I took several classes from Doctor Ritter, and found his lectures to be the best-organized of any professor I've yet had. The benefits of this lecture style are also found in his Dictionary, which can be used as a corollary to anyone interested in studying history (esp. that of modern Europe). It is a great way to easily familiarize yourself with political trends, social theories, movements, and more.

I am writing a research thesis on how Schopenhauer influenced T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets," so this book showed how T.S. Eliot read and discussed Schopenhauer in the Seminar (p. 120). Eliot was one of nine other people taking the seminar with Josiah Royce and he was clearly influenced by his reading and discussion of Kant and post-Kantian philosophers in his writing.

I thought that the Harry Potter books were stupid when all the hype started but then my friend forced me to read them, i just couldn't put it down. ; ) The first book was good but so far the third one was the best ,Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. each chapter leaves you on the edge of your seat such as in chapter 18 `Servus Snape was pulling of the invisibility cloak, his wand pointed directly at professor Lupin.' it made me want to keep going. the main character is Harry Potter a 12 year old boy with jet black hair, green eyes, round glasses and a lighting bolt shaped scar on his forehead. The other characters are Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger,Hagrid, and Albus Dumbledore. The story takes place in London at Hogwarts school of witch and wizardry. The turning point or when it got really interesting was when Ron,Hermione and Harry get pulled in to the Womping willow by Sirius Black who they think wants to kill Harry. So if you want a book with so much suspenseful adventure you can't put it down get the Harry Potter books but be sure to start with the first book.

Having heard many people lament the way Harry Potter is encouraging children to explore the occult, I'd like to offer an alternate view. I'm a conservative Christian who teaches theology at a university and publishes many articles in theological journals, and I don't like witchcraft. However, given that it's difficult to keep these books away from children who visit bookstores frequently, my wife and I have read the series to our children, ages 10, 12, and 15, and discussed the ideas with them.

"Prisoner of Azkaban" is of a much higher literary caliber than the first two novels. Like them, there are lots of amusing jokes, lots of word play to delight the alert reader, but there is much more depth to the characterization in this book.

I think we would do well to look at these series as we look at C.S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia" series or Tolkien's books. The books border on allegory, but aren't. However, they are full of allusions to biblical ideas. Joanne Rowling is writing about the age old celestial battle between good and evil, God and Satan. The witch and wizard setting allows her to develop characters who learn to use magical powers analogous to the spiritual powers developed by Christians devoted to prayer and Bible study, yet without offending those who aren't interested in God. She is teaching a generation of children how to act. By casting spells? No. She continuously pokes fun at that aspect of the books. She is teaching children the value of loyalty, generosity, courage, study, honesty, turning the other cheek, loving, forgiving, sacrificing to save others. She is teaching them you don't have to be big and handsome to be a success. The major moral challenge Harry faces in this book is whether or not to kill the man who killed his parents. Most kids would say, "Kill him!" Harry struggles, but makes the right choice. Indeed, this book is full of Harry and other characters honestly struggling with really tough decisions but making the right decisions.

In a way, the wizard side of things in Rowling's world is a bit like the angelic world, with the Hogwarts students as apprentice angels. The Bible teaches that God is at war with the forces of evil--forces consisting of fallen angels who once were good. (Have you noticed: Voldemort: Vol de Mort: Flight of Death (French): Death Angel; vol also brings to mind the Latin word for "will," suggesting "the one who wills death.") These children are "sorted" into the camp of deceit and darkness or into one of three camps which tend toward goodness, according to the the choices they have already made in their lives, but each students has to learn and make choices.

Harry is Christ-like in a number of ways. He has been chosen, anointed. He has been tempted, offered the world, offered power, but has said no. I don't have time to look at this in depth here, given the space limitation. However, I would encourage Christian parents to read these books with their children and talk about the decisions made and the parallels to the battle between God and Satan, good and evil. This will help children determine to do what is right, place themselves on the side of goodness. If you forbid your children to read them, you are simply forcing them to sneak and lie.

In anticipation of Harry Potter, Book 4, I had to read the first three books again. What I was struck with, again, is the sheer imaginative nature of J.K. Rowling's books. Simply put, these books are instant classics.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is the third in the series following Harry Potter at Hogwart's school of wizardry. Harry is now a 13-year old (his birthday occurring at the beginning of the book), and concerned mostly with classes, Quidditch (a wizard sport), and the fact that he's not allowed to visit the local wizard village of Hogsmeade with his friends on the weekends. One of the reasons for this is that Sirius Black, a convicted murderer, has broken out of Azkaban, the wizard prison, and word has it that he's out to get Harry.

