Harry, A History

From award-winning webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron, Melissa Anelli, comes this true story of a boy wizard, his fans, and life inside the Harry Potter phenomenon.

As webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron, which is one of the most popular Harry Potter sites on the Internet, Melissa Anelli had a front row seat to watch the wonders of the Harry Potter phenomenon unfold. From starting out as just a reader and fan of the books, Melissa soon found herself in the middle of the mania that followed anything that was associated with Harry Potter. She was helping Scholastic stop leaks, tracking down counterfeiters, hosting live PotterCasts in bookstores across the country, touring with the wizard rock group Harry and the Potters, and she even got to meet J.K Rowling personally. This book is not only about the Harry Potter phenomenon or how the books encouraged people to read again. It's Melissa's own journey through the mania and how the boy wizard changed her life.

Admittedly I usually read fictional books, but I saw this on the shelf when I was browsing with a friend in a bookshop and thought "you know, this might actually be interesting." So I bought it. It took me a little while to get into it, I found the first couple of chapters a bit simple and there was nothing that really grabbed my attention. But as I persisted, I started to become adept at reading the book the way it's supposed to be read. As I read more and more, it felt like Melissa was there speaking to me, and the book became one giant conversation. It actually felt like being in school and listening to a teacher, though it was a subject that I was actually really interested in. To really appreciate this book, you need to sit back and listen, not just read.

It became really interesting as you learn about all the things that happened with the creation and release of the Harry Potter series. The Internet was being used in a way that had never been done before. People were encouraged to create their own little stories about Harry Potter and "fan fiction" became really popular, with kids and even adults writing their own stories and publishing them online. Harry Potter even created a new genre of music known as "wizard rock", which consisted of bands that came out with catchy tunes that were all scenarios taken from the books. Bands such as Harry and the Potters, The Remus Lupins, and Draco and the Malfoys became increasingly popular.

And then you read about all Melissa's personal experiences. Meeting the actors in the movies and even J.K Rowling herself. There is photographic evidence in the book to support all Melissa's personal stories, including a really cute picture of her sitting on Dumbledore's chair! I was so jealous of her when I saw that photo!

All in all Harry, A History was a very entertaining and educational book filled with personal experiences, photos, and a foreword by J.K Rowling. If you love anything to do with the boy wizard, read this book and learn just how famous he is (not just in the wizarding world, but amongst the muggles too).