Book #25: Harry Potter "Shorts"
Hello there. I’m going to do this review a little differently than my others. I recently read the companion books to the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the three of which are entitled, “Quidditch Through the Ages,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” and “The Tales of Beedle the Bard.” Because they are such short books, I decided to make them count as one book for my reading challenge, and I will therefore do one post for all three of them.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” Back Cover:
A copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them resides in almost every Wizarding household in the country. Now, for a limited period only, Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats, and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl.
My Review:
I really enjoyed reading this little extra from J.K. Rowling. There are so many myths that humans believe that can be explained by magic that after reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, one begins to believe that he or she is magical and that these creatures actually exist.
Quidditch Through the Ages” Back Cover:
If you have ever asked yourself where the Golden Snitch came from, how the Bludgers came into existence, or why the Wigtown Wanderers have pictures of meat cleavers on their robes, you need Quidditch Through the Ages. This limited edition is a copy of the volume in Hogwarts School Library, where it is consulted by young Quidditch fans on an almost daily basis.
My Review:
I think that it’s absolutely astonishing that J.K. Rowling not only created the world of Harry Potter, but also an entirely new game to be played in that world. I myself am not that great at creating things, so a game this complex, with this much of a backstory and history behind it, is almost too much for me to wrap my head around. Creating animals was probably easy, but Quidditch is something entirely new. I just don’t know where Rowling comes up with this kind of stuff!
“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” Back Cover:
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers’ attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger’s new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J.K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales: “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,” “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart,” “Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump,” and of course, “The Tale of the Three Brothers.” But not only are they the equal of fairy tales we now know and love, reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.
My Review:
I loved reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard. They were cute, although slightly dark, stories that I could imagine reading to someone at bedtime, just as Ron suggests in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that Wizarding parents would tell their children these tales to frighten them into good behavior. My favorite was “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart,” simply because I tend toward the grotesque (probably because I was introduced to Edgar Allen Poe at a rather young age). I also greatly enjoyed “The Tale of the Three Brothers” and I think it was mainly because I could hear Hermione reading it to me while watching the ink pictures being drawn in my head from that famous scene from the movie.
Overall Reaction to Harry Potter "Shorts":
Being able to read a text that comes from another fictional text makes a fictional world more believable. It adds a sense of reality and gives readers a more concrete hold on and understanding of the world. If I were J.K. Rowling, I’d write Hogwarts, A History next, as the book, I believe, would contain the fundamentals for truly understanding the mysteries of Hogwarts. I would also find it interesting if such a book had commentary by Lord Voldemort (who penetrated all of Hogwarts in his day apparently), although the concept would be a little far-fetched as Voldemort was always on the run, hiding, or attempting to regain his human form before **SPOILER**Harry dealt the mortal blow. Maybe he had made notes in his own copy of Hogwarts, A History.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Kelly <3