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  • Alohomora! Episode 31: 'The Many Motivations of Severus Snape' - Now Available! May 24, 2013
    Alohomora! continues its global re-read of the Harry Potter series led by fans and MuggleNet staff. Last week we held our first live audience show at MISTI-Con 2013, and now we're back on the airwaves! Listen in as hosts Noah, Caleb, Laura, and Eric break down Chapter 19 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - "The Servant of Lord Voldemort. […]
  • Bonnie Wright to make stage debut in 'The Moment of Truth' May 24, 2013
    Bonnie Wright - who portrayed Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise - will be making her stage debut as she is set to star as The Girl in Peter Ustinov's The Moment of Truth at London's Southwark Playhouse beginning next month. According to Playbill, the play is a revival of Ustinov's play that has not been on stage since 1951 and d […]
  • Rare 'Potter' book with Rowling illustrations fetches record price at Sotheby's auction house May 24, 2013
    According to BBC News, an extremely rare Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone book receives amazingly high bid at auction. A first edition print of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone that had 43 pages covered with illustrations from author J.K. Rowling sold at Sotheby's for 150,000 GBP (or close to $300,000 USD). It was a bidding war be […]
  • Pottermore is ‘blazing their own trail’ in eBook sales strategies May 24, 2013
    Pottermore may not exactly be under constant praise from the Harry Potter fan community, but according to The Bookseller Industry awards, the website came out on top, taking the win for Digital Strategy of the Year Award in the UK. Goodereader.com reports that Pottermore triumphed over industry bigwigs Kobo, Random House, Penguin, Bloomsbury, and Harlequin. […]
  • How Does Lord Voldemort’s Possession Work? May 24, 2013
    Lord Voldemort is the second most powerful wizard the world has ever seen, and that entails being able to do a lot of impressive things, the most terrifying of which is his ability to possess. We’re first introduced to this concept in the very first novel, in the form of poor Professor Quirrell. Failing to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone on his own, the Dark […]
  • Caption Contest: The Trio's Last Stand May 24, 2013
    What if the trio had decided to train a little bit more for their role in The Final Battle against Voldemort? What if they enlisted the help of someone like, say... Arnold Schwarzenegger? What would Arnie have to say about our Wizarding friends' plight? Well, you tell us! YOU write the caption! As with last week's contest, this month we are mashing […]

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  • PoA, 19: The Many Motivations of Severus Snape May 19, 2013
    → Episode 29 Recap: James from 'beyond,' Peter crying by the windowsill, the Maruaders save their skins, Crookshanks the protector → Special Feature Recap: The Beast Inquisition. Animagi → PQOTW Responses→ Battle Snape commences → Lily? Eh, 5 or 6. → The chords are not alive. → What if the rat was just a rat? Awkward...→ Flaws in the 'Secret K […]
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  • PoA: Live at MISTI-Con May 12, 2013
    → We are LIVE at MISTI-Con!→ Animagi or Animagi?→ Parallel circular time travel→ Hogwarts Portraits→ The inconsistent Marauder's Map→ Special Feature: What If?→ Audience Quick Questions→ Exciting accouncement!→ Check out the Alohomora! Store […]
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  • MuggleNet Academia Lesson 21 LIVE from MISTI-Con: 'Harry Potter: Book to Screen' May 12, 2013
    Join us in our latest Academic Lesson from the world of magic and intrigue created by author J.K. Rowling as we dive into the literature of the 'Harry Potter' series. MuggleNet Academia held our LIVE show as the Keynote Luncheon from the fantastic MISTI-Con Harry Potter fan convention in Laconia, New Hampshire. Host Keith Hawk from MuggleNet is joi […]
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  • MuggleNet Academia Lesson 20 - 'Our 1-Year Anniversary Spectacular Show' April 30, 2013
    Join us in our latest Academic Lesson from the world of magic and intrigue created by author J.K. Rowling as we dive into the literature of the 'Harry Potter' series. Host Keith Hawk from MuggleNet is joined with co-host John Granger, the Hogwarts Professor and author of the Deathly Hallows Lectures, as we share insights into the literature series […]
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RSS Latest MuggleNet Fan Fiction Updates

  • The Interview by HalfASlug [3rd-5th Years] May 22, 2013
    10th November, 1981. Severus Snape has been summoned to Hogwarts for the first time since the war. For everyone else the fighting has finished, but for him it must continue. He is about to learn the true meaning of 'anything' and who better to teach him than the Hogwarts Headmaster. […]

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Review: So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane

January 29, 2013 Posted in  Reviews, Robbie No comments

duanesoyouwanttobeSo You Want to Be a Wizard—buy it
by Diane Duane—her website
Recommended Age: 12+

This 1983 book is the first of nine books in the Young Wizards series, which in many ways should be right up your alley (if you like Harry Potter, that is). The author is a prolific science fiction writer who has contributed a number of books to the growing list of Star Trek titles, as well as the Net Force series co-authored by Tom Clancy, and other interesting-sounding series including Doors and Cat Wizards. The Horn Book justly compares this book to Diana Wynne Jones-style magic and Madeleine L’Engle-style science and metaphysics. I would add that the innocence, youthfulness, courage and sacrifice in this story bears comparison to J. K. Rowling. But Duane crafts a completely unique kind of young wizard tale. Jones’ wizardry usually inhabits a fantasy world, and L’Engle’s combines melodramatic teen romance with sophisticated science-fiction concepts...

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