What Would Harry Read?

Fruits Basket

This post comes to us from guest blogger Cat Penny...

Tohru Honda is a highly optimistic girl, despite being an orphan. Because of her desire to not burden anyone, and determined to finish high school, Tohru balances a part-time job and school. Things become more difficult for her when her grandpa has his house remodeled, and Tohru must find somewhere else to stay. Not wanting to impose on her friends, she ends up pitching a tent on a forested hillside until she can return to her grandpa’s.

Enter the Sohmas. A family plagued by an ancient curse that turns 13 of its members into animals from the Chinese Zodiac, they are very wary of outsiders. (Understandable, since getting hugged by a member of the opposite gender will turn them into their animal form!). Tohru unknowingly pitches her tent on the property of two of these Sohmas: Shigure, the lecherous dog of the Zodiac; and Tohru’s classmate, Yuki, the rat.

Shigure and Yuki eventually stumble upon her tent, and bring Tohru back to their less-than-spotless house. They invite her to stay with them until she can move back in with her grandpa, and in exchange for this hospitality, Tohru cooks their meals and cleans their kitchen. Although Tohru is a girl, Yuki and Shigure are confident they can keep their secret from her.

Boy, are they wrong.

Things go well until Kyo Sohma, the vengeful cat of the Zodiac, appears, looking to fight his rival, Yuki. Surprised by this turn of events, Tohru accidentally hugs him, revealing the secret of the Sohma family.

Whoops.

Things only get worse when she falls into Yuki and Shigure, transforming them as well. However, she is allowed to stay, as long as she keeps the family secret. Excited to meet more Zodiac members, she soon gets her wish with the arrival of Kagura, the seemingly innocent girl who becomes completely psychotic when in the presence of her love, Kyo. Angered that he didn’t call her during his four-month disappearance, Kagura shows how much she missed him by promptly throwing him through a wall. One event leads to another, and Kagura ends up transforming into her Zodiac animal—the boar.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Tohru returns to her grandpa’s. No one is happy with this arrangement, and the men sorely miss her good-natured kindness (not to mention her cooking!). At her grandpa’s, Tohru is met with hostile relatives, and is only saved when Yuki and Kyo, fed up with her not being around, track her down and bring her back with them.

So, why would Ron like Fruits Basket? Well, with impending doom upon the wizarding world and nearly fatal adventures with his best friends, he could probably use a good comedy. Plus, he could understand the whole person-becoming-animal thing since he’s met a few. Then there’s the expansive Sohma family with which he could relate (his family is massive, after all), and the close friendships. All in all, it’s the perfect series for him!

Besides, Ron likes rats, doesn’t he?

The Dangerous Book For Boys

And even more of our books are making their way to the big screen.  We just found out today that <I>The Dangerous Book for Boys</I> will be made in a major motion picture:

By Gregg Goldstein and Borys Kit
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Producer Scott Rudin has acquired the much-coveted rights to Conn and Hal Iggulden's best-selling tongue-in-cheek manual "The Dangerous Book for Boys" and will produce the adaptation for Walt Disney Pictures.
The brothers' book offers today's coddled youth instructions in potentially hazardous activities; how-to's include building go-carts and making a bow and arrow. It also provides trivia, historical anecdotes and advice on life, sparking interest from fathers and nostalgic middle-aged men.

"Dangerous," first published in the U.K. in May 2006, has held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the New York Times and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists since its May 2007 stateside release and sold more than 1 million copies worldwide. The Collins/HarperCollins release also won the British Book Award for book of the year. Its success has inspired two upcoming books, "The Daring Book for Girls" and "The Dangerous Book for Dogs," a satire by several writers from "The Onion."

