My Year with Harry Potter

Ben Buchanan

Softbound

Sorry - out of print - try to find a copy on the used market

Ben Buchanan is an eleven-year-old author who shares with us - in the most charming and delightful way - who it came to be that the Harry Potter books inspired him to go beyond his dyslexia and into the realm of wonder and creativity. Reading this is an absolutely treat, because Ben is so exuberant and positive about so much in life - and because he invites us along on his personal journey that ranges from one beautiful breakthrough to another. This is a wonderful book to share with a dyslexic child and to take heart from if you are the parent or teacher of such a child.

As Ben says, "I'm normal, but I'm not normal. I'm normal because I am a normal kid - going to school, being happy, getting homework, having a family. I'm not normal because I'm dyslexic. I have a scare on my head. I'm not normal because mystical things happen to me."

He then describes how his love of the Harry Potter books helped him break the word code so that he could read them himself. Then he created a board game (find out how in Journey to Gameland) based on the books and entered it into his school's yearly Invention Convention, where it became an instant hit. How did he do it? We'll et him tell you - and inspire you and your children!

Ben Buchanan shows his readers what can happen when a young mind is inspired by literature. This school-aged writer's love of the Harry Potter series moved him to create a board game, win personal victories, and later write about his experiences.

- Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States

Journey to Gameland
How to Make a Board Game from your Favorite Children's Book

Ben Buchanan, Carol J. Adams, Susan Allison

Illustrated by Doug Buchanan

Softbound

$12.95

Eleven-year-old Ben Buchanan, who created a board game based on the popular Harry Potter books, provides advice for all children who would like to turn their favorite book into a board game. along with his co-authors, he offers a ste-by-step process, with suggestions for parents, librarians, and teachers, on how to help children transform their favorite book into a board game.

The book shows ho you can have hours of fun creating the board game - then have lots more hours of fun playing! Journey to Gameland encourages children (and parents and teachers, too!) to develop their own creativity - and to joyously engage with books.

As an aside, I found that I had hours of fun reading Journey to Gameland, too! This is a win-win book!!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

J. K. Rowling

Hardbound

$17.95

This is the first of the prize-winning, bestselling Harry Potter series - it's excellence set the tone for all the rest. Harry Potter is an orphan living with relatives who not only do not appreciate him, but actively dislike, neglect, and abuse him. The relatives, by the way, are stupid, ugly and rude. Into this rather miserable setting something comes to change everything for Harry - an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along with the invitation, comes the knowledge that his real parents had been wonderful, strong, courageous people -- and among the best wizards anyone had seen. The magical world of Hogwarts is Harry's destiny, the place where he begins to discover himself. It is also the place where danger finds him and his friends, and where he is called upon to risk everything to save himself, his friends and his school from a darkness that would consume everything.

Because of the fast pace and the suspense, my call is that this book is ideal as either a read-aloud or a read-by-myself for anyone over the age of 9. I think the entire series is outstanding.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

J. K. Rowling

Paperbound

$6.99

A paperbound edition of this books is also available. See the book description above.

Great reading for children ages 9 and older.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

J. K. Rowling

Hardbound

$17.95

Unfortunately for Harry, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is only open during the school year - Harry has to go home for the summer. Home to the Dursleys, the relatives Harry must live with because he is an orphan, the relatives who dislike him so much, the relatives who are so mean . . . Finally, summer is drawing to an end and it's time to go back to Hogwarts for Harry's second year. But just as he's packing to leave the Dursley's, he receives a strange warning from an even stranger creature that if he returns, disaster will strike. Strike it does. Harry's second year at Hogwarts brings one disaster after another - an outrageously stuck-up new professor, a spirit who haunts the girl's bathroom. But worst of all, someone is turning the students into stone! And Harry finds himself the focus of everyone's suspicions!

Great reading for ages 9 and older.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

J. K. Rowling

Paperbound

$6.99

A paperbound edition is also available. See the book description above.

Great reading for ages 9 and older.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

J. K. Rowling

Hardbound

$19.95

For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held and infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts . . . he's at Hogwarts."
Harry's third year at Hogwarts is proving to be even more dangerous than the outrageous adventures of the first two years. Now he isn't safe, even when surrounded by his best friends because on top of everything else, there may well be a traitor in their midst.

A terrific story for ages 9 and older.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

J. K. Rowling

Hardbound

$25.95

Now that school has let out, Harry doesn't want to go back home to his icky, pernicious relatives, the Dursleys (and who could blame him?). He wants to go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, the girl he as a crush on. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. Which, of course, isn't possible. And in Harry's case, being different can be deadly.

There are very few books that can keep children reading with enthusiasm for over 700 pages - this is just such a book. WOW! for ages 9 and over.