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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay (Harry Potter) Hardcover – Illustrated, November 18, 2016
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J.K. Rowling's screenwriting debut is captured in this exciting hardcover edition of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them screenplay.
When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt's fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone…
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved and internationally bestselling Harry Potter books. Featuring a cast of remarkable characters, this is epic, adventure-packed storytelling at its very best.
Whether an existing fan or new to the wizarding world, this is a perfect addition to any reader's bookshelf.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 and up
- Dimensions5.9 x 1.2 x 8.7 inches
- PublisherArthur A. Levine Books
- Publication dateNovember 18, 2016
- ISBN-101338109065
- ISBN-13978-1338109061
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Product details
- Publisher : Arthur A. Levine Books; Illustrated edition (November 18, 2016)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1338109065
- ISBN-13 : 978-1338109061
- Reading age : 10+ years, from customers
- Grade level : 3 and up
- Item Weight : 1.15 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.9 x 1.2 x 8.7 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #54,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #23 in Children's Film Books (Books)
- #1,541 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books
- #2,003 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the authors
J.K. Rowling is the author of the enduringly popular, era-defining Harry Potter book series, as well as several stand-alone novels for adults and children, and a bestselling crime fiction series written under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
The Harry Potter books have now sold over 600 million copies worldwide, been translated into 85 languages and made into eight blockbuster films. They continue to be discovered and loved by new generations of readers.
Alongside the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling also wrote three short companion volumes for charity: Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, in aid of Comic Relief, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in aid of her international children’s charity, Lumos. The companion books and original series are all available as audiobooks.
In 2016, J.K. Rowling collaborated with playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany to continue Harry’s story in a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which opened in London, and is now thrilling audiences on four continents. The script book was published to mark the plays opening in 2016 and instantly topped the bestseller lists.
In the same year, she made her debut as a screenwriter with the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Inspired by the original companion volume, it was the first in a series of new adventures featuring wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander. The second, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, was released in 2018 and the third, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was released in 2022.
The screenplays were published to coincide with each film’s release: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - The Original Screenplay (2016), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay (2018) and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - The Complete Screenplay (2022).
Fans of Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter can find out more at www.wizardingworld.com.
J.K. Rowling’s fairy tale for younger children, The Ickabog, was serialised for free online for children during the Covid-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020 and is now published as a book illustrated by children, with her royalties going to her charitable trust, Volant, to benefit charities helping alleviate social deprivation and assist vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.
Her latest children’s novel The Christmas Pig, published in 2021, is a standalone adventure story about a boy’s love for his most treasured thing and how far he will go to find it.
J.K. Rowling also writes novels for adults. The Casual Vacancy was published in 2012 and adapted for television in 2015. Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, she is the author of the highly acclaimed ‘Strike’ crime series, featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin Ellacott. The first of these, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was published to critical acclaim in 2013, at first without its author’s true identity being known. The Silkworm followed in 2014, Career of Evil in 2015, Lethal White in 2018, Troubled Blood in 2020 and The Ink Black Heart in 2022. The series has also been adapted for television by the BBC and HBO.
J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard Commencement speech was published in 2015 as an illustrated book, Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination, sold in aid of Lumos and university-wide financial aid at Harvard.
As well as receiving an OBE and Companion of Honour for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling has received many other awards and honours, including France’s Legion d’Honneur, Spain’s Prince of Asturias Award and Denmark’s Hans Christian Andersen Award.
J.K. Rowling supports a number of causes through her charitable trust, Volant. She is also the founder and president of Lumos, an international children’s charity fighting for every child’s right to a family by transforming care systems around the world.
www.jkrowling.com
Image: Photography Debra Hurford Brown © J.K. Rowling
Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima started working together in 2001 to imagine and create the entire graphic universe of all the Harry Potter™ movies.
Motivated by a shared artistic vision, in 2009 they founded a graphic design studio, with the objective of creating distinctive and unconventional design and illustration for the entertainment and publishing industries. They named it MinaLima.
As MinaLima Studio, they designed graphic props for films such as Sweeney Todd, The Golden Compass and The Imitation Game; created their Collective Nouns art print collection; and crafted MinaLima Classics, the bestselling series of illustrated books.
Miraphora and Eduardo have continued their involvement in the Wizarding World franchise with numerous design commissions, from theme park design to marketing and publishing. A new chapter of imagining this world came in 2015, designing the graphic props for the Fantastic Beasts™ film series.
In 2016 House of MinaLima opened its doors in London: an immersive gallery and shop showcasing their treasury of graphic works. Since then, the experiential narrative space has also welcomed visitors in Osaka, New York and Paju, globally celebrating the idiosyncrasies of Miraphora and Eduardo's ideas and their passion for storytelling through design.