In keeping with Harry Potter tradition, the reader can expect surprises, twists and turns, malicious rivals, uncommonly kind professors, terrible relatives, amazing magic candy, true friendships, and a whiz-bang ending.

It's delightful to see how Rowling can stay true to the feel of the previous books, and yet allow Harry and friends to mature. This book is a little longer than the previous books, but the imagination never lets up, and gradually Harry's world is widening.

I would recommend this book to ANYONE (any age) who enjoys the writings of Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, or J.R.R. Tolkien. This is a very fun, humourous, and enjoyable fantasy novel, and one that should be read more than once!

Harry Potter thought he had a fairly normal life (aside from living with his aunt and uncle who hated him), but he was very wrong. On his 11th birthday he learned that he was a wizard and had been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Suddenly, Harry is plunged into an entirely new world of magic. At Hogwarts Harry has friends for the first time in his life. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are his best friends at the school and they are the ones who help Harry through all of his troubles. From the very beginning though, Harry is slightly aware of something strange going on at Hogwarts. Harry pieces together the mystery slowly throughout the school year in while he isn't busy working on schoolwork or Quidditch (a magical game played on broomsticks).
My favorite part about this book was the world that J.K. Rowling created. While it would have been easy for her to just set the story in a school where the kids learn magic, she didn't. Things like Diagon Alley, which is where all of the students go to get school supplies, allow her to add so much more to the magic world just through descriptions of things Harry sees. Quidditch also makes the world seem much more real.
I originally read this book because I needed a young adult book for class, but I ended up enjoying it far more than I thought I would. I can't remember the last time I actually read much outside of school, but after reading this book I read the other three and am now anxiously awaiting the fifth book. I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone. It's obvious that it was aimed at younger readers, but I found I enjoyed it as much at 17 as my sister did at 11.

When anyone mentions the name Harry Potter, 2 words immediately come into the minds of those over 18: children books. But then again, that's what most said about the Hobbit. People in grade school would read that book and we hold it in much praise but with the Harry Potter books, you feel people are laughing at you when they see you at the counter with one. Well not to fret people, even though it does with a lot of things kids will love, adults can get hooked into this too.

The story begins as the main character Harry Potter is living with his horrible relatives, the Dudleys. They absolutely hate him and just when things can't get any worse, he receives a letter "you've been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". He's also famous. When he was young, an evil wizard named Voldemort(or "He Who Must Not Be Named" or "You Know Who" killed Harry's parents but Harry survived, walked away with only a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. The book follows his first year(one of 7) at Hogwarts dealing with danger along the way.

Despite a huge children fanbase, it's actually quite a good read and isn't a bit distant and seemingly academically written like Tolkien. One reviewer for Lord of the Rings said the books divided people in the English language as those who read the books and those who will. Harry Potter would be a stepping stone to Lord of the Rings then.

ABSOLUTELY!!!

Let me begin by stating that I am unquestionably a Conservative Christian. Many who share my other beliefs have attacked this book (and the movie based upon in) without having read it. So, this review is directed to those types and anyone who wishes to discuss the issue intelligently with someone who claims religious objections to this book and the rest of the series.

The primary objection that is raised is the use of magic in the book. Afterall, the book is about a school of wizardry and witchcraft. Well, hold the phone! If the use of magic as a plot device makes a book inherently unsuitable for Christians, then let us gather at the river and throw away our beloved Chronicles of Narnia and Ring Triology. To be fair, some of Potter's critics do object to Lewis's and Tolkien's works as well, but the vast majority of the Conservative Christian world embraces those authors with no reservations.

So, this leads to another possible basis for objection to the Harry Potter series: the books don't promote an explicitly Christian worldview. Well, back the bus up!! If that's our standard, then to be consistent, we would have to object to John Steinbeck, Herman Melville, Ernest Hemingway, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Pat Conroy, . . . well, you get my point.

Okay, so maybe the Potter books really do teach bad lessons. Ummmm . . . NOPE! The books are classic Good vs. Evil stories. Yes, Potter, Ron, & Hermione don't always show proper respect for their elders, but in this book they are only 11 years old, so for the most part, that's realistic. Plus, in the books, there is usually some negative consequence to the characters' "bad" actions.

