Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Book and Movie

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. By J. K. Rowling. Turtleback, 2009. 759 pages. By J. K. Rowling. PLB $26.96 ISBN 978-0606004206

Summary: Dumbledore is dead, and Harry Potter now understands the task ahead of him. Rather than enrolling at Hogwarts, he must find Voldemart’s remaining Horcruxes and destroy them. Together with his good friends Ron and Hermoine, Harry confronts this impossible task. The Tales of the Beetle and the Bard convinces the group to seek out Xenophilius Lovegood, who explains the mystery of immortality. A recent biography on Albus Dumbledore forces Harry to question whether he really knew his professor, and the difficult work creates havoc between Harry and his friends. Has Dumbledore adequately prepared Harry for success, or will Voldemart and his followers overthrow the goodness of the wizarding world?

Critical Review: The Deathly Hollows is the bleakest novel from J. K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series. Harry, Ron and Hermoine, are no longer children in this story. The fate of the wizarding world hangs in their hands. Finding Voldemart’s Horcruxes takes longer than expected, and Harry is dealing with painful nightmares. Harry feels alone through most of the novel. He no longer has Dumbledore to confide in about his troubles. Reta Skeeter’s biography, however, causes Harry to momentarily question his relationship with Dumbledore. The novel does end happily, however. With the help of Ron and Hermoine Harry retrieves and destroys the remaining Horcruxes, and locates the magical swords and stones. The novel ends happily with Voldemart’s death. A postscript describes Harry hand Ginnie Potter’s children, and Ron and Hermoine’s children embarking upon their Hogwarts career.

Genre: Fantasy

Reading/Interest Level: 8-14years

Awards: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature, 2008; Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, 2007; Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books, 2007; American Library Association Notable Books for Children, 2008; Bilby (Books I Love Best Yearly) Award, 2008; Audie Award, 2008

Reviews: School Library Journal (2007, September 1); Publishers Weekly (2007, August 13); Booklist (2007, August 1); Publishers Weekly (2007, July 30)

Series: Harry Potter series

Similar Materials: Earlier books in the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Subjects/Themes: wizards, wizards, England, fantasy, magic, friendship

Character Names: Harry Potter; Ronald Weasley; Hermoine Grainger; Hagrid; Luna Lovegood; Xenophilius Lovegood; Ginny Weasley; Draco Malfoy; Molly Weasley; Arthur Weasley; Lucius Malfoy; Charlie Weasley; Bill Weasley; Narcissa Malfoy; Nymphadora Tonks; Remus Lupin; Severus Snape; Voldemart; Bellatrix Lestrange; Mundungus Fletcher; Alaster Moody; Kingsley Shacklebolt; Dobby; Kreacher

Author Website: http://www.jkrowling.com/

Brief Annotation: In the seventh and final volume in the “Harry Potter” series the future of the wizarding world hangs in the balance,  as Harry, Ron and Hermoine locate and destroy Voldemart’s Horcruxes and battle with the darkest wizard.

Part 1 of Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows. Directed by David Yates and Ben Hibon. Produced by David Heyman and David Barron. Warner Brothers, 2010. 146 minutes.

Summary: Overall, I was impressed with Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The movie generally followed the overall-blueprint of J. K. Rowling’s novel. However, there were some omissions which did bother me. For example, Harry Potter’s feelings toward Reta Skeeter’s biography were insufficiently developed in the movie. Moreover, Dobby is buried at Fleur and Bill’s seaside cottage. Bill and Fleur are not mentioned here. Perhaps this will be the starting point of the next movie? I was also disappointed with ending with Voldemart opening Dumbledore’s casket and retrieving the Elder wand. In the book this event is much later than the movie.

Programming: A wonderful programming idea is for tweens to read the novel, and then watch the movie. Tweens can compare and contrast both mediums, defining what they enjoyed most with each and where they found problems.

Actors in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows:

Harry Potter – Daniel Radcliffe

Ronald Weasley – Rupert Grint

Hermione Granger – Emma Watson 

Hagrid – Robbie Coltrane

Remus Lupin – David Thewlis

Severus Snape – Alan Rickman

Charity Burbage – Carolyn Pickles

Albus Dumbledore – Michael Gambon

Horace E. F. Slughorn – Jim Broadbent

Luna Lovegood – Evanna Lynch

Draco Malfoy – Tom Felton

Ginny Weasley – Bonnie Wright

Fenrir Greyback – Dave Legeno

Bellatrix Lestrange – Helena Boham Carter

Lucius Malfoy – Jason Isaacs

Narcissa Malfoy – Helen McCroy

Voldemart – Ralph Finnes

Dolores Umbridge – Imelda Staunton

Mundungus Fletcher – Andy Linden

Alaster Moody – Brendan Gleeson

Kingsley Shacklebolt – George Harris

Nymphadora Tonks – Natalia Tena

Arthur Weasley – Mark Williams

Bill Weasley – Domhnall Gleeson

Charlie Weasley – Alex Crockford

Molly Weasley – Julie Walters

Dudley Dursley – Henry Melling

Petunia Dursley – Fiona Shaw

Vernon Dursley – Richard Griffiths

Mr. Granger – Tom Knight

Mrs. Granger – Heather Bleasdale

Fleur Delacour – Clemence Poesy

Xenophilius Lovegood – Rhys Ifans

Dobby – Toby Jones

Kreacher – Simon McBurney


Movie Website: http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallows/mainsite/index.html