Book Description

This Harry Potter Postcard Book includes 32 high quality Harry Potter postcards, each featuring a different character or scene from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Using movie stills from the second Harry Potter movie from Warner Brothers, this exciting postcard collection is perfect for fans to collect, trade, mail, display, and treasure! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A great HP and the Chamber of Secrets keepsake
I'm not sure how much I can say about a postcard book, but here goes. Lo and behold, the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Postcard Book does indeed deliver a book of postcards to the Pottermaniacs among us. I've seen references to 32 postcards being included here, but the total count in my copy is actually 24, and there is no evidence to indicate that the book once had any more than that (and, I might add, the other couple of copies I have seen of this book also have 24 in all). Almost all of the postcards feature shots from the film, but two are unique - each one shows an image of Harry in his Quidditch robe in front of a somewhat generic background, thus taking on the look of sports cards. Personally, I think all of the postcards look great, and the photography is quite vivid. You get plenty of Harry and Ron pics, of course, two featuring Draco Malfoy at his wizard-dueling best (or should I say worst), a few postcards showcasing scenery more than characters, two nice pics of Gilderoy Lockhart, and one great pic of Professor Dumbledore (Richard Harris) flanked by Professor McGonagall and Argus Filch. There is only postcard featuring Professor Snape, but he is looking particularly malevolent in the photo. Lest you think I have forgotten Hermione Granger, I have not. Since she is my favorite character, I have singled her out for special attention here at the end. There are actually only two good pictures of her included here: one featuring Hermione and Jenny Weasley mooning over Professor Lockhart and one really nice one picturing her as she mixes up a batch of Polyjuice Potion.

JUST GET THIS
This is a lovely poster book!

The picturs are wonderful-just like the movie itself.

IF you know a Harry Potter fan fare away you have to get this- They'll tursher it!

Or do like I do and keep them all just to be happy about and go nuts over if one of your frinds asks for one.

Thats why you would need a LOOOT!

YAWN
I collect postcards, and I LOVE the books and movie,so I bought this postcard book. Harry wasn't my favourite character, so I was dissapointed because there were only a couple Ron ones. I wouldn't buy this book if I were you!

Impressed
I was very impressed with the postcards in this book: the colors are great and the shots are really good. I totally reccomend it.

dissapointing
this product doesnt deserve any stars but since that isnt an option i was forced to give it one. i collect postcards and since i like the books and was anticipating the movie so i bought the postcards. they were really dissapointing. 3 or4 of them are the same scene at different angles, also what really confused me was how the changed harry's eye color to the approprate green where in the movie his eyes are lovely inacurate blue. If they have the energy to change it on posters and postcards why cant they change it in the movie? i wouldnt waste my time or money buying these. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

Good ideas for HARRY POTTER SERIES The Harry Potter series
with good ideas for those who love telling stories Harry Potter The Characters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Stained Glass Art Through "Education World " - best resources Addition to the Great Books Guide to Grammar and Writing who we called HarryPotter Quoteland! Good on style and culture; excellent launchpad for any researcher into Harry Potter world! 5 stars product!!!

Not bad
Not bad, and it's suitable for light reading, espeacially for kids, and it provides further insight on the characters of the book. My younger sister loves it. ... Read more

Book Description

In response to the heated controversy surrounding the Harry Potter phenomenon, Christian Publications is excited to present the book "Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace behind the Magick." (The word “magic” refers to stage illusions by sleight-of-hand, where-as “magick” refers to occult practices.) In this timely book, Richard Abanes -- nationally recognized cult researcher -- skillfully answers the questions parents and others are asking about the mega best-selling series by J.K. Rowling. ... Read more

Reviews (86)

Ah, Richard. Such silly things you write!
I don't know where I was when Harry Potter mania first struck. Must've been on a deserted island somewhere, with nothing to read. Because I didn't catch up with the frenzy until the fourth book. And how did I discover the trend? Why, by reading this book!

It was easy enough to glom onto what my pastors and mentors were saying about the Harry Potter series. Evil? Witchy? Occultic? Sure! I admit thinking that way to my everlasting shame, though. I'm a children's lit specialist, and I've worked in bookstores for most of my working life.

I was working in a Christian bookstore when this one was published. So I decided to read it on my lunch hours. It took all of fifteen minutes to understand that Abanes's arguments are superficial, flawed, and come from an uneducated understanding of literature. I had never read Rowling's books up to that point. The nonsense spewing forth from the pages of Harry Potter and the Bible is what made me turn to Book One, Page One of the Harry Potter series. I had to see for myself if such shallow arguments (such as, Harry lies and therefore teaches readers that lying is okay) had any basis at ALL.

Well, okay. Harry does lie. And yeah, he sure does use magic! But he's not a sorcerer, for pity's sake. He's not invoking spirits or calling up devils. He's doing what I'd call "play" magic - flinging feathers, unlocking doors (no, wait, that was Hermione!), etc. Even when he performs more serious magic (Patronus, etc.) it's for the good.

True, the Bible is clear on its warnings against sorcery. Abanes isn't a total idiot. He's got that bit right. But his understanding of literature is impossibly skewed. Writing is a craft. Every craft has its own tools. One that writers use is called PLOT DEVICE. That's what magic is in the Harry Potter novels. It moves the story along, gives it character. It does not teach impressionable young'uns occult practices.

I could go on and on about how ridiculous this book is. Let me just say, as a Christian, a reader, an educated individual, it was Abanes's book that got me to read Harry Potter in the first place. For that, I have to thank him. Because I LOVE J.K. Rowling's creation! The books are fantastic, brilliant, amazingly crafted, and they echo (as all Good Literature does) the Greater Story.

I'm rating one star only because I can't rate -500
I read this book, and many of it's reviews, and am apalled by it. Abanes says Harry and friends lie, cheat and steal. True, but that's not all. He continues to say that, as always, there are no consequences. That is wrong. That is totally and completely wrong. Then there's the big thing on "Harry Potter uses magic". True, the books would probably be just as popular without magic(k), but it's not as big a thing. Now I will quote a reviewer:
"The people who try to bash Richard Abanes and the people who try to bash others who have problems with the Harry Potter book series are an interesting sort. They say that they are the ones who are "open-minded" and "tolerant" which is seen as a virtue in today's world, but in effect, they are the ones who are close-minded and intolerant."
Really? Then I've been thinking all wrong. No one's bashing Abanes, as far as I know, and I read only the reviews giving this book 5 stars. I call that open-minded. And look at all the people who read the book and are still saying that Harry is good! They all read the book, and that's also open-minded. And we're tolerant enough to put up with people like Abanes or Arms (Pokemon and Harry Potter: a fatal attraction). Another reviewer says:
"Abanes also does an excellent job of comparing Lewis and Tolkein's works to the modern "masterpieces" of Rowling, and helps the reader to understand that other than superficial similarities, Lewis and Tolkein's books are VASTLY different from that of Rowling"
Their books are VASTLY different? Gandalf/Dumbledore/the wizard I forgot his name, Harry/Frodo/Lucy, Dobby/Gollum, The Sword Of Gryffindor/Frodo's Sword (forgot the name)/Peter's sword. And then Alan and the Gryffindor lion, which is something. Magic(k) takes place in all three books. Consider the time when Lucy has to use magic. The ring in Lord Of The Rings is magic. I don't see much difference, other than names and a difference in characters here and there.
I'd also like to add that Harry uses magic mostly to defend himself. In the OotP (I know this book was written before) Harry defends himself from a Demetor with the Patronus charm, even though he's not allowed to. He also breaks rules to learn to defend himself and others. In both cases it's survival on their minds, and they can't be attacked for that. In CoS Hermione steals something from Snape for truth. Yes, Harry cheats in the Triwizard tournament, but that's what you're supposed to do. He didn't keep the prize fpr himself, anyway. He gave it to charity (sorta). I think Abanes read the whole book thoughrouly, but I wouldn't put it past him that he didn't!
(...)

The ravings of a hack..
Richard Abanes has managed to do what very few authors have done. He annoyed me to the level of giving his book only 1 star. Only a couple of others(Kobo Abe, Kathy Acker, and Lydia Adamson) have managed that dubious feat UNTIL NOW.

Abanes basically wrote a 200 something page screed against Harry Potter, and J.K Rowling. He contradicts himself through, giving mixed messages about Rowling's character. He takes parts of the books completely out of context, so it would make Harry look the worst. He goes off the deep end with mentioning real-life occultists that the average pre-pubbescant wouldn't have the resources or the mindset to look up. He completely doesn't understand the average 11-year old, and makes Harry look like a poor role model(which is debatable) because he acts like a typical 11-year old.

Some chapters digress totally away from Harry Potter, and get into Satanism and dark occultic practices that have NOTHING to do with Rowling or Harry Potter, but have everything to do with fanatics and the most wholy evil of us. Bad writing and poor apologetics. Abanes should stick to anti-Mormon books, and leave critiques of children's literature to one who can only think for himself.

This book is a Menace!
Anyone who comes up with these type of ideas should keep them to themselves. I found no problem whatsoever with reading the Harry Potter series. And if people have a problem reading such stories, they should stop. No one is forcing them to read, or watch the movies for that matter.

This book gets NO stars from me!
I am a college student, a senior, doing a paper on the Potter Books and the debate that rages on on regarding whether or not children should read these books. Rather than buying this book, I thankfully had my girlfriend check this book out of her Seminary's library so I could read it and learn some of the anti-Potter arguments. What I found in this book was not objective sound arguments against the Potter books, but blatent misinterpretations, not to mention blatent intentional twisting around of Rowlings writings to fit Abanes arguments. The problem is Abanes NEVER makes a single valid argument in the book that I have seen as to why someone should not let their child read the Potter books. He spends most his time harping on Moral relativism, but he leaves huge amounts of information out as why the characters act the way they do at times. For example he criticizes Rowlings for having Hermione's character digress from her non-rule breaking views at one point in Sorceror's Stone to telling McGonagall a lie in the bathroom after Ron and Harry defeated the troll. But he never bothers to mention the fact that Harry and Ron had just SAVED Hermione's life from the troll and that she was actually keeping them from getting in trouble in return. Abanes resorts to verbal attacks on Rowlings in this book as well. For example, He accuses her of making fun of overweight people in her descriptions of Dudley, Uncle Vernon, and Aunt Marge. Now I'm no author, but for pete's sake even I know the difference between when an author is poking fun at someone and when as in Rowling's case, they are just simply describing the characters. I am not saying there aren't things in these books that may be not appropriate for little children. Then again these books were never meant for little children in the first place. She meant the books to be for older children to adults. I think Abanes fails dismally in his book and I'm suprised this book made it to press with all the inaccuracies and verbal attacks on Rowlings in it. Do not buy this book if you're trying to decide whether or not to let your children read the books. It won't help. I only gave it one star because it wouldn't let me choose to put none. ... Read more

Book Description

If you are reading, teaching, or parenting Harry Potter fans, this is the indispensable guidebook to take you behind the Potter legend, into the life of its author, and to give young readers many more hours of enjoyment beyond reading the novels themselves.Explore the origins and mysteries of Harry's world, its history, science, magic, mythology, setting, characters, themes, food, and sports.The sourcebook includes projects and activities for young readers, questions that generate lively discussion between parents and children, websites for internet research by young surfers, lesson plans for teachers, and resources for librarians.

Disclaimer: Not Approved By J.K. Rowling. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

OK if you want to read one person's view
But there's precious little from the book which hasn't been debated and analysed on the egroups.com harry potter for grown ups mailing list - and it's much more fun to get to discuss hidden meanings and make predictions with other people, rather than read what one woman thought about the books. Plus, there's too much discussion of greek & roman mythology & not enough about british folktales about Grims, Hands of Glory and dragons in Scotland. Which do you think is more relevant to a story that takes place in the British Isles?

Superficial and tedious
A thoroughly disappointing book. Lovers of the Harry Potter series will be irritated by the superficial attempt to list every possible analogy to names or occurances; teachers will be hard-pressed to find any useful material here as a forum for discussion. Much tedious research has gone into this book but the 'exploration' is more one of turning over the pebbles than of getting out a spade and actually digging.
This is to be the first of a series of 'Sourcebooks for Exploring Young Adult Fiction' with a commentary on the Narnia Chronicles set to follow. Hopefully the publishers will avoid trivializing and torturing further works as they have done here and treat young readers' minds with greater respect.
My advice is simple. Don't bother to read this. But to help you make up your own mind here is an excerpt.

"Harry can also be regarded as a medieval crusader, draped in symbolic robes in quest of the Holy Grail. As a Seeker, Harry battles heretics during games of Quidditch. His accident symbolizes a fall from grace before he can rise again as a worthy spiritual leader. Avoiding the fate of Lot's wife who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at Sodom, Harry leaves the Quidditch field with his face forward, avoiding glancing to either side. He also evades the basilisk's gaze."

Utter Intellectual Trash
Ick. I got this book a year ago or so as a gift and was pretty excited about it when I actually got it. It seemed to have all the right elements for a great gift. I'm a mythology geek who loves Harry Potter and well written companion guides to literature.
The entire book is so pretentiously written it was irritating and a lot of her correlations are total nonsense. Plus there were so many mistakes in her research that it lost all credibility. I find it hard to believe that anyone with a decent understanding in history, mythology, folklore and plain old Harry Potter could find this of much value. If they did, they'd see what poorly founded babble this is.