Now, onto this book itself. The plot twists in this book were not terribly difficult to see coming, but then again, I'm a voracious reader, and I'm 33 years old and an attorney. To the target audience, I would wager that the developments of the story were not nearly so transparent.

Putting that aside, this book was still a "page-turner." I finished it in two evenings of reading (actually, 2 late nights of reading).

My recommendation: Buy this book for your kids, and read it yourself.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE is an odd mixture of excellence and wordiness. It does not disappoint in the action packed sequences of the Quidditch World Cup and its aftermath, the three tasks of the Tri-Wizard tournament, and Harry's inevitable meeting with Lord Voldemort. However, it is also packed with such lengthy explanations, that I thought I had mistakenly picked up HOGWARTS, A HISTORY. This technique of Rowling, designed to give the reader as much background information as needed, became noticable at the end of the third book, as Sirius Black and Remus Lupin explained their relationship with James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. These portions of the book do not work nearly as well as when Rowling shows us what happened.

Lord Voldemort, the depth of whose evil and reach was only hinted on in previous volumes, is established, though not seen, in the first chapter, and the flashbacks and results of his reign of terror which are revealed throughout the book, make him one of the most terrifying characters in children's literature that I've met. I feel cold when reading about him and his followers.

Our favorite familiar characters, Harry, Ron, Hermoine, the Weasleys and their friends and teachers are all becoming more real with each book. Their development is natural, much like getting familiar with them as with people in our lives. Newly introduced characters, however, are a little harder to deal with. So many were introduced in this book, and my perception of each of them was jerked around so much that I began to feel as paranoid as Mad-Eye Moody, who had good reason to feel paranoid.

Harry and Hermoine are especially well developed in this book. Harry grows through his trials in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, recognizing his limitations and character faults, which paves the way to conquering them. Hermoine's transformation into the beautiful swan was satisfying, and it's nice seeing her change from a brainy know-it-all into a complete person, but her development of a "social conscience" got a little tiring after a while, and I'm not sure what parallels, if any, she intends for children to draw from it.

Characters that would be welcomed back in future volumes include Mad-Eye Moody, Victor Crum and Remus Lupin (from Book 3). I'm also very interested in the future of the Weasley Twins, because, as Harry says, in the days ahead, a good laugh will be what everyone needs.

We read and listened to this as a family, having been eagerly awaiting its release. The concensus from our boys (ages 8 and 11) is that while it starts a bit slowly, once it took off, it held their interest. They loved it.

One word about the audio tape. Jim Dale is good, sometimes too good. One of the flashbacks is particularly unsettling, and once Harry meets Lord Voldemort, it is impossible to find a stopping point before the conclusion of the book. If your children are younger or sensitive to violence and evil, preview the book and tape.

Lynne Hobbs, Parent and School Librarian

The great strength of Rowling's works is her conscious effort to never let the messages in her stories overshadow their readability and sense of fun. All books should first and foremost tell the story, and Rowling never forgets that. That said, her latest installment, The Goblet of Fire, takes us back to Hogwarts for another year of magic, danger and intrigue. This book is the pivotal part of Harry's seven year tale, and ends on a note that many readers may find unsatisfactory, as the issue of accountability and leadership in the Ministry of Magic comes to light.
Goblet of Fire reads on many levels; younger children will delight in the fast and inventive pace of the plot and storytelling, and older readers will find themselves waiting to see how the issue of Voldemort's true return and the Ministry of Magic's reaction are resolved or expanded in book five.

The flap of the dust-jacket of the fourth installment of Harry Potter calls the book "pivotal" -- and it is. Harry Potter's latest adventure finds our hero growing up. He's discovering girls, having nasty arguments with friends, learning of the greater wizarding world and becoming quite powerful as well. But just as Harry is coming of age, so is the material. The previous three books have treated the presence of Voldemort as a foil, rather than a deadly enemy. Harry has had many close calls in the past, but the violence has always been offstage and often vague or vaguely comical. But in this book, Harry faces the consequences of evil action directly. Never has the devastation caused by evil been so powerfully described, in this series or any other book. It is the horrendous consequences (lost families and friends and the emotional toll of such loss) that are the important descriptions, not the circumstance. When people lose parents or friends, it takes one sentence to describe the death but pages to describe the emotional and psychological damage. Based on responses to the previous books, I imagine that there will be a great deal of anger and outrage expressed about the content of this book. Yet it is the unflinching examination of good and evil that gives this book, and the series itself, the power to capture the imagination. Although terrible events occur, the author extols the virtues of bravery, integrity, honesty and compassion in the face of such horror. The events themselves are narrated without artifice nor are they filtered through a morally ambiguous viewpoint. It is by directly and honestly contrasting the qualities of heroism and villainy that Ms. Rowling has managed to reinforce the importance and necessity of such qualities. More so than any other book, this book examines the nature of right and wrong and human frailty, and demands that good people actively choose to perform good deeds. I cannot imagine that there is a better lesson to be learned, or a better series to teach that lesson.

