Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - by Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling)

Title: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Author: Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling)
Published: 8 Nov 2012
Series: -
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis:
An approved textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since publication, Newt Scamander's masterpiece has entertained wizarding families through the generations. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an indispensable introduction to the magical beasts of the Wizarding World. Scamander's years of travel and research have created a tome of unparalleled importance. Some of the beasts will be familiar to readers of the Harry Potter books - the Hippogriff, the Basilisk, the Hungarian Horntail ... Others will surprise even the most ardent amateur Magizoologist. This is an essential companion to the Harry Potter stories, and includes a new foreword from J.K. Rowling (writing as Newt Scamander) and six new beasts!

I would like to take this opportunity to reassure Muggle purchasers that the amusing creatures described hereafter are fictional and cannot hurt you. To wizards, I say merely: Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus.

I listened to this as an audiobook and followed along in my physical copy (The Hogwarts Library Edition). This audiobook is so awesome! It's read by Eddie Redmayne (who plays Newt Scamander in the movie) and there are sound effects of the animals he's describing too. 

The sound effects in the audiobook include the sounds that the beasts themselves make, but also when Newt Scamander beats back a beast or two with his travel teakettle. There's eggs cracking, leaves rustling, wings flapping, feet stomping...

Eddie Redmayne also reads the foreward from the book that Dumbledore has written - including telling you about a wonderful charity called Comic Relief. As he reads the book, it sounds like someone is explaining their own findings to you - not just like someone reading aloud from a book. You can hear the amazement and concern in his voice.

The 'About the Author' section is also read out as it tells you about Newt Scamander himself - his history, plus his wife and their pet Kneazles.

The physical book also has spaces where Harry, Ron and Hermione have written in the book and the cover of the book is quite lovely.

The illustrations are really good too. Unfortunately there isn't a picture for every beast, but the ones that are there are done well.

Worrying means you suffer twice.

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All books in this series:

    -  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
    -  Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp
    -  The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Peter Pan and Wendy - by J.M. Barrie

Title: Peter Pan and Wendy
Author: J.M. Barrie
Published: 25 Aug 2015
Series: -
Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis:
Meet Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up; Tinkerbell, the mischievous fairy; the Lost Boys; and the villainous Captain Hook. A swashbuckling children's adventure classic for generations, this edition has beautiful illustrations by beloved illustrator Shirley Hughes.





This was a cute little book with really nice illustrations to look at every few pages or so.

As I've seen the Disney film Peter Pan a few times before, that's all I could imagine Peter, the Lost Boys, Wendy and the other to look like. About halfway through I imagined the illustrations as the characters instead except Wendy.

This book is just a little darker than the Disney film showed us all it to be as there is death - Peter creates much of it himself - but it is sort of skirted around.

"They little dreamed that the unprincipled Hook would ambush them about 7 p.m. The consequence was, that they nearly all perished."

Was still a good book to zoom through though.

The Ice Dragon - by George R.R. Martin

Title: The Ice Dragon
Author: George R.R. Martin
Published: 4 Dec 2014
Series: -
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis: 
In the world of A Song of Ice and Fire the ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear, for no man had ever tamed one. When it flew overhead, it left in its wake desolate cold and frozen land. But Adara was not afraid. For Adara was a winter child, born during the worst freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember.
Adara could not remember the first time she had seen the ice dragon. It seemed that it had always been in her life, glimpsed from afar as she played in the frigid snow long after the other children had fled the cold. In her fourth year she touched it, and in her fifth year she rode upon its broad, chilled back for the first time. Then, in her seventh year, on a calm summer day, fiery dragons from the North swooped down upon the peaceful farm that was Adara's home.
And only a winter child-and the ice dragon who loved her-could save her world from utter destruction.


I bought this book from a local Big W as it was short and looked quite interesting from the cover. (Yes, I know. 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'. But this one matched up well.) That it was written by Mr George R.R. Martin was also a plus for me.

Later on I found out that it was classed as a children's book. It could be read by anyone older too though as it's written very well. Even though it is essentially classed as a children's book it still includes dragons, a lot of death and the idea of 'Winter is Coming' from the Song of Ice and Fire universe.

While reading this book I spent more time looking at the illustrations than I did reading the words. The illustrations were amazing and very detailed.