Organized in six sections appendices, this 400-page book is a treasure trove of information and trivia about Harry Potter, Rowling's most famous literary creation, and the phenomenon that surrounds him. The Real World of J.K. Rowling provides an in-depth look at Rowling herself: a chronology, a biography, a guide to Rowling's England and Scotland, FAQs, a concordance, Harry Potter illustrators, Rowling-related charities, a Harry Potter convention, and more. A Writer's Life is jam-packed with information for aspiring word wizards, with time-tested advice on getting your book published, the craft of writing, cafes to fuel your creativity, Harry Potter and censorship, and more.Harry Potter-Screen Magic is an in-depth look at the two movie adaptations, with reviews, cast listings, notable quotes by the cast, and more.Books offers a book-by-book look at the five Potter novels plus other official, and unofficial, books. A fictional concordance for Muggles and a trivia quiz round out this in-depth section.Harry Potter Merchandise looks at the numerous tie-in products licensed by Warner Bros., from action figures to wizard cards.Harry Potter Websites discussess the best that the World Wide Web offers, with capsule reviews, screenshots, and addresses.The Appendices provide detailed information on Rowling's book editions in the U.S. and the U.K., a list of available films and DVDs, and key collectibles with prices.Each section features dozens of quotes by and about J.K. Rowling.Packed with articles, profiles, synopses, and sidebars, "Muggles and Magic" is profusely illustrated with photographys and illustrations, including a special 16-page color photo album with little-seen photos of Rowling and England.

    Travis Prinzi, author of 'Harry Potter and Imagination' and webmaster at The Hog's Head, has tapped his Potter Pundit friends in Fandom and at better universities around the country for their insights about the literary magic of the seven novels, from their ring composition to the symbolism of the planets, from the Dante, Spencer, and MacDonald echoes to exploration of the meanings of magic and technology. Profound and far-reaching as these ideas are, the essays are all written in accessible style and tone. Serious readers of Harry Potter will delight in the conversation each chapter offers with another lover of the Hogwarts Saga and its greater depths.

    One of the most progressive and imaginative people in British education today he has hitherto kept a low profile. This book accompanies a three part television series to be screened on BBC 2 but differs from it significantly.There is a crisis in the British education system. Year on year GCSE and A Level pupils post better exam results, with more students achieving top grades. Yet business leaders and employers complain bitterly that our schools are not producing people fit for purpose. What we have become is a nation 'Over schooled and under educated'. Far from being locked in an ivory tower, a bastion of privilege, Mr Little has used his time as a teacher and headmaster to get to grips with fundamental questions concerning education. He wants to produce people fit to work in the modern world. How do children absorb information? What kind of people does society need? What is education for? Not only is the author one of the great reforming headmasters of our time but he has planted Academies in the East end of London, founded a state boarding school near Windsor and yet is a passionate advocate of single sex schools.This book is not a text book for colleges of education- it is a book to enlighten the teaching profession and just as much for anxious parents. The book is simply arranged under topics such as authority, expectations, progress, self-confidence, sex, crises and creativity.Tony Little thinks it is time to ask some fundamental questions, and to make brave decisions about how we make our schools and our schoolchildren fit for purpose.

    Now, the experts at MuggleNet.com argue passionately about what really happened and what should have happened.•Would the series be stronger if Harry hadn’t survived?•Should we pity Voldemort or hate him?•Is Severus Snape really a hero?•Should J.K. Rowling have left Dumbledore’s gay sexual orientation a secret?•Did Harry actually die in Deathly Hallows?•Were the Slytherins too demonized, the Hufflepuffs too lame, and the Gryffindors too glorified?•Should J.K.R. write more Harry Potter novels or go out on top?

    With up-to-date information through book six in the series, this companion volume offers a comprehensive look at the world of Harry Potter through the eyes of leading science fiction and fantasy writers and religion, psychology, and science experts.

