Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
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My problem with this latest bestseller from J. K. Rowling is that I had expectations. Those will always get you in trouble. I read all of the Harry Potter books and genuinely enjoyed them. When I read some time ago that she was coming out with another book that, while not a Harry Potter exactly, was related - I got my hopes up.
If you can curb your expectations, you might enjoy it. It's a pamphlet. It's a nice pamphlet, but it's a hardcover pamphlet. This is a collection of short stories, fables really, that feel like other fables you've grown up with - the legend of the Holy Grail, for example. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of fairy tales written for young witches and wizards. The collection was purportedly translated from the ancient runes by Hermoine Granger. Each fairy tale comes with post-commentary by Professor Albus Dumbledore. The author J.K. Rowling takes credit only for the introduction, notes and illustrations.
Younger children will probably like this more than teenagers and adults. And readers without expectations of a meaty book like her other novels will be much happier than I was. With all of those caveats, I cannot resist recommending this small pamphlet of a book of fairy tales, but you might want to check it out from the library rather than spend $13.00. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J.K. Rowling.
