Quidditch Through the Ages (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Kennilworthy Whisp (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-These slim paperbacks are made to look like actual Hogwarts tomes, complete with creased covers and plenty of marginalia scribbled by Harry and other students. Fabulous Beasts, a facsimile of Harry Potter's very own textbook, contains descriptions of 75 magical beasts, written in a wonderfully dry yet droll style by a renowned magizoologist. Quidditch is the facsimile of a Hogwarts library book, which had to be literally pried from the hands of librarian Madam Pince. It gives a comprehensive history of the game and its rules, as well as a rundown of each of the 13 league teams of Britain and Ireland. Harry Potter fans who pride themselves on knowing every minute bit of Hogwarts trivia will devour both books. From Professor Dumbledore's introductions to the price listed on the back cover (14 Sickles 3 Knuts), readers will find a wealth of detailed magical lore and laugh-out-loud humor. Neither book is as gripping as the actual series, of course, but fans who are waiting for the fifth installment will be entertained by these volumes in the meantime.
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Reviewed with J. K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts.

Gr. 4-7. Because this is a "Harry Potterless" year, kids in need of a fix may find it in these two volumes. The conceit is that these are Harry's schoolbooks (Fantastic Beasts, by Newt Scamander; Quidditch, by Kennilworthy Whisp), with margin notes by Harry and pal Ron Weasley. The concept breaks down in the introductions: Professor Dumbledore explains that the books are being offered to muggles (because the proceeds of the books are going to British charity Comic Relief, a disclosure that will raise the eyebrows of any reader who undestands the importance of secrecy in the wizard world. Nevertheless, a lot of effort has gone into making these seem like real textbooks. The jackets look torn and faded, the print is (annoyingly) small, and the information is well detailed. Illustrations are in short supply, and not every fan will want to know this much about Quidditch and imaginary beasts, especially when the text is so hard to read. Buy several copies (the money really does go to charity), but expect a few disappointed readers. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books; Illustrated. edition (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439295025
• ISBN-13: 978-0439295024
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #354,270 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun book, November 4, 2002

By	Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Quidditch Through the Ages (Harry Potter) (Turtleback)

This cute little book was actually part of a pair (along with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) produced by J.K. Rowling for the charity Comic Relief. Written in a tongue in cheek manner, this books appears to be straight from the Hogwarts School Library, complete with borrow & due date list that includes one H. Potter! Purportedly written by one Kennilworthy Whisp, this book covers the evolution of Quidditch from its inception, and along the way explains how Quidditch is played.

This is a fun book for any Harry Potter fan to own. It's a good, light-hearted read, and helps explain Quidditch to us muggles, in a manner much more clear than in the regular Harry Potter books. Bet this book!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Funny, likely prized by serious Harry Potter fans, July 28, 2003

By	Ryan Cragun (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quidditch Through the Ages (Library Binding)

Summary:
The book was published as a charitable publication; all of the proceeds are supposed to go to a charitable organization with the writing and publication costs being taken care of by donations. As for the contents, the book covers the history and rules of Quidditch and talks about some of the professional teams in Great Britain.

My Comments:
First, the book is quite funny, with numerous humorous notes and stories. It is more reminiscent of Rowlings earlier Harry Potter novels than it is of numbers 4 and 5 that do have some funny elements but tend to be much more serious than the first three.

The book is also probably highly prized by Harry Potter fanatics because it further develops the already incredibly detailed magical/muggle world of the series. Rowling has accomplished something few other authors can claim - the creation of a credible world - and this is just another doorway into that world.

The only problem I could possibly see with this book is that it is hardly long enough to be called a book; it is more a monograph or pamphlet with its roughly 50 pages. Granted this is a fictitious history which means every detail and story has to be developed from scratch. What's more, it has to be incorporated into the existing stories and future stories. Nevertheless, this can only be described as a 'brief' history of Quidditch.

Overall, you can read the entire thing in about 30 minutes and if you are a die hard Harry Potter fan you'll probably appreciate it and find it disappointingly short. If not, it won't likely keep your interest like the novels will. I'd recommend it for die hard fans but be aware that it is short.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quidditch Through the Ages, December 9, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Quidditch Through the Ages (Library Binding)

The book "Quidditch Through the Ages"by J.K. Rowling is a great book to read if you like the Harry Potter books and the sport Quidditch als from those books.This book guides you from the beggining of Quidditch until the present of what Quidditch is now.The book is focused only on Quidditch,it talks about the many teams from England and many other countries as well. It also talks about where the bludgers came into existence, and why the teams have certain logos on their uniforms.The book mentions amazing events and things that have happened in historic matches.Also it talks on how rules have changed through time.There are many other features that this book includes,I hope you like it as much as I did.