Daniel Radcliffe: No Ordinary Wizard (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: Harry Potter, Warner Bros, Toronto Sun (more...)

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Product Description

When the millions of Harry Potter fans close their eyes and picture the world-famous wizard with the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, they immediately picture Daniel Radcliffe. Since the age of eleven, Daniel has been the face of Harry Potter, bringing the beloved character and his hair-raising adventures to life on the big screen. Though sometimes it might seem like Daniel and Harry are one and the same, when Daniel takes off those famous round glasses he has a style that is entirely his own. From his favorite punk rock bands to his favorite cartoon, find out everything you ever wanted to know about this young star: how Dan got cast as Harry, what life is like on the set, and how he spends his time when he¹s not battling the dark arts.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One: Dan's Magic

When the millions of Harry Potter fans out there think of the sweet, unassuming boy wizard they have grown to love, a picture of Daniel Radcliffe immediately pops into their heads. That's because Dan -- as all his friends and family members call him -- is the young actor who, at age eleven, won the role of Harry Potter in the first movie and has been the face of the famous wizard on-screen ever since!

So just how similar is Dan to the famous wizard we all know and love? Well, quite similar, actually. Except for his lack of magical powers, Dan shares a lot of similarities with the fictional character that has made him a household name. First off, they are both British, and very cute! But there are a lot of other, somewhat less obvious, characteristics that they share. According to Dan, they seem to have so much in common he has even joked that one day he'll have to go into therapy, because every time he reads J. K.'s books he finds more links between his and Harry's personalities. Not that the two boys share any bad traits. In fact, it's just the opposite!

"We have curiosity [and] loyalty," Dan told People magazine -- two very important attributes to have. Despite his ever-rising celebrity status, Dan has managed to remain pretty levelheaded, and becoming famous hasn't at all changed the way he treats his friends and loved ones or lessened the time he makes for them in his life. Actually, whenever he gets a chance on the movie set, Dan keeps in touch with his school chums by telephone, e-mail, or text messaging. Just as Draco Malfoy discovered about Harry at the beginning of their first year at Hogwarts, Dan also has no trouble spotting the wrong sort of people. He knows how essential it is to keep sight of the important things in life. Instead of getting wrapped up in his fame, Dan, like Harry, keeps his head out of the clouds and devotes his time to the "right" sort of people, the friends who have always stood by him, movie star or not.

Another similarity that Dan and the fictional wizard seem to share is a level of wisdom and maturity that is beyond their years, which is probably due to the fact that they both had to handle a great deal of responsibility at such a young age. While Harry has the special lightning-bolt scar that means he will have to single-handedly battle the forces of evil and save the world, Dan has had his own earthly challenges. The Harry Potter books and movies have all been such huge hits that there is hardly a corner of the globe that hasn't been touched by the unprecedented phenomenon. Because of this, an insane media storm, usually reserved only for the top echelon of A-list celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, has surrounded Dan as he has grown from a skinny, small kid to the hunky teenager he is today. Throughout his time in the spotlight, however, Dan has proved himself to be as gracious and professional as any adult.

Not that Dan, or Harry for that matter, is always a choirboy. They both partake in their fair share of mischief -- just ask any of the other actors on the Harry Potter sets who have been on the receiving end of Dan's practical jokes. But they never take it too far. Although they both "get in trouble," as Dan told People, "we don't break the rules, we just kind of bend them."

Moviegoers watching Harry Potter escape one hair-raising adventure after another may think they know Dan Radcliffe. Sometimes it's so easy to get swept up in the magic and mania of Harry Potter that people start thinking of Dan and the fictional character he plays on-screen as one and the same. But let the record show, despite their similarities, Dan is different from the character he plays in many ways. Just as Clark Kent took off his glasses to unveil Superman, when Dan takes off his trademark Harry Potter spectacles and that snug, Hogwarts blazer, he reveals his true self. When he is not battling the forces of evil on the big screen, Dan likes to kick back and listen to music by the Sex Pistols or New York Dolls, brash loud punk music one wouldn't associate with such a soft-spoken and polite boy. And he's got a lot of other tricks up his sleeve. Let's discover the magic that has made Dan Radcliffe into one of the hottest, most talented young stars in the world.

Copyright © 2005 by Simon & Schuster

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Simon Spotlight (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416913904
• ISBN-13: 978-1416913900
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #198,921 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Daniel Biography!!!, November 8, 2005

By	Jane (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

I really enjoyed reading this book. I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter, the books and the movies, and I had a lot of fun reading this bio. It tells all about Dan - how he got cast as Harry, how he, Emma, and Rupert spend their time on the set, and tons of personal information about Daniel. The author also talked a lot about the filming of the first 3 movies, special effects, and what it was like for Dan to grow up in front of a camera. The book also has a bunch of full-color photos of Dan with his co-stars and J.K. All in all, a really entertaining read about one of my favorite people!

4.0 out of 5 stars The perfect gift., September 27, 2009

By	J. Arena (Williamsburg, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was a surprise for a twelve-year-old who loves all things Harry Potter. She read this book cover-to-cover, and she is not a huge fan of reading because of so many truly haneous books being forced down her throat by ill-advised teachers, who know how to spoil the fun of reading for pleasure.

I briefly skimmed some of this book before wrapping it. In my opinion, it's not perfectly written, but clearly fills the bill for Radcliffe fans. And... Any book that can communicate that joy of reading again to a girl who used to love reading... Well, I'm all for it!

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for any age, March 21, 2009

By	N. Kruchkovski "Sweet" (Co) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Daniel Radcliffe: No Ordinary Wizard (Paperback)

it is a quick read for any age. a nice bio on the actor that made a huge phenomena