The literary-minded Rudin, who has a production deal with Disney and its specialty division, Miramax Films, has scored mainstream hits like Paramount Pictures' "Failure to Launch" and upscale Oscar winners including Miramax's "The Queen."
His upcoming book-to-film projects include Sam Mendes' "Revolutionary Road" for Dreamworks/Paramount, based on the book by Richard Yates, and Miramax's "No Country For Old Men," Joel and Ethan Coen's adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

In case you've forgotten, this was Dumbledore's pick.

Ron #7 - M Is For Magic

Shout out to Kailana for another magical post.

Neil Gaiman writes novels but he has often dabbled with short stories. In these collections he can be a fantasy author, dabble in science fiction, or scare his readers with a horror story.

M is for Magic is Gaiman's attempt to market his stories to a younger audience, as many of the eleven stories contained in this collection have been published before. But why would Ron read them? Well, he often finds himself in the middle of some great new adventure, and when he's got some down time, Ron can safely visit the adventurers in Gaiman's novels without any risk to himself. (Unless a wizard has put a spell on the book for everything in it to come alive while Ron is reading it, then he might have some trouble.)

Of the eleven stories, the best one, I think, is the very first one, a very clever reworking of famous nursery rhymes into a great story.  If that does not attract readers, though, there is plenty more for boys like Ron to enjoy.  There is the jack-in-the-box that controls the lives of the children that played with it, a real live troll living under a bridge, and many other wonders for readers to enjoy.  Gaiman's stories often have a magical feel to them, which is perfect for wizards-in-training, all the wonders without the mess!  Every time you pick up Gaiman you can be assured something magical, so he is perfect for Ron.  And the best thing is that for this one, he does not have to trade in his father to enjoy it.

Dumbledore #4 - The Lord of The Rings

The real question here is why WOULDN'T Dumbledore read The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

And, of course, there is no answer to such a silly question. Because he would. Of course. Without a second's hesitation. But if you must know why, I'm sure Dumbledore could deign to give a reason or two, though he really doesn't have to explain himself to anyone.

The Lord of the Rings is renowned as a thrilling epic adventure—a complete new world—with songs, poems, and back stories galore. It's also the heartwarming tale of a young hobbit who puts himself at risk in order to save the world as he knows it. Sound a little like the young man Dumbledore puts his own faith in? Frodo Baggins lives in a peaceful world raised by his adventuring uncle Bilbo Baggins (see The Hobbit for more on Bilbo's story). One of his uncle's greatest treasures, a ring which will render its wearer invisible, becomes the object of Frodo's formidable task. For the ring is more evil and powerful than anyone could imagine, and it must be destroyed to keep its owner and creator, the Dark Lord Sauron, at bay. Like Harry, Frodo has companions, friends, and even a wise old wizard (Gandolph the Grey) at his side during his quest but, in the end, he must face his task alone. And it changes him forever.

At the very least, I'm sure Dumbledore could have learned a spell or two from Gandolph and, of course, vice versa. It would be a treat for him—as it is for all—to submerse himself in the fantastic world of Middle Earth.

Harry #7 - InterWorld

Neil Gaiman is considered one of the top writers in fantasy today, while Michael Reaves won an Emmy for his science-fiction screenplays. Take the two authors and put them together and we have the great new book InterWorld. Who would not love Neil Gaiman? Readers young and old can open the pages and be taken to imaginary worlds with thrilling characters and edge-of-your-seat adventure!  InterWorld is
no exception.

Harry would love this book. I picture him discovering Gaiman when he was living with his evil relatives in a closet, squirreling the books away to read by the light of his flashlight, visiting places and having adventures that he would never have been able to have before. By now, Gaiman would have become a  staple of his reading diet, so he has to get the new book for when he is on break from having his own adventures!

In InterWorld, we have Joey, a young boy about the same age as Harry, who stumbles upon a most intriguing secret.  He has the ability to travel through dimensions, and the InterWorld is one such place that he will find himself at during his adventures.  He is called a Walker, and the discovery of his powers puts things in motion that he might be the only one to stop.

