think of all the interesting conversations you could have with celebs caught in embarassing situations by the paparazzi.



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