In Search of Harry Potter

by Steve Vander Ark

In Search of Harry Potter A travel book, visiting all the places of "Harry Potter" mythology, from platform 3 3/4 to Diagon Alley. Full description

Genres: Harry Potter, Travel, Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2008

About the author

Steve Vander Ark was an educator and school librarian for fifteen years, teaching and reading aloud to kids from pre-school age on up. He also served as curriculum consultant and trainer in literacy and educational technology for teachers and parents. He has also been a theatre director, performer, composer, and playwright, entertaining audiences of all ages. He is the author of two books, In Search of Harry Potter and The Lexicon An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction.
Steve Vander Ark's Harry Potter Lexicon website is visited by millions of visitors annually. For years fans have enjoyed Steve's presentations and keynotes talks at major academic conferences on the Harry Potter novels, including Sectus in London, Patronus in Copenhagen, Lumos in Las Vegas, and Prophecy in Toronto.

Vander Ark, who has read the Potter novels more than 40 times, has been interviewed many times by the media, including appearances on the Today Show and the BBC Radio, plus numerous interviews in publications such as the New Yorker, Time Magazine, and the Guardian. His interview for an A& E television special on the series appears as part of the extra section on the DVD edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. A former school media specialist, Vander Ark has been honored by fans of the series who appreciate his insights into the books. The Association for Library Services for Children, a division of the American Library Association, has named the Lexicon website one 15 "Great Web Sites For Kids."

Reviews

[Katrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book was simply fantastic!! Vander ark travels around London, west England and Scotland to find places mentioned in the Harry potter books. And he does this with a lot of research, love for the countryside and ghost stories, mysteries and all that stuff, and with much imagination. The book is filled with pictures he took. I'm also a person who loves to imagine how stories fit into the real world and I'm so excited about everything that seems to fit. Rowling surely didn't visit all these places beforehand, but here we see how the whole Harry potter world she created has started to become its own organism in a way, an independent fantasy world so to speak, and it simply delights me to see when things click and all of it actually could be real, COULD. That's the awesome part. What a great book this was, and I found it absolutely by chance.

[DG · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so much fun getting to travel the countryside alongside Steve. He takes on the road and into his mind. The reader gets to follow his thought process for discovering the places that are real life versions of famous Harry Potter locations. He is very thorough with his search and it is commendable how dedicated to this project he was.

[Brian Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

His wanderings were enhanced by the pictures.