Ripping off the readers.
This book was obviously poorly reseached and written with many errors. It was filled with wild generalizations that seemed more like the effort of a student who hadn't studied for a test to convince the teacher by sheer volume of writing that they must have something right in there somewhere. The entire book was full of guesswork and assumptions which were not supported by solid research and information. The style was not very readable, more like reading a student's research paper than a book and both my children and myself found most of the activity suggestions to be of the sort usuallly found in textbooks; guaranteed to make all but the most avid fan bored or disgusted with the whole series. We have found several books which actually do what this one promised. They use research to make the connections to the actual source mythology, latin words used in the spells, puzzles, word plays, etc. and although not perfect, are certainly much more worthwhile and readable than this one. One of the better ones is The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter by Allan Zola Kronzek and Elizabeth Kronzek

congratulations!
The author needs to commended and congratulated for the courage shown in exposing her intellect (or lack of it) to the wide world. It is either that or a very obvious way of cashing in on popularity of another book. The cover says that the book was not approved by JK Rowling. One glance inside the book is enough to tell one why. The author has covered all bases and compared with every possible fictional and non-fictional character...including James Bond (and why not?! I can see the similarity...007 and Harry has seven years in Hogwarts). If I were to use one word to desribe this book...drivel is what I would say. ... Read more

Book Description

This is an Urdu translation of the international best-seller Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

don't let the cover fool you!
Ok, it's pretty much a given that I will buy just about any harry potter item, but this one was the first real disappointment. First of all, I thought this was like the old magic coloring books that give you one pen and then depending on where you color in the picture, it came up a different color. Especially great for little ones, because you could never color out of the lines! But this, sadly, was not like that at all. It's a blank page that you just color from top to bottom to make the image appear, all in one color (I think the pen can be either green or blue depending on which side you use.) Two bad things about this - first, it's terribly boring and second, the pen is guaranteed to run out of ink before you are done with the book.

Some of the best Potter merchandise out there.
A fun little children's activity book that is actually amusing in and of itself instead of simply capitalizing on the Harry Potter name. Eighteen or so page are covered with invisible images from the first book (the heroes being Sorted and learning to fly, for example) that are revealed when a marker is rubbed across them. At the end of the book are pages to be written on in invisible ink and later revealed. Cute, fun, and well-priced.

Harry Potter Philosopher Stones review
It's Harry's first year at Hogwarts and already he has got caught up in some mystery. Join in with Harry and the wonderful mystery of the Philosopher Stone. Find a three headed dog and heaps more suprises in this fasinating story. ... Read more

Book Description

In this enlightening look at J.K. Rowling's phenomenal bestsellers, a Christian minister illuminates the powerful, positive message Harry Potter and his magical world bring to readers of all ages.

Potter fever has swept the world and shows no signs of abating. the books and the recent movie have attracted millions of followers and fans, all of them eagerly awaiting the next installments. Along with the widespread enjoyment and appreciation of Harry Potter and his friendships, however, criticism of the series has also emerged. The opposition has focused on two issues; the darkness of the novels and their apparent endorsement of witchcraft and the occult. In A Charmed Life, Francis Bridger, a theologian and pastor, argues that far from promoting the dark arts, the Potter books are firmly based in Christian values, and offer valuable insights into our characters, our relationships, our priorities, and our spirituality.

Taking readers on an entertaining tour of Potterworld, Bridger shows that each adventure presents new ways of expressing and exploring key spiritual issues, from the meaning of justice, to the need to confront fears, to the debilitating effects of evil. As Harry and his friends deal with one another, face their enemies, cope with their variously dysfunctional families, and experience the common problems o fgrowing up, Bridger domonstrates, it is their intrinsic human goodness, love, and friendship--not wizardry or magic--that allows them to triumph over evil. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Understanding Potter as literature makes a difference
Because simple words on paper have in the past led to just about every major manmade disaster since words were put on paper, as people actually respond to the inherent philosophy or message that is part of every text, intended or not, it is always worthwhile to spend some time analyzing those works which have become popular.

This book by Francis Bridger is one of the best of the bunch of books seeking to look more deeply at the world of Harry Potter. Instead of arguing the specifics of the magic or apparent 'occult' Bridger takes a different path showing how Rowling skillfully weaves a tale in the fine tradition of British literature, using themes, images, allusions, etc. throughout her books which can be found in a great deal of writings written by those who call the British Isles home.

We in America, however, love practicality, have a hard time getting literary methods, and get confused, or angry, when our sensibilities are apparently attacked by terminology. Rowling, rather than endorsing any sort of scandalous occultism, is instead writing a tale of great heroism, discovery, and even spirituality which uses 'magical' themes to point to deeper truths, truths which are inherent in a Christian understanding of the world. Before we Christians attack the use of the word magic in these great texts, we must first attend to these texts as literature, and must learn how to understand how to read all of Potter's tales, present and future, in the context of a great tradition of fantasy writings.