    K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels--revised and updated with information relating to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

    K. Rowling achieved astounding commercial success with her series of novels about Harry Potter, the boy-wizard who finds out about his magical powers on the morning of his eleventh birthday. The books' incredible popularity, and the subsequent likelihood that they are among this generation's most formative narratives, call for critical exploration and study to interpret the works' inherent tropes and themes. The essays in this collection assume that Rowling's works should not be relegated to the categories of pulp fiction or children's trends, which would deny their certain influence on the intellectual, emotional, and psychosocial development of today's children. The variety of contributions allows for a range of approaches and interpretive methods in exploring the novels, and reveals the deeper meanings and attitudes towards justice, education, race, foreign cultures, socioeconomic class, and gender.Following an introductory discussion of the Harry Potter phenomenon are essays considering the psychological and social-developmental experiences of children as mirrored in Rowling's novels. Next, the works' literary and historical contexts are examined, including the European fairy tale tradition, the British abolitionist movement, and the public-school story genre. A third section focuses on the social values underlying the Potter series and on issues such as morality, the rule of law, and constructions of bravery.

    It tells the story of William Stoner, who attends the state university to study agronomy, but instead falls in love with English literature and becomes an academic. The novel narrates the many disappointments and struggles in Stoner's academic and personal life, including his estrangement from his wife and daughter, set against the backdrop of the first half of the twentieth century.In his entry in the Bookmarked series, author Steve Almond writes about why Stoner has endured, and the manner in which it speaks to the impoverishment of the inner life in America. Almond will also use the book as a launching pad for an investigation of America’s soul, in the process, writing about his own struggles as a student of writing, as a father and husband, and as a man grappling with his own mortality.

    

    These poor reading habits hold us back, and it’s why so many people don’t enjoy reading. You see, your brain is a lot like Goldilocks. When you read too slow, your mind wanders, you get distracted, and reading feels like a chore. When you try to read too fast, you can't comprehend what you're reading. The key is to read at the right speed using the best reading strategies for your learning type. In this short read, you’ll discover proven strategies to read faster without having to: Practice speed-reading techniques for hours and hours Skim text and risk missing crucial information Read cliff notes or shortened versions of a book This book combines the best lessons from speed reading techniques, neuroscience, and modern technology to allow you to read faster and comprehend more than you ever thought possible—and you can start to see the results today! Say Goodbye to Slow Reading Forever! I was always a slow reader. I could never focus long enough to read an entire book. I often forgot what I had just read, and had to re-read sentences over and over again. Reading was a frustrating, slow, and painful experience, so I tried to make up for my poor reading skills by studying more and working harder. But studying hard will only get you so far when you're using the wrong strategies. I wanted to be able to read more, learn more, and, most importantly, remember more of what I was reading. If you’ve quit reading more books than you can remember because of boredom or frustration, this book will change your life—and every book from now on will be a “quick read” for you. Everything changed when I developed a better way to read entire books very fast… Incredible Reading Results in 7 Days I was able to read four large books in my first week of using these methods. In Read Better Faster: How to Triple Your Reading Speed and Comprehension Without Speed Reading, Skimming, or Skipping you will discover: The exact methods anyone can use to read books faster than you ever imagined Never again struggle to finish a book, no matter how big or complex it is Start reading (and finishing) more books your friends and colleagues recommend to you How to guarantee laser-focused reading so you never have to re-read or forget what you just read How to comprehend and retain everything you read using a method that forces your brain to turn what you read into long-term memory storage How to accelerate your ability to learn more by reading faster and remembering more information than ever before This book is perfect for you if: You need to study for an exam, improve your grades, or do better in school You need to learn new business skills to improve your career or company You want to easily breeze through your favorite fiction books so you can enjoy reading even more You’ve always wanted to read more books but just can’t find the time or struggle to get through a book I encourage you to in

    The name conjures up J.K. Rowling's wondrous world of magic that has captured the imaginations of millions on both the printed page and the silver screen with bestselling novels and blockbuster films. The true magic found in this children's fantasy series lies not only in its appeal to people of all ages but in its connection to the greater world of classic literature. Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books Behind the Hogwarts Adventures explores the literary landscape of themes and genres J.K. Rowling artfully wove throughout her novels-and the influential authors and stories that inspired her. From Jane Austen's Emma and Charles Dickens's class struggles, through the gothic romances of Dracula and Frankenstein and the detective mysteries of Dorothy L. Sayers, to the dramatic alchemy of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and William Shakespeare, Rowling cast a powerful spell with the great books of English literature that transformed the story of a young wizard into a worldwide pop culture phenomenon.

