Bibliographic Information: Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2007. ISBN 9780545010221
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Made into movie
Reading Level: Grades 6-12
Curriculum ties: None
Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Books – Older Readers Category: 2008, BILBY – Books I Love Best Yearly (Australia) : Older Reader, Booklist Editors’ Choice – Books for Youth – Older Readers Category: 2007, Nebula Awards: Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, New York Times Notable Books – Children’s Books: 2007, New York Times Notable Books – Fiction and Poetry: 2007,YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2008.
Note: Book 7 in the Harry Potter Series. Made into movie
Reader’s Annotation: In this last book, Harry Potter is has the immense task of find and destroy all of the remaining Horcruxes of Voldemort.
Plot Summary:
After the death of Dumbledore, Harry Potter along with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are forced to flee the evil Voldemort and his Deatheaters. They decide to hide out in secluded forests never staying in the same place for more than a few days. They continue to search for Horcruxes which are parts of the evil soul of Voldemort in order to destroy them and in turn Voldemort himself. The trio are able to locate some Horcruxes despite the dangerous situations they face, including a bank break-in involving a fire breathing dragon. They believe the last Horcruxe is hidden at Hogwarts School, and return, only to discover that Voldemort and the Deatheaters are planning to attack the school. Harry, Ron and Hermione along with every ally that has helped them throughout the series of books prepare to defend Hogwarts to the death. But the main battle will be between Harry Potter and Voldemort once and for all. And this one will be to the death.
Critical Evaluation:
The highly anticipated finale of the Harry Potter series of books is the best and most violent of all the books. The battle sequences are epic and deadly to some of the main characters. But how else would you expect this to end, with everyone living happily ever after? You have to read this book to find out, and this is a long read. Harry, Ron and Hermione face their biggest battle yet when they face off against pure evil. It shows how they’ve matured by the way they handled all the adversity thrown their way. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort was intense. I knew Voldemort wanted harry dead to fulfill his destiny of being the ultimate wizard. But what I realized is Harry wanted to murder Voldemort to avenge the deaths of his parents and Dumbledore. After I read the book, I was concerned that many parents were going to say that the book was too violent and that young adults should not read it. But I realized that we all grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione and we all learned from their experiences. As they learned how to defeat the evil Voldemort, we learned how to deal with our own versions of Voldemort. This book should be looked at as a sort of non official guide for young adults to use whenever they need guidance when a parent is not available. WWHPD? What Would Harry Potter Do? I will miss Harry, Ron and Hermione. That’s ok, I can always reread the books. Just knowing that will allow me to live happily ever after.
Booktalking Ideas:
Discuss the epilogue. Was it satisfying? Was it surprising?
Discuss how this was a coming of age story. How did the main charaters change throughout the books?
What evidence is there that Harry and Voldemort are connected aside from Harry being a Horcrux.
Discuss the relationship between Ron and Hermione.
Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: Wizards, Magic, Beasts, Swearing
Challenge defense ideas:
• Exposure to competing ideas provides us with variety, enriching our society.
• The innuendo is not something I’m worried about because I doubt he’ll notice. Nor am I particularly worried about the swearing, but I felt it was worth mentioning. -Anonymous Retrieved from: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090104165528AA8IHS4.
From an adult viewpoint, the increasing maturity and darkness is actually one of the most appealing aspects of the series and shows a fair amount of skill on Rowling’s part. It’s an excellent coming of age story about an orphan who has a hard life among uncaring relatives until his tenth birthday when he discovers he has magical skill and ultimately faces off with his parent’s killer. From the beginning it’s built to appeals to childhood fantasy. What kid hasn’t wanted to suddenly find out he was special and had the ability to strike back at the Dursleys (bullies) of his world? -Wesley Peck. Retrieved from: http://www.examiner.com/parenting-multiples-in-nashville/what-age-is-harry-potter-appropriate-for
Continue reading on Examiner.com: What age is Harry Potter appropriate for? – Nashville Parenting Multiples | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/parenting-multiples-in-nashville/what-age-is-harry-potter-appropriate-for#ixzz1MxOg14fX
Why was this book included?: This popular saga revitalized the value of reading in around the world among all ages.
Author Information: Author. Born Joanne Kathleen Rowling, on July 31, 1965, in Chipping Sodbury, near Bristol, England. A single mother living in Edinburgh, Scotland, Rowling became an international literary sensation in 1999, when the first three installments of her Harry Potter children’s book series took over the top three slots of The New York Times best-seller list after achieving similar success in her native United Kingdom. The phenomenal response to Rowling’s books culminated in July 2000, when the fourth volume in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, became the fastest-selling book in history.
A graduate of Exeter University, Rowling moved to Portugal in 1990 to teach English. There, she met and married the Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes. The couple’s daughter, Jessica, was born in 1993. After her marriage ended in divorce, Rowling moved to Edinburgh with her daughter to live near her younger sister, Di. While struggling to support Jessica and herself on welfare, Rowling worked on a book, the idea for which had reportedly occurred to her while she was traveling on a train from Manchester to London in 1990. After a number of rejections, she finally sold the book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (the word “Philosopher” was changed to “Sorcerer” for its publication in America), for the equivalent of about $4,000. The book, and its subseqent series, chronicled the life of Harry Potter, a young wizard, and his motley band of cohorts at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
By the summer of 2000, the first three Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban earned approximately $480 million in three years, with over 35 million copies in print in 35 languages. In July 2000, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire saw a first printing of 5.3 million copies and advance orders of over 1.8 million. After a postponed release date, the fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, hit book stores in June 2003. The sixth installment, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, sold 6.9 million copies in the United States in its first 24 hours, the biggest opening in publishing history. Prior to its July 2007 release, the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was the largest ever pre-ordered book at chain stores Barnes & Noble and Border’s, and at Amazon.com.
Rowling, now Britain’s 13th wealthiest woman—wealthier than even the Queen—does not plan to write any more books in the series, but has not entirely ruled out the possibility.
(Author information obtained from Biography.com. Retrieved from: http://www.biography.com/articles/J.K.-Rowling-40998).
Clownfish619's Blog 