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The central figure in FB is Newt Scamander, but the larger story appears to be focused on the conflict between Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore. How exactly will Newt fit into this story in the future installments is unclear. In the first FB story, he is the one who subdues Grindelwald with the aid of his magical creature.
At the core, JK Rowling's books are detective novels, even if they convey some social, psychological, and spiritual messages. As in the HP books, we are led to suspect someone (here, Modesty as the Obscurus or Obscurial child), only to be proven wrong in the end. Yet, when you contemplate the story line, you will find that Credence had a reason to hold a grudge against Senator Shaw (whom the Obscurus murders). As usual, we have a final battle scene after which we come to a "full" understanding of the events. That is, full for the current installment of the series. In the first installment, the surprise at the end of the story is that Percival Graves was in fact Grindelwald in disguise. As per usual in the HP universe, for the final battle, the protagonist has to descend to the underworld (symbolized here by a subway station).
The surprise ending, however, was alluded to throughout the story. The opening scene is about Grindelwald's evil magic and its press coverage. It had to be tied in somehow with the main story line. As widely known, JK Rowling chooses the names of her characters to convey meaning (and often double meaning). There was a reason that Grindelwald used the alias of Percival Graves (Dumbledore's full name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore). Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald had a close, intense, but brief friendship in their late teens (Rowling spilled the beans many years ago that this was a gay relationship). In spite of the break up, Grindelwald apparently retained feelings for Dumledore, which is indicated not only by his choice of alias, but also by his thinly veiled jealousy when learning that Dumbledore had shown fondness for Newt Scamander at Hogwarts. Newt suspects Graves when Graves deems the Obscurus in Newt's suitcase "useless" (a Grindelwaldish approach), and tries to find out about Graves' background from the goblin Gnarlak who deems the inquiry perilous. In a scene, Graves gives a necklace with a pendant to Credence. Credence is supposed to touch the pendant to summon Graves when he found the Obscurus child. The pendant is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. However, in the HP series, the Bulgarian quidditch player Krum knew it only as "Grindelwald's mark." Thus, there were several hints throughout the story about Graves' true identity.
Given the time line of the intended FB series, it is likely to end with the duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald in 1945, and allegory of WWII events (Allied victory over Nazi Germany). Another interesting aspect is that the story begins at the time of Voldemort's birth (ultimately, Voldemort murders an already imprisoned Grindelwald in HP7). There are no coincidences in Rowling's stories.
Rowling's recurrent themes include social issues, such as discrimination and bigotry. In FB, the twist on this theme is Mary Lou's character, a "Second Salemer." The Salem Witch Trials are among the embarrassing events in American history, truly showing backwards mentality and bigotry. The irony is that the "Second Salemers" are correct (according to the story): there are witches among us. Yet, in spite of being right about the fact, Mary Lou is a morally flawed character who abuses children (a tip of the hat to Dickens's stories, as well as to the HP books: Voldemort grew up in an orphanage, HP as an orphan was abused by his aunt and uncle). Mary Lou's character with her fondness for punishments reminds me of Dolores Umbridge.
Another recurring theme in Rowling's writings is the symbolic trinity. Like the Tale of the Three Brothers, we have three adopted children under Mary Lou's supervision: Credence, Chastity, and Modesty, and the youngest one is (probably) the only survivor among them. Their names indicate allegory. There is also a trio of characters (Newt, Tina, and Queenie) with a sidekick (Jacob), similar to the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione with Neville as a sidekick. Newt's character has elements that echo Hagrid's: a fondness of dangerous (and other) magical creatures, being expelled from Hogwarts, and having Dumbledore's support who had disagreed with them being expelled. Newt's background includes a doomed love affair with Leta Lestrange (presumably a family member of Bellatrix Lestange's husband of the HP series). It is evident that Newt is more comfortable around his magical creatures and in his suitcase than around people and in the outside world. There is some budding romance between Newt and Tina, hampered by Leta's memory and Newt's awkwardness around people.
Jacob Kowalski (whose initials probably coincide with Rowling's) is an unlikely hero in the story. What makes him lovable is his honesty (the legilimens Queenie would instantly recognize dishonesty, and she finds Jacob's honesty attractive) and openness. At the end of the story, we see him in his bakery, and obviously the "obliviation" did not fully work on him. Thus, he bakes pastry in the shape of the magical creatures he encountered throughout the story and finds Queenie familiar upon entering his store. Good or bad, the magical creatures will become merchandise also in our real life stores (action figures, plush toys, etc.), and I can see Kowalski Bakery opening a branch at Universal Studios' HP World in the near future, where we can buy the pastries seen in the movie. In that sense, the movie is a commercial for the new merchandise...
