Amazon.com Top 100 Books of the Millenium
The legend of the lost prince/princess, an unsuspecting youth who will
one day claim his birthright, is one of the archetypal stories of Religion
and Myth. From Oedipus to
Moses, Christ to Arthur this basic theme recurs so often that it must have
some significant meaning that resonates within the human soul. My
guess would be that the pull it exerts is twofold, escapist on the one
hand and metaphorical on the other. In terms of pure entertainment
and escapism, every day existence was so brutal for so long, and society
so rigidly stratified, that it would have been natural for folks to want
to believe that they were miscast as peasants or slaves and that one day
someone would swoop in and reveal that a horrible mistake had been made,
transforming the peon into a prince in a trice. As metaphor--every
young person goes through a period when they feel awkward or like a misfit.
The lost prince story reassures them that a totally different being lies
locked within them who will one day be recognized and honored. The
endurance and resonance of this primordial storyline must trace to some
such fundamental human yearnings for reassurance. J.K. Rowling then
has taken this basic theme, added to it the elements of an English Boarding
School story and heaped on healthy dollops of magic--no wonder this book
has sold googolplex copies to both kids and adults.
Of course, no mere formula suffices to explain all of the success.
The story is smart, witty and imaginative and, by not condescending to
the children who are the natural audience, she has written a book that
adults too will enjoy.
GRADE: A+
Dorothy C. Judd's Review:
As I read this book, I imagined myself reading it aloud to a classroom
of third or fourth graders. They loved it - and so did I! One
roots for Harry Potter from the beginning and breathlessly participates
in each of his adventures. The author's command of descriptive language
creates terrific characters and challenging situations. There is
just enough grossness to satisfy kids and not enough violence to alarm
parents. The owl messengers, the invisible cloak, the sorcererís stone,
the Quidditch game, the classes Harry must take: all capture the imagination.
And speaking of imagination, if it is true that kids are reading these
Potter books, I, for one rejoice. I just hope they get a chance to picture
all the marvelous characters, implements, and situations in this book before
they are pictured for them in a movie or video!
This is a marvelous book for family reading-aloud: a chapter a night,
if you can get away with that little. Kids love to be read to even
after they can read for themselves!
(Reviewed:29-Aug-99)
Grade: (A)
Websites:
J. Rowling Links:
-FEATURED AUTHOR: J.K. Rowling (NY Times Book Review)
-ESSAY: Harry Potter and the Childish Adult:
Why do Harry Potter books satisfy children and--a much harder question--so many adults? (A.S. BYATT, 7/07/03, NY Times)
-ESSAY: Quidditch quaintness: The
values that triumph in the Harry Potter books are those of a nostalgic, conservative Little Britain (Richard Adams, June 18, 2003, The Guardian)
-ESSAY: Harry Potter and the fascist bully-boys
(Rod Liddle, June 25, 2003, The Guardian)
-ARTICLE: Countdown in Times Sq.: 3-2-1, It's 870 More Pages of Potter (N.R. KLEINFIELD, June 21, 2003, NY Times)
-ESSAY: Breaking the Spell (CHARLES McGRATH, June 22, 2003, NY Times Magazine)
-REVIEW: of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (MICHIKO KAKUTANI, June 21, 2003, NY Times)
Book-related and General Links:
-Harry
Potter Net
-Featured
Author: J. K. Rowling : With News and Reviews From the Archives of
The New York Times
-
JK
(Joanne Kathleen) Rowling - Author Page (The Guardian)
-BOOK
SITE : Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Scholastic.com)
-BOOK
SITE : harry potter and the chamber of secrets (Harry Potter Books
uk)
-INTERVIEW:
JK Rowling with Evan Solomon (CBC InfoCulture)
-INTERVIEW
: Success of Harry Potter bowls author over (October 21, 1999,
CNN)
-INTERVIEW
: Matt Seaton meets JK Rowling (18 Apr 2001. The Guardian)
-INTERVIEW
: Harry, Jessie and me (Simon Hattenstone, July 8, 2000, The Guardian)
-Harry
Potter Special (The Guardian)
-Family.org:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
-LITERATURE
GUIDE : Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Nancy Polette)
-PROFILE
: Of magic and single motherhood| (MARGARET WEIR, Salon)
-PROFILE
: J. K. Rowling (Linda Richards, January Magazine)
-SAMPLE
CHAPTER (Scholastic, Inc.)
-DISCUSSION
GUIDE (Scholastic, Inc.)