    During the brief span of just one decade, hundreds of millions of perfectly ordinary people made history: they became the only ones who would remember what it was like when the Harry Potter saga was still unfinished. What is was like to seek out friends, families, online forums, fan fiction, and podcasts to get a fix between novels. When the potential death of a character was a hotter bet than the World Series. When the unfolding story of a boy wizard changed the way books are read for all time. And a webmistress of the Leaky Cauldron, one of the most popular Harry Potter sites on the Internet, Melissa Anelli had a front row seat to it all. Whether it was helping Scholastic stop leaks and track down counterfeiters, hosting live PotterCasts at bookstores across the country, touring with the wizard rock band Harry and the Potters, or traveling to Edinburgh to interview J.K. Rowling personally, Melissa was at the center of the Harry Potter tornado, and nothing about her life would ever be the same. The Harry Potter books are a triumph of the imagination that did far more than break sales records for all time. They restored the world's sense of wonder and took on a magical life of their own. Now the series has ended, but the story is not over. With remembrances from J.K. Rowling's editors, agents, publicists, fans and Rowling herself, Melissa Anelli takes us on a personal journey through every aspect of the Harry Potter phenomenon--from his very first spell to his lasting impact on the way we live the dream.

    With sections on Snape's history, Slytherin House, and Snape actor Alan Rickman's past roles, as well as Snape as villain and as hero, the book scours the Harry Potter novels for hints about Snape's final loyalty and the series' end. There's food for thought for any Snape fan, including those who like him, hate him, or just want to speculate about the contents of his iPod, the greasiness of his hair, or why his name is an anagram of A Perverseness For Soups.

    Students need to know how writers’ and speakers’ choices are shaped by elements of the rhetorical situation, including audience, occasion, and purpose. In Teaching Arguments: Rhetorical Comprehension, Critique, and Response , Jennifer Fletcher provides teachers with engaging classroom activities, writing prompts, graphic organizers, and student samples to help students at all levels read, write, listen, speak, and think rhetorically. Fletcher believes that, with appropriate scaffolding and encouragement, all students can learn a rhetorical approach to argument and gain access to rigorous academic content. Teaching Arguments opens the door and helps them pay closer attention to the acts of meaning around them, to notice persuasive strategies that might not be apparent at first glance. When we analyze and develop arguments, we have to consider more than just the printed words on the page. We have to evaluate multiple perspectives; the tension between belief and doubt; the interplay of reason, character, and emotion; the dynamics of occasion, audience, and purpose; and how our own identities shape what we read and write. Rhetoric teaches us how to do these things. Teaching Arguments will help students learn to move beyond a superficial response to texts so they can analyze and craft sophisticated, persuasive arguments—a major cornerstone for being not just college-and career-ready but ready for the challenges of the world.

    You won't need to learn any web programming or turn yourself into a computer geek.What is WordPress?WordPress is a powerful publishing tool that's the single most popular way of publishing websites and blogs. It's used by Fortune 500 companies, startups, small businesses, bloggers and non-profits alike to build a professional presence on the web.Because WordPress lets you add and edit content through a web-based admin area, it's easier to use then you might imagine. In fact, you can build a great-looking site without being a web designer or computer geek. You can edit your website design as much as you like and add new features with a few clicks of the mouse, or you can use the default design for an equally professional-looking site.In plain English, this step-by-step book, written by a WordPress expert, helps you buy a domain name, get web hosting and set up WordPress so you can make a beautiful website or blog.Clear explanations and over 55 images of the admin screens and tools mean you can see exactly how to do all this.What you'll learn in WordPress Step-by-Step*How to choose a great domain name and get professional, reliable hosting * How to install WordPress in a few mouse clicks* How to publish posts and pages with correctly formatted text* How to give your website a professional touch by using images and videos* How to customize the design of your site without needing to be a programmer* How to extend your site even further with "plugins" * How to structure your site so you'll get found by Google* How to keep your website secure * How to solve the most common WordPress problems...and more.There's also a free bonus chapter on getting the first visitors to your site.Plus, the book is packed with links to additional resources and free design themes and plugins to help you build a website on a budget.By the time you've read the book you'll have a unique, professional and easy-to-use website to be proud of - and you'll have created it yourself!Important: This book is currently the most up-to-date WordPress book available on Amazon. Some of the older WordPress books were published more than a year ago - a lot has changed since then. This guide describes how to use the latest version of WordPress (3.5).Whether you want to build a simple website for your company or organization, make money with a blog or a full online store, this non-geek guide will get you online quickly.