The Walkers are a very small group of people, so if one dies in battle, it is a very bad thing.  When one of their groups of enemies threatens everything, they find themselves having to save the world, they being Joey and five other walkers.  Oh, and then there is the multidimensional creature that I most people should love, even if Harry might not.

In Harry's world, he is usually defending himself or other people against evil magicians.  In Joey's world, he is battling against people that want to take the Walkers, melt them down, and use their power for
their ships.  They have been successful with some in the past, but now they have a larger plan and Joey finds himself right in the middle of it.  Like Harry, he is out to save the day.  This book is actually a
very intelligent read, using science and things that we in our own part of the dimension do not even understand, and since Harry is pretty intelligent you can see him being intrigued by the ideas that this book throws around.  It also has magic, and what is Harry without magic?

Harry #6 - Bec

Soooo scary.

Darren Shan's Bec scared the pants off of me, and as no stranger to danger himself, I'm sure that's what would appeal to Harry about this book. I mean, how easy would it be to imagine demons making their home in Gryffindor? What about feeling like he's battling some demons in his own right, because he who shall not be named is quite, well, evil, isn't he? So there's a lot Mr. Potter might find he can relate to in Darren Shan's The Demonata series.

In this particular book, Shan tells the story of a young priestess named Bec who lives in the time where the Picts and the Celts roamed the plains of the UK. The novel introduces some familiar characters (Lord Loss and his two minions, Artery and Vein) while showing that the history of demons on earth didn't just start with the 20th century. As a small group leaves the comfort of their homes to find a way to either stop the demon attacks, Bec finds herself on a journey that will either save society as she knows it or destroy it forever. Oh, and in the process, she'll discover a lot about herself (she's an orphan, just like a certain wizard we know) as well as find powers she didn't even know she possessed.

It's a really engaging read, told in Shan's stream of consciousness style, and while it frightened the pants off of me, I also felt that Bec herself was a character I wanted to know more about. So, please, Mr. Shan, more!

Hermione #9 - The Secret Garden

The lovely and talented melrose plant contributes this wonderful review. High fives all around!

A classic novel, a beautiful and mystical world; a girl who lives far away from her parents and chums around with two very different boys, who likes to get into mischief, go where she is restricted and dapple in mystical arts...sound familiar? Hermione Granger of Hogwarts will have certainly enjoyed poking her nose into The Secret Garden and will certainly have found a mirror to hold up to herself in the equally engaging Mary Lennox.

“Mistress Mary quite contrary; How does your garden grow?” taunts Mary’s spiteful cousins at the beginning of The Secret Garden. Hermione who, let’s face it, has a sometimes a prickly manner herself, could also be teased with the same age-old rhyme by spiteful Draco Malfoy and his contingent of thugs who have no time for Hermione’s brainy persistence.

When Mary moves to the gothic, crumbling Misselthwaite Manor, she befriends a poor, out-going boy named Dickon who has a large family living nearby in a ramshackle cottage.  When Hermione moves to gothic, crumbling Hogwarts, she befriends a poor, out-going boy named Ron who has a large family living in a ramshackle burrow.  Further, deep in Mary’s mansion is a special boy who has lost his mother.  Hermione’s friendship with the motherless “Chosen One,” Harry Potter, is as interesting and complicated as Mary’s with her cousin Colin. 

The similarities continue:  Hermione’s love of sneaking into the Restricted Section of the library is not unlike Mary’s joy in sneaking into an ancient, locked-up garden. A capable horticulturist (she has done quite well with mandrakes, has she not?), Hermione would find herself at home with Mary whose “bit of earth” provides her with countless hours of exploration and delight.

Think magic is lost in this Edwardian period story?  Mary teaches her friends Colin and Dickon all about magic she has learned in India: magic that calls to her uncle Archibald and eventually secures a happy ending for herself and her friends. She really is, as Lupin says of Hermione, “the cleverest witch of her age.”

Hermione and Mary have a lot in common.  They are both intelligent, sometimes hard-to-please, resourceful and curious. They are not afraid of going after what they want.  What is more, they are exceedingly loyal to their family and to their friends. Time will tell what the last pages of Hermione’s story will reveal but of one thing I am certain: she will remain, as Mary, as a smart and curious role model for female readers everywhere.

Are you curious about Mary's secret garden? If so, there's a chapter excerpt here.

Hermione #8 - Warriors: The New Prophecy – Moonrise

Super props to Kailana for the review.

My cats are back and ready to win the hearts of readers young and old.  It is no wonder the Warriors series is so popular, Hunter does a wonderful job capturing cats.  When you read her books you can actually picture your cats getting up to the same adventures as the ones in her books. It will make you look at your cats and hear them talking; it will put words into their meows.  If you start striking up conversations with them, though, you better be careful as people might think you are a bit crazy otherwise. 

Regardless, we all know that Hermione lives in a fantasy world of magic.  Animals are a part of her magical training, but in that context they serve a purpose, but here, when she reads about the cats in Moonrise, she can have fun.

The story follows the same cats that were in Midnight, which is a problem, because it can be hard to talk about a sequel without giving away too much about the preceding book. However, it doesn't spoil the story to say that in this book, the cats are still on their quest.  When they first set off, they did it in secret and without anyone fully aware of the trouble that was brewing. Now, moons have passed, and things have changed. There is another prophecy to be fulfilled in this book, and the hero/ines from the last book find themselves caught up in it. 

(That means more cat names to remember!).

Meanwhile, Thunderclan needs its wayward wanderers to come back and it is another one of those instances where they might not make it in time to save the destruction that occurs while they are away.  And, for those readers whose memories are not as great as Hermione's, Hunter has included a few pages to index where all the cats fit in to the clans.  It is very helpful because there are a lot of names presented, and sometimes you just need something to jog your memory.

This book is also about girl power, if you are a female cat nursing or expecting kittens, you are called a queen. And who wouldn't want to be a queen? Especially Hermione, remember how she felt in that dress? You know, from that ball?

Exactly.

For more on Warriors: The New Prophecy - Moonrise, read the chapter excerpt here.

Hermione #7 - Swordbird

Shout out to Kailana for the guest blog post!

After enjoying Erin Hunter's Warrior series, well, the first book anyways, my imaginary Hermione decided that she would give another book centered around animals a try. In the Warriors series, we have a book about talking cats, in this series we get inside the minds of their prey: birds. Essentially, Swordbird tells the story about the battle between good and evil. The blue jays and cardinals once lived in peace, but now each suspects the other of treachery.  The resulting war turns a peaceful neck of the woods into a battleground. 

Little do our fluttery heroes know that their problems are not with each other but with another flock of birds that has moved into the area. They capture other birds and put them to work as slaves, and it is these feathered anti-friends that have started the trouble between the cardinals and the blue jays.  The cardinals and blue jays are just too busy fighting amongst themselves to notice right away.

Hermione is caught in a world where she is constantly battling against evil. There is a new threat every year at school it seems, and sometimes it is nice for her to be able to read about other peoples problems and watch them play out without having to be a part of them.  Nancy Yi Fan was actually only 12 when she wrote this book, and I can picture a young Hermione relating to the world that Nancy creates.  Hermione has seen a lot of death and destruction in her young life, so it is always nice when she can sit down with a book that has readers rooting for the under...bird. Aska, a young blue jay, would probably be Hermione's favourite because she underestimates even herself until she is tested.  And, then there is the mystery.  Does Swordbird in fact exist, and will he arrive in time to save the forest from destruction? 

I guess you will just have to join Hermione in reading it in order to find out. If you're keen to know more about Swordbird, check out the chapter excerpt or read a note from the author.

Septimus Heap - The Movie

So, we got word that Septimus Heap will now be made into a series of movies. How exciting! So now, not only would Hermione be reading the books...she'll be watching them on the big screen too.