alright, let me try and explain my self out of giving "Chamber of Secrets" only 3 stars. First of all, let me say that though i haven't rated all of the other novels, i have read them all and believe that "Prisoner of Azkiban" is the best of the four released. "Goblet of Fire" and "Sorceror's Stone" are close seconds, but this novel lacks something the other's have. But for those of you who are not yet potter-fans, let me explain the story a little.

Harry is a twelve year old wizard who is to start his second year at a wizarding school called Hogwarts. His best friend, Ron Weasley, and Ron's brother's free harry from his mean-spirited relatives, the Dursleys. He goes to school and gets himself into tons of trouble on the first day. To wrap up, the novel gets going with several of harry's least favorite people turning to stone.

OK. You want to know more? Read the book. But for those who have read it or those who need a better explination as to why this book is not as good, continue forth.

J. K. Rowling does an amazing job of writing in the other three novels. However, i feel that thematically, this book falls short. In "Stone," Harry faces Voldemort for the second time in his life. His mother's love protects him from the evil wizards power and harry is saved by LOVE (Theme 1). In the third novel, Harry faces the prosepect of meeting his godfather, who is an accused murderer and the novel ends with harry using patience and understanding to solve problems. UNDERSTANDING (Theme 2). In "Goblet of Fire," Harry is saved by his wit, trusting, and bravery. WIT AND BRAVERY (Theme 3).

Alright. Here we go. The Themes i've capitalized show how Harry's problems are resolved. These three (well, four really) themes are good things for children who read these novels to apply to their own life, using these four characteristics to help them live life.

The Problem: "Chamber" has a theme, but it is not something that is populary among wise parents. Harry uses violence to finish his problems. He fights evil with evil, and that is a wrong on itself. Rowling has a shortfall here and I wish that she could have used the same creativity shown to design the plot (which is very good and creepy) to finish it. However, this novel is not one that is necessary to read because it doesn't have anything really, really important. If you want, you can skip it, but i don't necessarily recommend that.

"Chamber" is worth reading once (or twice), but it is not of the same calliber as the other novels so far. I highly reccomend any of Rowling's other works and listening to any of Jim Dale's beautiful protrayals on CD or Tape (The unabridged productions are extraordinary).

I hope i've dug myself out of any serious holes and helped someone on whether they will buy this novel or not.

Amazon says for readers up to 12 years of age. I am 16 and the Harry Potter series are by far my favorite books. Rowlings keep you in suspense through out all of Harry's ordeals.

During the whole story, you feel for Harry. Your sad when he's with the Dursleys (his incredibly cruel adoptive parents), you're overjoyed when they escape detention, and you fear for him when he faces the evil that has been hurting the students at the school.

I liked the book for it's new perspective on magic and people who can't perform magic. If you want to read another series in the same genre, check out the Chronicles of Narnia. Great books also.

These books are great for all ages, little children will love the cool adventures as well as adults.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories that take you away from everything else. I also encourage Rowlings to keep writing. These books are spectacular.

The book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is one of thebest books I've ever read. I gave the book five stars because it wasreally exciting and it kept me interested through the whole story. I think J.K. Rowling is a terrific author. Harry Potter is a young wizard who goes to a school named Hogwarts. He'd been home on summer vacation with his Muggle (non-magic) relatives the Dursley's and they had mistreated him so much he couldn't wait for school to start. While he was there, Harry got a warning from a strange elf who told him that he shouldn't go back to Hogwart's because disaster would strike, but Harry was determined to return to school. The Dursleys had locked Harry in his room so his best wizard friend Ron, helped him escape in a flying car! They even ended up flying the car back to school. At Hogwart's they met up with their other best friend, Hermoine Granger. Soon though, weird things started happening, students start getting turned to stone, strange messages appear on the walls and mysterious rumors about a Chamber of Secrets start flying all around school. What's behind all this? You'll have to read this book to find out and you won't be sorry that you did.!

