The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling (Spoilers Included)

*I have not seen the onstage version. This review is based completely on the script.*
The Cursed Child

by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany

• Children's Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel
• 9+ for dark themes
• Published July 31st, 2016 by Scholastic Inc. and Little Brown
• available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Books
• ★★★★★ 

Can Harry Potter be considered Gothic?

     So I was looking through my posts and I found this! It was written by my mom back when our blog when it was first getting started and for some reason it was saved as a draft. I know at some point it was posted so I would like to share it with everyone.




     "I have been doing quite a bit of research lately on Gothic Literature. My life just hasn’t been hectic enough. Anyhow, in this process, I came across a syllabus for an undergraduate class focused on Victorian Gothic Literature. What surprised me was the two novels to be studied, the all too common Bram Stoker’s Dracula and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Of course my brain was immediately reeling to decide which side of the fence I belong on.

     From my research, here is a list of the primary points to a Gothic novel:

• the betrayal of innocence
• enclosed space (typically decrepit castles)
• battles ensued on the villain’s turf
• an orphaned protagonist
• emotional narrative
• a prophecy that sets the story in motion

     I will not sit here and give you a play by play for these bullets. I mean who in there right mind even puts a billeted list in a blog post and expects people to read it? We all know Harry himself is an orphaned child sent to live with his hateful aunt and uncle who stick him in a closet. Is that emotional enough? Rowling has more than a few Gothic structures, but I said I will not go point by point so let's move on.

     What I would like to discuss is battles ensued on the villain’s turf.

     Rowling has quite the creative approach when it comes to getting the heroes and villains together on the stereotypical gothic turf. She has portkeys to transport students, she lures students into dungeons and she takes advantage of character flaws. Above all, she has created such a heartfelt group of heroes that they seek out the danger, starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

     Let's take a look

     Typically within the Gothic genre, the villain will lure the protagonist to a grim place (such as a cemetery) before the fight truly begins. Looking at Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,  Harry and Cedric unsuspectingly grab a portkey and are transmitted to the cemetery in Godric’s Hollow where they are to see the rebirth of the tabooed Lord Voldemort. Here, Harry is forced to defend himself against the dark wizard or die.

     Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t love the series any less now. In fact, I have even more respect for J.K. Rowling for her wonderful use of the Gothic genre within the realm of children’s literature."- Tori

     Having read this post it has great points and I never looked at Harry Potter this way. I mean seriously, I don't think most people have thought of Harry Potter this way, seeing as it's a children's book. I honestly don't think I'll ever look at this book the same. I love Rowling even more now for this, as she incorporated this Gothic theme in the books so well they were almost undetectable. This was a great book and I wish there were more posts like this out there!

*This has not been edited, the majority of this content all belongs to my mom, Tori.*

The 39 Clues: Unstoppable Book 2: Breakaway

     The 39 Clues: Unstoppable Book: Breakaway, written by Jeff Hirsch, was first published January 28th, 2014. It is the second book in the Unstoppable series, a spin-off on the hit series The 39 Clues.

     Last time you saw the Cahills, the most powerful family in the world, they were looking for the serum. In Breakaway they found the thief and while Amy, Dan, Jake, and Atticus are running for their lives Nellie Gomez, Amy and Dan's baby-sitter, is looking for the serum in Peirce's secret lab. Peirce is sending all hid goons after Amy, Dan, Jake and Atticus, but what he doesn't realize is Nellie, undercover as Dr. Nadine Gormey, is in his own lab. But betrayal is everywhere. Is Dan really planning to leave Amy and the rest of the Cahills and will Amy betray even her own brother to keep everyone safe?

     Jeff Hirsch was born in Richmond, Virginia to a nurse, his mom, and a dad who worked in the tobacco industry. He always wanted to do something artsy, but it wasn't until Junior High that he started writing. He went to college at East Carolina University and UC San Diego where he studied play-writing. He currently lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with a couple cats, a dog, and his lovely wife who’s also a writer. This is his fourth book(to see more check out amazon.com).

     I would recommend this book to anyone between the ages of 8 and 12 boy or girl. If you like this book try The 39 Clue series and the Cahills vs. Vespers series. Also visit the39clues.com for fun games and puzzles.

To buy the book go to one of the following websites:

• Google Books 
• Barnes and Noble  
• Amazon
• Scholastic
• Powells

*I got this book from Netgalley.com*

Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt was first published in 1975 by Scholastic Inc. It is a a fantastic story because of the adventure, the mystery and the action. I would recommend this book to people who like fiction especially fantasy.

Winnie wants to live her own life and not always have her grandmother and mother  tell her what to do. She just wants to go outside of her fence and experience the world. When she goes outside the fence though, she gets more than she could ever imagine.

Winnie Foster is just an ordinary 11-year-old girl. At least she was, and then she met the Tucks. The Tucks aren't ordinary, at all. They are very special they have a secret. Winnie is the only other person who knows it.

Tuck Everlasting takes place in the Tuck's cottage in Treegap,Virginia. The Tuck's cottage is messy and disorderly, nothing like Winnie's neat tidy house that she's used to. In a way though that makes it more comfortable and Winnie likes that. There seems to be no rules and they eat in the living room .(No rules and eating in the living room I want to live with them!)

Natalie Babbit was born in Dayton Ohio on July 28, 1932. The first book she ever wrote was written in 1966. She wrote it with her husband and it was called The Forty-Ninth Magician. She currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband and three kids.