Rowling's magical universe always has some cross references to our "muggle world." One of these is a political dimension. In the UK, there was a Ministry of Magic. Its counterpart in the USA is the Magical Congress of the USA, or MACUSA for short (it sounds like Medusa). Interestingly, Rowling made these administrative entities very different from those in the muggle world. For example, the court system is not independent of the executive branch both in the UK (HP books) and in the USA (FB). And the head of the Congress (which is supposed to be the legislative branch) is the President (who is supposed be the head of the executive branch). And, in line with this election year's Hollywood trend (e.g., Independence Day 2), the president was portrayed as a female (Madam President - similar to Newsweek's aborted front page in the wake of the US Presidential election of 2016).
The book itself is written in the form of a screenplay, which makes it more similar to The Cursed Child than the HP novels. Some people may not like the format. Those who like reading Shakespeare (not just watching the drama performed on stage) will have no problem with it. I did not like The Cursed Child; its writing was flat and the story line was (to me) less than appealing. Note that it was not really written by Rowling. However, the writing of FB is witty and enjoyable. There are some minor inconsistencies; e.g., the latch on Newt's suitcase that regularly pops open is variably referred to as a latch or a catch. There are some witty references that will be understood only by those who had read the HP books. For example, at an early scene, Mary Lou is asking Newt (who is in the crowd) whether he was a seeker for the truth. To this Newt responds that he is more of a chaser, a reference to the magical game of quidditch.
I would like to add praise to the book's design. It just feels good in my hands, a feel that would never be conveyed by an e-book. The illustrations and layout add much to the overall value of the book.
Why not five stars? Upon reading the book (and seeing the movie), I felt that it fell short of the first HP book's qualities. In fact, my impression was that had this book been the very first to be published, it might not have caught on the way the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone did. It appears to fit the HP universe, yet I sense that the spiritual message is absent. (Or did I overlook it? It was not necessarily obvious in the Sorcerer's Stone, even if it became very clear in hind sight.) In spite of some shortcomings, the book is an enjoyable tale.
I loved it!
For a Harry Potter related story, it's wonderful and new and so different. The creatures are familiar, the trolls, a few of the magical elements are the same... But the differences really shined. A whole new unique twist I spent few hours reading. (And HP is the only book series where I hadn't seen ANY of the movies, including this one.)
The paper cover? Gorgeous. I enjoy the colors (so totally Ravenclaw). The creatures within the 1920s art deco feel are so pretty. Best cover by far for me.
Under the cover? A pretty denim blue book with a gold Niffler embossed. So cute! The polka dot end papers are whimsical and adorable.
Inside, there are a lot of art deco type design on every page. Some of the pages throughout have creature prints or the actual creatures emerging through the design. Very aesthetically pleasing.
As for the story... Newt Scamander, whom we've all heard about being the author of the book Fantastic Beasts, arrives in New York City in search of a rare creature. In his casee, he carries his incidentals, or so the human setting tells the customs official. In reality, he transports his collection of beasts.
So when his case gets accidentally exchanged with an unsuspecting human, chaos was bound to break...Add in a power hungry wizard, GRAVES, and the US version of the Ministry of Magic, MACUSA, and you have this entire new world within the Wizarding one that was pleasant to visit and a joy to read!
Two hours of reading time for me, with two breaks, just wasn't enough. I'd take stars away for something like that, but it was too fun and too different. I loved every moment and want to do it all over again. I would even love more and more of Newt and this 1920s Wizard world...
It was so much fun.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND just for the new story alone.
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2016
For a Harry Potter related story, it's wonderful and new and so different. The creatures are familiar, the trolls, a few of the magical elements are the same... But the differences really shined. A whole new unique twist I spent few hours reading. (And HP is the only book series where I hadn't seen ANY of the movies, including this one.)
The paper cover? Gorgeous. I enjoy the colors (so totally Ravenclaw). The creatures within the 1920s art deco feel are so pretty. Best cover by far for me.
Under the cover? A pretty denim blue book with a gold Niffler embossed. So cute! The polka dot end papers are whimsical and adorable.
Inside, there are a lot of art deco type design on every page. Some of the pages throughout have creature prints or the actual creatures emerging through the design. Very aesthetically pleasing.
As for the story... Newt Scamander, whom we've all heard about being the author of the book Fantastic Beasts, arrives in New York City in search of a rare creature. In his casee, he carries his incidentals, or so the human setting tells the customs official. In reality, he transports his collection of beasts.
So when his case gets accidentally exchanged with an unsuspecting human, chaos was bound to break...Add in a power hungry wizard, GRAVES, and the US version of the Ministry of Magic, MACUSA, and you have this entire new world within the Wizarding one that was pleasant to visit and a joy to read!
Two hours of reading time for me, with two breaks, just wasn't enough. I'd take stars away for something like that, but it was too fun and too different. I loved every moment and want to do it all over again. I would even love more and more of Newt and this 1920s Wizard world...
It was so much fun.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND just for the new story alone.
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