'50 in 50' was surprisingly enjoyable. Many stories from decades past are trite and out-of-date. Most of the stories in Harry Harrison's new collection hold up very well.

There are several overarching themes in Harrison's stories. The major theme is overpopulation. My favorite story in the volume is about a couple who breaks the law by having a second child. By law if you bring an unauthorized life into the world, another life must leave. So the government hires an assassin to kill one of the parents. This is a taut, chilling story of a man's desire to protect his family against a cold-blooded killer. The other overpopulation stories are equally memorable.

Included in this collection is the story that was the basis for the movie 'Soylent Green'.

Most of the 50 stories in the collection are entertaining. A few are dated, such as stories about interplanetary flights and space exploration, but on the whole they hold up quite well. I was disappointed with the lack of a bibliography telling when each story was published. The reader is left to guess at each story's publication date. The cover art is marvelous, which, though inconsequential, made the book all-the-more enjoyable for me to read. A solid collection. Though there are no award-winners in here, it's a good read.

This collection contains 50 stories written by Harry Harrison in 50 years of professional writing of science fiction. Most of the stories are well-written, but a few are outdated by subsequence events. Some are deliberately shocking -- Rescue Operation, Roommates -- and others are humorous -- The Man From P.I.G. -- and some supposed to be -- Space Rats of the CCC -- but some of the best stories aren't in this collection since they were expanded into novels and even into movie scripts.

Although already writing in other fields, Harrison originally came into science fiction as an artist and some samples of his works are included. Harrison also worked as an editor, first in comics and then moving on to science fiction magazines. He also edited the Best SF series with Brian Aldiss, the Nova series, and the SF Authors' Choice anthologies. He is probably best known for the Stainless Steel Rat series, which started off with a bang, but have become rather predictable. His Deathworld trilogy continues to be admired by his long time fans, showing the advantage of quitting while you are ahead.

Harrison and I are almost diametrically opposed on many political and social issues, so I wish I knew the man personally and could sit down with him for extented discussions of anything and everything. Reading his works is the next best thing and I have done so for over 40 years. I still think he is one of the best at his craft.

Having read Harrison for so long, most of these stories are old friends that I read when first published, but some were new to me. I bought it for old times sake, but I suggest you try this collection if you have never read any of Harrison's short works. It should be an interesting experience.

In 50 In 50 Harrison not only gives the fans of SF a semi-auto-biographical overview of his 50 plus year career, but gives us 50 of his best stories. From his first 'Rock Diver', to his most recent, 'The Road To The Year 3000'. From the fantastic to hard SF, humorous to the serious, to stories that defy category. It is a compendium that is a must for every fan of SF. The extensive story notes that not only look into the stories, but what makes this writer one of SF's very best, and his long and illustrious, prolific and continuing career... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet.

I had the hardest time getting in line for this book at the library. It was almost always checked out. It ties as most interesting with "Irresistible" but the focus is on the Christian nature of the stories. Harry turns out to be Jesus made flesh and all the symbolism turns out to be as Christian as C. S. Lewis could wish. As long as you are not an extreme fundamentalist reading these stories turn out to be great Christian literature. In fact, it turns out that all moral narratives are Christian. Dr. Killinger explains why.