Yes, these books are rousing tales but any book which creates the kind of sensation as these must also be speaking deeply to our present society. Bridger explains these deeper truths and messages in their appropriate context, and makes re-reading Potter that much more enjoyable and worthwhile. Plus, he is a very engaging author himself, whose nonfiction prose is almost as engaging as Rowling's.

This is a very fair, erudite, interesting study of what is arguably the most influential literature of this generation. Being spiritual does not mean we can turn off our minds, blindly accepting what various gurus tell us to believe. Nor is christophobia a reason to deny the importance of studying great literature, at all the levels which makes great literature great.

If you are interested at all in the Potter phenomenon this is the one book, besides Rowling's, you should get. No, this book may not interest everyone, and those who rate this present book low without reading it themselves are guilty of the same ignorant prattle which afflicts many of those in the Christian world. We all can and should think, and should discuss intelligently cultural issues before us. Bridger aids immensely and succinctly in this particular discussion.

Taking the road less taken
Up till 'Charmed', books about HP have been (1) diatribes against the books due to the dark magic therein, (2) defenses against type 1, and (3) analyses of HP as literature. In types 1 and 2, the various authors usually tell the reader what his or her conclusion should be.

This book takes a different approach, one of positive analysis with thoughtful conclusions -- but not forcing those conclusions down the reader's throat. It is extremely well written -- and is as readable and enjoyable as the HP books themselves.

'A Charmed Life' is divided into 5 long chapters, plus a shorter 6th with conclusions, and the long chapters are helpfully broken by mid-chapter headings. These chapters give an indepth look at some of Rowling's favorite issues, such as:
(1) actions have consequences,
(2) beware of the deceitfulness of appearances [a major lesson in LOTR],
(3) the target audience [first, JKR herself; second, those that like an exciting mystery], and I might add parenthetically, when Jo Rowling is interviewed, she constantly insists that her books are written for older teens and adults.
(4) the world view -- what you see is not all there is, [helpful to the Christian]
(5) the complicatedness of the moral world -- when things aren't exactly black and white,
and (6) periodic comparisons with 'The Chronicles of Narnia', LOTR, and Lewis Carroll's works.

Bridger looks at the issues of faith, fact, and truth, as portrayed by Jo Rowling, and finds much that is compatable to the way Christians are to think and believe.

'Charmed' is a helpful book to those who want to think carefully about these things.
To those who like their conclusions given to them, it is not so helpful.

Sigh . . .
Once again Religion pokes its nose into places that it does not belong.

Who cares if these books have the blessing of anything or anyone. They are entertaining and fictional. They are nothing more words on paper.

It's very sad to see that there are folks out there that must label everything.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

A Christian View of Potter that Transcends the Hype
In this book, Francis Bridger, a theologian and minister, takes a rational, unemotional view of Potterworld. In a highly readable and conversational manner, Bridger carefully explores the reasoning behind the current vehement objections to Rowling's work and, without becoming judgemental, shows how misguided and unfounded they are. This is a wonderful book which explores the timeless themes and profound underlying morality of Rowling's marvelous series. Bridger's essential humanity makes this not just a book for Chrisitans trying to solve "the Potter dilemma," but for anyone with a sense of what can be right and true and good in the human spirit.

Insightful
This book is extremely well written. It's insights can appeal to non-Christaians as well as Christians - particualrly the chapters on morality and metaphysics. He sites CS Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr., Interviews with JK Rowling, the Odyssey, the Bible, etc. and has a way of capturing complicated philosophical ideas in just a few words.

This book is more of a moral philosophy book on Harry Potter than a Christian philosophy book. For those looking for proof that Harry Potter is as Christian as the Narnia books, this book may not suffice 100% and the author does not pretend that it should. Bridger rather opens the reader's minds to ideas surrounding the books and their place within a Christian/moral/spiritual understanding of reality.

If you don't want to dig deeper into the meaning behind Rowling's masterpieces, this is clearly not the book for you. Harry Potter can be enjoyed on many different levels. For some people, digging deeper "ruins" the excitement and the effect of Rowling's creativity. For me and many others, digging deeper adds an even more magical (and truthful) dimension to Harry Potter.

Bridger assumes that the reader has read all four books and freely discusses the endings and surprises. Don't read this until you've read the first four Potter books. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Harry Potter et le prisonnaire d'Azkaban
I really liked the book beacause it was exciting. ... Read more