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Summary: [....]
Review: this was an awesome book has almost every possible magical creature you can think of. it explains beasts and beings and a history of magical creatures.
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Summary: A part of Harry Potter we didn't know.
Review: No Harry Potter fan can be without these little books. Both of the books are modeled after the textbooks mentioned in the series and are written by the great authors Kennilworthy Whisp and Next Salamander(but with the help of JK Rowling). They also have a foreward by Dumbledore, in which Dumbledore explains that the purpose of releasing the books for muggles is to raise money for charity. Any muggle will have fun reading all of the many sections of these books about Quidditch and magical beasts. The Fantastic Beasts book, which I have read the most, is is a very good branch of Rowling's imagination. It talks about many different creatures, both dangerous and peaceful. Harry and Ron have written many notes in the book, some relating to the Chudley Cannons, some about Hagrid's love of monsters, and many about what they learned from facing monsters(they can confirm that there are giant spiders in Scotland). The other book is taken from the Hogwarts library, and we can tell that all of the Quidditch players have used this book often. It describes the history of Quidditch, the rules, the ancient forms of Quidditch, and the popularity of the game. It's pretty amazing what one can learn from these books. We learn that dodos aren't really extinct, but are magical birds that disappear from muggle sight. We learn that fairies lay eggs and grow in cocoons. We learn that America, Quodpot is more popular than Quidditch. We also learn the ten most common fouls of the seven hundred fouls that exist. We can even learn how many dollars Galleons are equivilent to. These books help us learn a part of the Harry Potter books we didn't know. Anyone impatient for the next book in the series will find relief here. I can assure you will love laughing at the cute humor. I hope for more text books in the future!
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Summary: Let's all just keep our fingers crossed for the fifth book
Review: The fifth book of the Harry Potter series is not yet published (due out in 2002.) Meanwhile, hungry Potter fans can soak up two cleverly-written "textbooks" on Quidditch (broomstick riding as sport) and a bestiary of mythological beasts. These are slim 60-page volumes (the only reason I give 4 and not 5 stars) and I don't think they will totally satiate the most ravenous fans of Harry's exploits, but they sure are funny--written with that wry British wit. In the spirit of other digs against Americans sports that no one else in the world plays, Americans play the lesser sport Quodpot instead of good old, World-Class English Quidditch. Quodpot is a hilarious spoof on basketball while Quidditch (a ball game played while riding a broom) seems to be a mad combination of the best of European sports like cricket, curling and a dash of polo for good measure. The Book of Fantastic Beasts identifies hippogriffs, griffins, dragons, phoenixes, manticores and basilisks. I have trouble telling a basilisk from a manticore in mythology so this is quite interesting and of course, amusing too. The (all too few) pictures are priceless. These beasts show up in fairy tales and other fantasy books, so in a way this book could be construed as a reference. The books are done up as two of Harry's textbooks (with margin notes from Harry, Hermione and Ron, and prices in other currencies than dollars on the cover--you have to look.) The proceeds of this book go to Comic Relief, an organization with a grand goal "to tackle poverty and promote social justice by helping disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa to realize their aspirations and potential." That's pretty nice of Author Rowling, who went from being an unemployed single mother to one of Britain's largest industries in a success story that is magical in itself. Until the fifth book is out, "Let's all just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best" which is the motto of Potter's team the Chudley Cannons.
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Summary: Clever venue
Review: These are not the next Harry Potter books. Which is good; they weren't intended to be. What they are is a very clever way for Ms. Rowling to pass on some tidbits of information which add breadth and texture to the story but which would not otherwise easily fit into the main series of books AND raise an enormous amount of money for a very worthwhile cause. All in all, a very cleaver idea. Kudos to Ms. Rowling. In short, if you've read the other Harry Potter books, buy them. They're short, they're fun, and they're a good cause. If you haven't read the Harry Potter books, buy them anyway; you're mom thinks it's the right thing to do.
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Summary: Harry Potter Schoolbooks
Review: Throughly charming and witty! Certainly worth more than what I paid for them. Good for J.K. Rowling to share her good fortune with charities! I eagerly await the next book.
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Summary: Worth it for the Introductions alone!
Review: J.K. Rowling has shown such a gift for evolving a narrative structure into a gorgeous web of writing that moves vertically through the main Harry Potter series, and also now laterally with these satellite mini-books. She's even taken things one step further, smashing the fourth wall with Dumbledore's sly, witty preface to 'Fantastic Beasts...' that lets us know that we're really just a lucky bunch of Muggles. These are necessary reading, whether you're keen to start up your own Quidditch team (and it's only a matter of time before some clever person figures out how) or you're up for a quick walk through the woods, in search of a lost Mooncalf. Come to think of it, you might want to buy two copies of these: they are for charity, after all. Not to mention that they're likely to become invaluable reference books in your own library. I've got mine stuck between the OED and Roget's...
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Summary: The Meaning of Life....
Review: ...is not to be found in these books. But then, not one review so far has suggested that it could or should be.... While the extraneous Harry Potter merchandising that's slowly taking over the world does strike me as rather tedious, JK Rowling's books themselves are a great source of entertainment, and I have no qualms about reading them even at the overripe age of 41. Actually that's not that old at all, but it must seem positively ancient to a clever, snobby 14-year-old. If you want to approach the meaning of life,..., I suggest you look into a good primer on Buddhism, although an introductory guide to etiquette might be more in order. Sincerely, "Screwball" in San Diego
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Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: This collection of both magical creatures and Quidditch rules is necessary for understanding the books. Only until now did I learn what species Aragog was, their nature, the 9 main types of dragons etc. I also found the writing Harry, Ron, and Hermione put in it (included inside book) were very cute. If you want to learn Quidditch, get these. The history, terms of the rules, broom information, it's all very helpful. If you want to learn Harry Potter, memorizing these will SURELY gain you fame among your friends.
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Summary: I wish I had text books this size!!
Review: These books provide some relief not only for Comic RElief UK but for those Harry fans that need a Harry Potter booster shot. I'm definitely one of those people... In Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, it gives you an explanation of what a "beast" really is. It also has a comprehensive A-Z list and classifications of all those magical creatures which is cool and entertaining. In Quiddicth Through The Ages, it has the history of the wizard sport and a list of all the teams of Britain and Ireland among other things. It's really cool. But it lacks the real excitement of a thick Harry Potter story. I mean it IS a textbook so how exciting can it be? I only wish that my school text books were that thin!!!! You shuld buy them; it's for a good cause: to help needy children around the globe. Whether they be magic or Muggle!!
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Summary: A Great Cure for those going through Harry Potter Withdraw!
Review: While waiting for the fifth book and the movie these textbooks were wonderful reads. Hilarious and informative JK Rowling is brilliant again. I just wish they were both longer!
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