While reading this book I got the impression that Killinger wrote this book to refute Abanes's book on Harry Potter. He was irate over what Abanes wrote (which I completely understand) and so he posted his defense. However, he slips into many of the same mistakes as Abanes, although going the opposite direction.
1. He lambasts anti-Potterists as narrow-minded and numbskulls...it isn't going to win any friends.
2. His mainline Christian tendencies come out in force when he's quoting the Bible, referencing the JEDP hypothesis, an eschatological redaction of the Gospels, and Tillich's views on the mythological meaning of the resurrection. Along with referring to the Nativity as a "legend" he is hardly making any friends or credibility with the fundalementalists who have probably already have passed him off as a "so-called Christian" who is a part of Satan's deception.
3. If you did not understand the vocabulary of my last point, you will not understand the vocabulary of Killinger. I got a Religion degree from an Evangelical school, but even I had a hard time keeping up with his over-use of theologically-laden terms. Fortunately, he has enough sense to explain kerygma in an subordinate clause, but why even use it in a popular book anyway? Unless you have taken a few Theology or Bible classes, you're going to need a Theological Reference book by you at all times.
4. I consider myself well-read in the area of great Christian thinkers, but even I had to pause frequently before Killingers large block quotes to place the authors, ranging from Chesterson, Buechner, Nouwen, to Merton. Great people, but not read much outside the small Christian academic circle. A little help would be nice to understand who these people and why we should listen to them.
5. Killinger never actually refutes the main arguments of Abanes. I'm guessing that as a mainline Protestant they didn't make any sense to him, so he came up with his own arguments. So he never answers the question of what to do with the verses in Leviticus or Revelation that command captial punishment for witches. Along with his quotations of popular mediums and spiritists to prove that the world beyond is not so far away, fundalmentalists are sure to write him off as an occult sympathiser, or worse, a one-world-religionist.
6. While Abanes often makes the mistake of leaps of logic (like the idea that Harry can do divination because he can talk to snakes) Killinger also falls prey to this. He attempts to make connections where Rowling has explicitly said in interviews that no connection can be made (like a meaning to the word "Quidditch"). However other ideas, like making Harry into a Christ figure and Dumbledore into God, is tenuous and almost as funny as some of Abanes ideas.
The book does make some good points, but it hardly is going to convince an anti-Potterist to change their view. Instead this book would be wonderful for any well-educated evangelical or mainline Christian.

I found this book absolutely wonderful. I am a Harry Potter fan, and I am also a Christian. I have read some of the other literature about the Harry Potter series, and have found myself getting defensive. This book gave me a lot of things to think about that I hadn't considered in my readings of the HP books. People who haven't even touched the HP books because of their religious views ought to read this book before they speak out against the HP books.

Harry Harrison has never been one of my favourite authors, and this book certainly did not change my opinion. But I have to admit, alternative histories have always been my weak spot and in "a Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah" Harrison succeeds pretty well in combining an intriguing victorian setting and and an interesting plot with the enormous engineering project required by the tunnel between England and its North-American colony, USA. As in Harrison's popular science fiction parodies, this book also has a fluent storyline and although it didn't quite catch the level of sense of wonder I expected, at least it managed to keep away the boredom of our mundane world. And isn't that way most of us read science fiction anyway?

Harry Harrison pre-empts the steampunk novels of the 1990s with this "Victorian" romance set in a parallel world of 1973 where the war of American Independence was won by the British. Travel by sea is slow and cumbersome, so a group of engineers on both sides of the Atlantic come up with a way of building a tunnel that will traverse the ocean. Chief engineer on the British side is Sir Isambard Brassy-Brunel who is in disagreement with the man in overall charge of both sides. Captain Augustine "Gus" Washington, a descendant of the very George Washington who was executed for his traitorous activities against the UK at Lexington, has been awarded the difficult job of co-ordinating both sides of construction. The fact that Gus wishes to marry Brunel's daughter only adds to his problems in this fun, light-hearted SF novel which also features a medium who can allegedly see into the various existing parallel universes. Her only comments regarding our particular timeline regard our weapons capabilities and (naturally) Woolworths, and Marks & Spencers. Good fun

This is one of Harry Harrison's all time greats. His understanding of "what could have been" is unsurpassed.

I could read this book over and over again.

I bought this book and Sean Smith's biography of the same name as I love the Harry Potter books and wanted to find out more about the author, who seems to be quite private and doesn't reveal much about herself. There is no new material in Kirk's book - in fact she has taken a lot of the information from Smith's book which came out 2 years ago so you may as well just buy that one!

If you buy this book thinking you'll read something new, don't bother.

My mom and I both read this book while we were waiting for Harry Potter #5 to come out. It has some things in it I've never heard of before about Ms. Rowling. My mom said she thought the Forest of Dean near where Ms. Rowling grew up sounded like a magical place and maybe that's where some of her ideas came from. We loved the names of the mushrooms they have there! We liked this book a lot and recommend it to any Harry Potter fans out there who would like to know more about the author. It's also the most up-to-date biography we know of--it even mentions her new baby!

This book is very informative and provides a clear way of undrstanding parts of J.K. Rowling's life. It is by far the most accurate and up-to-date biography of J.K. Rowling.
I give this book 5 stars because of its accuracy and the fact that this book is the most up-to-date biography of J.K. Rowling.