Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody [Paperback]

Valerie Estelle Frankel (Author)

Book Description

Unapproved, unendorsed, unofficial, and unstoppable The devious Lord Revolting has split his soul into seven Plot Devices, from the One Ring to Coloring Book of Doom. Destroying the Ministry of Muckups, he launches himself on a campaign of terror and ruthlessness, the likes of which hasn't been seen since the last Wizneyland Princess Beach Week. Can Henry Potty, lousy student and heroic Chosen One, destroy the Plot Devices in time? Or will a paper shortage kill him, as the loudmouthed ghost of Bumbling Bore foresees? Join Henry as he duels unexploded mimes, flying monkeys, telemarketers, and the dreaded Tooth Fairy. It's a race against National Treasures, Legions of Dimness, and Miniclorians, from the Funhouse of Terror to Chickenfeet Academy. But if Henry wants to recoup his fans from Professor Sniffly Snort, he must try. As the epic battle nears, only one thing is certain: Henry Potty's series is numbered.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Frankel appears to have gained confidence with this new release and book flows smoothly. The plot is more intricate than that of The Pet Rock, and incorporates aspects of many of the Harry Potter novels, along with other well known stories. Henry Potty is pure fun with tons of laugh-out-loud scenes. - Front Street Reviews

Attacking many fantasy stables and cliches ranging from 'Lord of the Rings' to the 'Wizard of Oz' to classic Walt Disney films, and so much more, "Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage" is riotously entertaining reading for fantasy enthusiasts in general, and young Henry Potter fans in general. -Midwest Book Review

Frankel will pick up her own army of fans with this original take on the Potter books...I laughed out loud at several passages and highly recommend this book to fans of humorous fantasy novels and parodies. Suitable for all ages, this is one that can be shared by the whole family. -Book Club Forum

About the Author

Valerie Estelle Frankel was born at an early age. Since then, she's taught most grades, from kindergarten through high school, and survived with most of her limbs intact. Her many short stories have appeared in over seventy magazines and anthologies including Legends of the Pendragon, Rosebud Magazine, and The Oklahoma Review. While an undergrad, she became the Editor in Charge of Magical Kingdoms for The Sneeze, a disreputable UC Davis humor publication. She then became the youngest person ever to receive a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Jose State University. She now teaches writing there, and was recently promoted to an office down the hall from the women's bathroom, rather than in it. Many of her short stories lurk on her website, along with young adult fantasy resources and an interactive kingdom especially for kids. Readers who long to waste their valuable time can play Chickenfeet Academy Games, check out the Henry Potty Laughicon, and cavort with flying pigs for hours at HarryPotterParody.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: WingSpan Press (June 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595942416
• ISBN-13: 978-1595942418
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,019,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Valerie Frankel was born at an early age. Once a professor at San Jose State University, she does storytelling for kids and has taught most grades, from kindergarten through high school. Her many short stories and essays have appeared in over eighty anthologies and journals including The Prisoner and Philosophy, Inside Joss' Dollhouse, Illuminating Torchwood, Rosebud Magazine, and The Oklahoma Review. After earning a B.A. at UC Davis, she became the youngest person ever to receive a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from San Jose State University, an event that has earned her only limited wealth and success. She enjoys dancing, acting, and costuming in what little remains of her spare time, and reads a novel every day, just for fun. She would have gone crazy long ago, except for her collection of singing potatoes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start Laughing Now!, September 1, 2008

By 

Clara Stevenson "Avid reader" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody (Paperback)

First of all, I haven't read a story lately that made me laugh out loud so much. What a breath of fresh air! I wish there were more stories with this type of humor, and I wish I were this witty! The scenes flow so well, and the dialogue's great fun.

This is going to be a real gem to those true fans of the Harry Potter series. It might even encourage them to write a parody or two.
Overall, I really like this, and would recommend it to my own teens, who grew up reading Harry.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Life of the Potty, August 17, 2008

By 

Joel Bresler (Desert Southwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody (Paperback)

Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody

Anything calling itself a parody faces some tough literary challenges. It must, of course, readily bring to mind the original work it seeks to spoof. It should be creative and entertaining in its own right, without depending too much on the reader's knowledge of the original. Finally, it needs to be something of an homage, and not just a silly mockery.
In Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody, author Valerie Estelle Frankel's flying vacuum cleaner clears these literary hurdles with room to spare. If there was a single example of homo sapiens on this planet who was not familiar with the Harry Potter series, he or she could still thoroughly enjoy this book (assuming he or she had a solid command of the subtle nuances of the English language and a strong sense of humor. Academic, really, since this individual does not exist).
Frankel skillfully draws upon many sources to create a story which keeps the reader on his toes, frantically trying to keep track of the book's myriad characters, details and action sequences. In other words, it's not that much different than the original. Her writing style brings to mind a sort of hybrid between J.R.R. Tolkien and Woody Allen, only with fewer references to Kierkegaard.
While it would be overwhelming to try and summarize the plot, Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage is great fun to read, not least because of Frankel's well-crafted prose. The author clearly takes pleasure in making words do more than their basic job, and knows where and when to insert puns without their becoming the sole points of humor. Thus, the reader is spared page after page of needless punishment.
Very entertaining, and highly recommended.

Reviewed by Joel Bresler

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Yea for Horrendous!, September 12, 2008

By 

Todd Sullivan (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody (Paperback)

In many ways, "Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage" reminds me of flicks like "Another Teen Movie", or "Scary Movie". The book, a satire, focuses on a major theme, Harry Potter, and pokes fun at the characters and plot devices from the many J.K. Rowling books that have been released. Reading Henry Potty, I did at times feel like much of the material consisted of inside jokes that I did not get, as I've only read the first Harry Potter book. I do think that for those who have read the entire Harry Potter series, they'll find Henry Potty quite funny and charming in how Valerie Estelle Frankel remakes the Potter through a wild, funhouse mirror of chaotic antics.

The reason why "Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage" reminds me of the parody movies is because of the randomness of some of the happenings throughout the text. I'm not so sure that there is a logic to some of the scenarios, but maybe there simply isn't supposed to be. However, I did find the book funniest when I could see the rationale to some of the satire, like the scene when the three heroes, Henry Potty, Really Wimpy, and Horrendous Gangrene, find one of the Plot Devices, the villain's Lord Revolting's ring of power. This scene is golden.

I also feel that my favorite character is Horrendous, who's the most intelligent of the three heroes, the most feisty, and the most frustrated by the idiots she's surrounded by. I also find it interesting how this story is about writing a story, and seemingly, writing a story badly, using cheap tricks just to make a story make sense. I am not a fan of the Potter books, and I get the sense that Frankel is not, also.

Overall, I found parts of this book very creative and easy to read, but the many random happenings at times threw me off and slowed me down.