-Meet
Harry Potter (Scholastic, Inc)
-A
Muggle's Guide to Harry Potter (BBC)
-Harry
Potter : Culture and Religion
-Harry Potter
Gallery
-Harry
Potter's Realm of Wizardry
-Harry
Potter Realm
-The
Leaky Cauldron : Harry Potter Weblog
-MuggleNet
-ARTICLE
: Debut author and single mother sells children's book for £100,000
(Dan Glaister, 8 July 1997, The Guardian)
-ESSAY
: Veni, Vidi, Voldemort (MAUREEN DOWD, December 9, 2001, NY Times)
-ESSAY:
Harry Potter's Magic (Alan Jacobs, First Things)
-ESSAY
: Why We Like Harry Potter : The series is a 'Book of Virtues' with
a preadolescent funny bone (Christianity Today, January 10, 2000)
-ESSAY
: Opinion Roundup: Positive About Potter : Despite what you've heard, Christian
leaders like the children's books. (Christianity Today)
-ESSAY
: Finding the Spiritual Power of Harry Potter (Shelvia Dancy,
Religion News Service, Saturday, June 30, 2001)
-ESSAY
: Harry Potter: A Wizard's Return (George F. Will, July 4, 2000)
-ESSAY
: Is Harry Potter Evil? : In an editorial, Judy Blume says that
the real danger is not in books such as Harry Potter, but in laughing off
those who would ban them (Judy Blume, October 22, 1999, NY Times)
-ARTICLE
: Don't Give Us Little Wizards, the Anti-Potter Parents Cry (JODI
WILGOREN, November 1, 1999, NY Times)
-ESSAY
: The Reality of the Fantasy in the Harry Potter Stories (RICHARD BERNSTEIN,
November 30, 1999, NY Times)
-ESSAY
: Besotted With Potter (William Safire, January 27, 2000, NY Times)
-ESSAY:
Harry Potter's girl trouble: The world of everyone's favorite kid wizard
is a place where boys come first (Christine Schoefer, Salon)
-ESSAY:
The Playing Fields of Hogwarts (Pico Iyer, NY Times Book Review)
-ARTICLE: Booksellers Grab a Young Wizard's Cloaktails (DOREEN CARVAJAL,
NY Times)
-ESSAY:
Hands off Harry Potter! First fundamentalists complained, now a feminist
chimes in. Have any of them even read the books? (Chris Gregory, Salon)
-ARTICLE:
`Potter' series spurs growth in kid books (DOREEN CARVAJAL, New York
Times)
-ARTICLE:
Author's Childhood Friend Says He Was Inspiration for Harry Potter
Friend Ian Potter recalls playing make-believe with JK Rowling in the mid-1970s;
his claim follows author Nancy Stouffer's allegation that Harry is based
on her own1984 book (Helen M. Jerome and Jerome V. Kramer, Book Magazine)
-ESSAY:
Muddled Muggles : Conservatives Missing the Magic in Harry Potter
(Chris Mooney, The American Prospect)
-ESSAY:
The Subtlety of Hogwarts? Give a Wizard a Break! Blessedly, Phase
1 of this year's Harry Potter frenzy has concluded. But hold on. Relief
may be premature. For now, it seems, it is time to settle in for Phase
2: Potter deconstruction.
-ESSAY
: Troubled Harry : Harry Potter's appeal isn't the cutesy magic
but his struggle with the anxieties of pubescence; adults struggle with
a childhood without innocence (DANIEL MENDELSOHN, New York)
-ESSAY
: Harry Potter and the Closet Conservative (Richard Adams, Voice of
the Turtle)
-ESSAY
: Just wild about Harry (Mona Charen, July 11, 2000)
-ESSAY
: Enchanting stories don't always need magic (Michelle Malkin,
July 19, 2000)
-ESSAY
: Harry Potter Books Teach Witchcraft to Children (Chuck Morse)
-ESSAY
: "Is Harry Potter Too Wicca for Kiddies to Read?". (Rita Delfiner,
New York Post, September 26, 2000)
-ESSAY
: More Clay than Potter (Anne McCain and Susan Olasky, 10/30/99,
World)
-ESSAY
: Why Harry Potter doesn't cast a spell over me (Anthony Holden, June
25, 2000, The Observer )
-ESSAY
: A Novel That Is a Midsummer Night's Dream (STEVEN R. WEISMAN,
July 11, 2000, NY Times)
-ESSAY
: Muddled Muggles : Conservatives Missing the Magic in Harry Potter
(Chris Mooney, 7.11.00, American Prospect)
-ESSAY
: Cultural Phenomena: Dumbledore's Message (James A. Morone, December
17, 2001, American Prospect)
-ESSAY
: Thank You, Harry Potter! : The Harry Potter books, by depicting a
world in which good triumphs over evil, give us strength to face real enemies.
(Dianne L. Durante, November 5, 2001, Ayn Rand Institute)
-ESSAY
: Is Harry Potter A Harmless Fantasy Or Wicca Training Program?
(Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, August 20, 2001, ChristiansUnite.com)
-ESSAY
: Apocalyptic fundamentalists set to shove Harry Potter aside (Martin
Kettle, June 9, 2000, The Guardian )
-ESSAY
: What the Muggles Donít Get : Why Harry Potter succeeds while the morality
police fail. (James Morone, Brown Alumni Magazine, July 2001)
-Charming
stories, OR a demonic plot? : Reviews, bannings, attempts at censorship,
and other muggle* matters (ReligiousTolerance.org)
-ESSAY
: Moby Dick on a Broom (Gail Collins, July 7, 2000, NY Times)
-ESSAY
: 'Harry Potter,' the wizard of children's book sales (Kathy Boccella,
Philadelphia Inquirer)
-ESSAY
: Magic, mystery and the quest for universal truth (Pat Kane, Sunday
Herald)
-ESSAY
: Fear of Not Flying: Harry Potter and the Spirit of the Age (Lee Siegel,
New Republic)
-ESSAY
: Spot the source: Harry Potter explained (Wendy Doniger, February
10, 2000, London Review of Books)
-ESSAY
: Digested read: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (August 25,
1998, The Guardian)
-DISCUSSION
: Harry Potter Message Board (Cinescape)
-ARCHIVES
: Harry Potter (Jam! Showbiz)
-ARCHIVES
: Salon.com Directory | Harry Potter
-ARCHIVES
: "Harry Potter" (Find Articles)
-ARCHIVES
: "Harry Potter" (Mag Portal)
-REVIEW
ESSAY : Iím Hookedó How I found ó and why Iím staying with ó Harry Potter
Ö (Ramesh Ponnuru, November 17, 2001, National Review)
-REVIEW:
of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (CHARLES TAYLOR, Salon)
-REVIEW:
of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Michael Winerip, NY Times
Book Review)
-REVIEW:
of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (EILEEN HEYES, News
Observer)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book Page)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (Claire
Martin, Denver Post)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Heather Mallick, Toronto
Sun)
-REVIEW
: of Chamber of Secrets (Sally Estes, ALA Booklist)
-REVIEW
: of Chamber of Secrets (USA Today)
-REVIEW
: of Chamber of Secrets (Audrey Schafer, Medical Humanities)
-REVIEW
: of Chamber of Secrets (Etta Wilson, Book Page)
-REVIEW
: of Chamber of Secrets (Michael Hines , Ed's Internet Book Review)
-REVIEW
: of Chamber of Secrets (Sharon Galligar Chance, Book Browser)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Cathy Sova, Mystery Reader)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Gregory Maguire, NY
Times Book Review)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Claire Armitstead, The
Guardian)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Linda Richards, January
Magazine)
-REVIEW
: of Prisoner of Azkaban (Claire Martin, Denver Post)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Janet Maslin, NY Times)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Stephen King, NY Times Book
Review)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling (Chris Woodhead,
booksonline)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Isabel Lyman, My Right Start)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Linda Richards, January Magazine)
-REVIEW
: of JK Rowling: a biography by Sean Smith (Nicholas Tucker, Independent
uk)
-REVIEW
: of THE MAGICAL WORLDS OF HARRY POTTER by DAVID COLBERT (January Magazine)
FILM :
-FILMOGRAPHY
: J. K. Rowling (Imdb.com)
-OFFICIAL
SITE : Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (uk)
-OFFICIAL
SITE : Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Warner Bros, US)
-INFO
: Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (2001) (Imdb.com)
-INFO
: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) (Imdb.com)
-NY
Times Special : Spotlight on Harry Potter
-ESSAY
: Harry Potter Takes on the Smart People (Andrew Ferguson, 11/20/01.
Bloomberg)
-ESSAY
: "Harry Potter: The Storm Breaks" (John G. Nettles , 11/15/01,PopMatters)
-ESSAY
: A Time for Harry Potter : Hollywood sets to contribute to our post-September
11 culture. (Thomas S. Hibbs, October 27-28, 2001, National Review)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (James Berardinelli's Reel
Views)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Andrew O'Hehir, Salon)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter (David Edelstein, Slate)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter (John Podhoretz, National Review)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter (Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (J. Hoberman, Village Voice)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Todd R. Ramlow, PopMatters)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Scott Von Doviak, Culture
Vulture)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Elvis Mitchell, NY Times)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Claudia Puig, USA TODAY)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Desson Howe, Washington
Post)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Los Angeles Times, Kenneth
Turan)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Bob Graham, SF Chronicle)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Claire Bickley, Toronto
Sun)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Peter Bradshaw, The
Guardian uk)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Philip French, The Observer
uk)
-REVIEW
: of Harry Potter : Witchcraft Repackaged (Douglas Downs, Christian
Spotlight on the Movies)
