TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Rowling Treats Potter Fans With 'Beedle' Mania

ADVERTISEMENT

By DEEPTI HAJELA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 7, 2008

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" (Children's High Level Group, $12.99, 111 pages), by J.K. Rowling

Just in time for the holidays, J.K. Rowling has given Harry Potter fans a little gift.

No, not a new book about the young wizard - THAT would be like a birthday combined with Christmas! Instead, she's written a charming book from the world of Harry Potter with the sparkle and wit that remind us why she became a publishing sensation in the first place.

The title of the book, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," should be instantly familiar to all Potter fans. That was the book Harry's friend Hermione Granger was bequeathed following the death of Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster at their school. One tale in the collection of children's stories played a part in Harry figuring out how to destroy his enemy, the evil Lord Voldemort.

After the publication of the last of the Potter books last year, Rowling created seven copies of the Beedle book, writing and illustrating the five stories. She gave six of the copies to friends and the last one to the Children's High Level Group, a charity she helped create. The charity auctioned the book, which Amazon bought for $4 million, and has released an edition for the general public to raise more money.

In this edition, Rowling tells us, the tales were translated from the Ancient Runes by Hermione. And the stories are accompanied by notes from Dumbledore.

This isn't a full-length book, so it doesn't have the depth and emotional heft that were the hallmark of the series. But it is a gift to fans.

Deepti Hajela writes for The Associated Press.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT