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Summary: You, Too, Can Be a Hogwarts Student
Review: ... Or at least pretend to be! (NOTE: This is not a Harry Potter book, although it's certainly riding his "robe-tails.")Not only does this book have some really neat and practical projects (container herb garden), but also has some pretty icky, kids-love-it projects like a terrarium for carnivorus plants and a mold garden. You can make your own wizard's robe, invisible ink (that you can use with your newly-made quill pen), and sew your own journal. The recipes include gumdrops, rock candy, and homemade slime (!). There's bits of history and folklore in it, too, just in case you get tired of making all this great stuff and want to read a while. The illustrations are wonderful, the writing is engaging, and it has a ribbon bookmark (okay, it may be a silly thing to mention, but I love ribbon bookmarks). This is a very entertaining book. Many of the projects would lend themselves nicely to a theme party, and there are a few suggestions for that, too. Your Harry fan will have a *blast* with the ideas in this book. I can't wait to some of them with my own little HP fan...
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Summary: Not just for kids, either!
Review: I'm 28 years old. I have no children. I don't even have any small children anywhere in my immediate family. And here I am, buying and writing a gushing torrent of praise for a children's book. This is the best book in the whole world. No, really. Okay, except maybe the proper Harry Potter books, but. It's still a darn fine book. The crystal ball lamp is really what I'm itching to make. Meanwhile, I've been busying myself with churning out wizard money, rings, and baby unicorn horns to dole out to Potter-loving friends. And you bet I'm going to try the Every Flavor Be--ah, I mean, All Flavors Gumdrops recipe posthaste. Can't wait to see the look on my boss's face when I slip him a tabasco one. Ahem. Kids WILL need help from grownups for most of this stuff, but that's not a bad thing. And, if I may make a suggestion: if you help your kids whip up a batch of Dragon Blood, put it in little plastic bottles from the craft store--and glue the caps on. Messy stuff
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Summary: Wizardry at Its Craftiest
Review: Only 600 years - but the wait was worth it. The Illustrations are nothing short of magical. The secrets told include making a Sorcerer's hat, disappearing in your "Now You See Me, now you don't Cloak, the jeweled Solomon's Magic Ring with instructions for choosing justice and kindness to control its power, and making baby unicorn horns. I loved all the educational information disguised in charming mysterious images -Learn about the constellations with the caster( flashlight covers), horticulture (Mandrake heads from apples and terrarium building, and alchemist (Phatom Potions, Chameleon Water, and Ghouly Green Quicksand) and use your imagination (crystal balls, bejeweled mirrors, fairy tambourine) and legends that come to life. We'll be throwing neighborhood wizard parties by making Crystal Candy,floating Magic Candles, and glowing crytal balls. A truly enchanting book. The illustrations will knock your Sorcerer Slipovers off!
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Summary: My Children Wanted to Start Right Away!!
Review: This book is fantastic. We received the book today in the mail. My two children and I looked at the book from cover to cover. They told me they want to start tomorrow on making the crafts that are in the book. This book is perfect for Harry Potter fans. From robes, to wands, potions, hiding boxes, crystal balls..you name it. The way the author has written this book is funny. You can just feel the author enjoyed writing this book. My children loved it as soon as I turned the first page.
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Summary: The Book We've Been Looking For!
Review: With the craze of Harry Potter, parents and teachers alike have been looking for easy and fun ways to associate the enchanted world of wizardry to everyday life. Most of the other 'trend' books that are following this craze give a nice history of magic or detailed definitions of magical myths. This book has mastered the art of storytelling, working interesting facts as well as entertaining mythology into stories that make children believe that they are a part of this amazing world by just simply fashioning a hat from scrap fabric! Some activities are new, some are ones we have all seen before. But they are all set up from a wizards perspective. Instructions are a little unclear at some times and a couple of the diagrams are difficult to decipher, but overall you can figure out how to get the desired results (The Quill Pen instructions would be impossible for a child to follow). My biggest problem is that there is little or no scientific explanation for the "Alchemy" related experiments. It's good to pretend it's magic, but let us not forget the science - it gives parents a way to answer those "why did it do THAT" questions! This book is worth it for it's atmosphere alone. From the beautiful cover (look underneath the dust jacket to find a gold stamped padded cover) to the varied tales and numerous activities, this is the book we've been looking for. I would highly recommend this book particularly for adults to share with kids.
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