Customer Reviews

An Unofficial Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World: Exploring the Harry Potter Universe

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J.K. Rowling has crafted a world that on the printed page, and with two books in her planned series still remaining, is nearly 2700 pages long. The first three films in the series clock in at nearly 455 minutes total. That is a heck of a lot of material to digest, let alone remember.

Fortunately, not even the wizard physicians at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries could have come up with a better remedy than that of first time author, Fionna Boyle. Like a spell cast to pack a wizard's suitcase, A Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World manages to cram just about everything you need to know about the world and experiences of Harry Potter into an extremely enjoyable (approximate) 450 pages. Amazingly, she does so without spoiling anything for those readers who may not have finished reading all of Rowling's work, while at the same time offering just enough information to make this guide an exciting read in its own right, and a useful resource for those of us who have read and re-read the books more times than we can count.

She begins with brief biographical information on Rowling and the story behind the story of Harry Potter's beginnings - a tale almost magical in itself.

Part One of the book is a discussion of the various characters in Harry's world, from his close friends Ron and Hermione and their families, to more recent characters, such as Luna Lovegood and even the miscellaneous witches and wizards that have appeared in the books that you may have forgotten.

Part Two looks at Hogwarts, which Boyle covers so thoroughly, it seems as if she had filched the Marauder's Map herself. We learn about the four houses, classes students take, the castle, and of course, Quidditch.

Part Three opens our eyes to the wizarding world. Places that have been explored in the novels and films such as Hogsmeade and Knockturn Alley are included, as are the Ministry of Magic, wizarding gizmos and gadgets, and many more interesting parts of this mysterious realm.

Part Four is perhaps the most useful inclusion for the common muggle, as it features lists of differences between the books and films, offers advice on a wizarding tour of Britain, gives parents a few hints on staging their child's next Potter-themed party, and a great deal more.

Overall, this book is an outstanding way to pass the time until the next Potter book or movie is there for fans to devour. Reading A Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World, I immediately wanted to pick up Rowling's earlier books again, as Boyle's text is so rich with details and enthusiasm for Harry Potter, that it's impossible to resist.

A Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World is an invaluable resource for Harry Potter fans. Absolutely recommended!

Does Hermione have a middle name? What is Arithmancy? And what the heck does "pop my clogs" mean? You can find the answers to these and many other bits of interesting trivia, facts & more in "A Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World" by new author Fionna Boyle.

The book, by no means a substitution for the works of J.K. Rowlings (a fact which the author reminds the reader throughout), is a valuable resource for those readers who are reading a Harry Potter novel or watching one of the movies and have forgotten who's who, are curious to the deeper meanings of things or simply want to know 'more'.

While at first glance the guidebook might seem a simple encyclopedia of facts, don't be fooled. With more than 100 "did you know's", interesting character analysis, and greatly researched facts on mythological creatures, wands, magical studies and more the reader is brought deeper into the 'truths' behind the fiction. However, unlike other books in this genre, the author does not tell you how to interpret these meanings but guides you through a cornucopia of facts in a fun and easy to read style suitable for all ages. And for those who worry about being spoiled - don't. With clever written puns and allegories the author keeps those who have not read the complete series unspoiled while giving those who have a giggle or two.

The book also explores some other interesting areas such as how the books came to be, a British translation guide, comparisons between the first three books and movies, a tour of filming locations in Britain, how to host your own Harry Potter party and a list of fantastic Harry Potter websites.

Whether you're a first time reader or a die-hard fan, this guidebook is a fantastic read and an essential addition to any HP library.

Think you know all about Harry Potter? Think again, whether you're a parent or a teen fan of the series: Fionna Boyle's examination in A Muggle's Guide To The Wizarding World quite deftly explores J. K. Rowling's entire fantasy universe, covering all the finer points of the series thus far, examining its characters, creatures and mysticism, and arranging ideas by themes that excel in trivia and gentle encouragement for the reader to think about interpretation possibilities for the series. All five books and all three movies are included in the analysis, offering debates the entire family can enjoy. A Muggle's Guide To The Wizarding World is "must" reading for all Harry Potter fans!

I have been looking for a Harry Potter book strictly based on events in the Harry Potter series which contains ONLY facts and haven't found anything I've been interested enough in to spend my money on until now.

This is an incredible Harry Potter guide. Fionna Boyle goes into great detail about people, places, things, etc. Not only does she list virtually everything contained in the Harry Potter series, but she goes into depth about the meanings of names, facts from J. K. Rowlings interviews, and insights you may have missed. She does an excellent job of helping you put two and two together to get a result you may not have understood (or remembered). I'll most likely be re-reading the Harry Potter series again (to pass away the time before The Half-Blood Prince gets here) and this guide will be right next to me for any references I need (spells, magical items, etc.). I recommend this guide to any Harry Potter fan who wants to be as in tune with the Harry Potter world as possible!

Harry Potter is a wonderful series, but as more books are published, I'm finding it hard to keep all of the characters straight. This book is truly excellent is getting it all together in one place as a reference guide, with interesting tidbits of fact that one wouldn't normally know. The writing style cleverly doesn't give away plot points, but just firms up the needed background when you're trying to remember a character who comes back in the 5th book that you haven't seen since the second. It's heartily recommended!

I have not even finished this book, and already I think that it is one of the better written Harry Potter "investigated" books out there. I really enjoy this, and think that all HP fans should get the book and sit down with it.
It is filled to bursting with things that I had completely forgotten. Witches and wizards I didn't even know existed!
To sum it all up: this is one spectacular book.

This book was very helpful to me. When I wanted to look up something about harry potter, All I had to do was look it up in here. I would not have to go skimming through the entire book for acceptance letters or supply lists, and i also would not have to circle every student name in the entire book to create a list of all the Hogwarts students. I love it!

My friend and I who aer obsessed with Harry Potter decided to buy this book when we were having withdrawl symptoms. We thought it would be great read other predictions as well as seeing what other people think the books mean. Unfortuantly the book did not meet our expectations. There were many mistakes and they also wouldn't discuss what happens at the end of each book and therefore didnt' discuss the books in much depth. I think that if you are obsessed with Harry Potter like me, this book isn't for you.

Take the five books and make them into one book listing just about anything you can imagine(from spells to desciptions of every single person mentioned) and you have the "Muggle's guide". I was very disappointed because there was hardly anything new. Background information seemed to be mostly quoted from the official J.K. Rowling website-which existence was the only new information I got out of the whole book.(and you can look it up there online firsthand).I was glad, I got it from the library and didn't spend any money on it.Better and more entertaining is "the magical world of Harry Potter"-where you can find good research of the meaning of latin and greek words used and connection to J.K.'s personal experience like the dementors are representing depression.