HC students and staff react to the seventh installment in the Harry Potter franchise

Most students are familiar with Harry Potter, a seven part bestselling series written from 1997 to 2008 by J.K. Rowling. The series has made a comeback ever since the performance of a play on July 30, 2016 written by Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. Over 2 million copies of the script were sold in a 48 hour time period. However, after reading it, some fans debate just how well the script actually portrays the wizarding world. Quite a lot of readers are ‘on the fence’ about the whole situation.

“You can definitely tell Rowling didn’t write it,” HC Librarian Sarah Hatton said. “I can see where she had a hand in it, but I think if she had written the actual content it would have been a completely different story.”

Hatton does, however, recommend it to fans of the series. Yet she does warn readers about the material.

“I’d recommend it, but with a warning to not expect perfection like the original,” Hatton said. “The original series sits on a pedestal. You just can’t compete with it, but if you want to go back to see familiar faces and visit the world after the epilogue, then I think you should give it a try.”

HC Student Joey Yong recently finished the book as well and gave her view on the script. Yong, being a frequent face in the HC Library, was the first to check the book out.

“I wish they had gotten rid of the cliché plot line,” Yong said. “I’ve read a lot of books and that plot line is quite common.”

HC Special Education Teacher Justin Smith gave his opinion on it as well. He recently reached the end of the script and gladly expressed his thoughts on it.

“I did enjoy it,” Smith said, “but just be aware that it is slow. However, I think any Harry Potter fan will fight through the sluggishness to get to the good parts.”

Both Yong and Smith recommend the book to Harry Potter fans, but perhaps not readers unfamiliar with the series. So if you’ve stuck around, make sure you try it out. Mischief Managed!