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Take spoon full of spells, add a pinch of adventure, a cup full of excitement, blend in some jinxes, a sprinkling of witches, wizards, gnomes and elves and here you are! A fun-filled magical adventure, that’s Harry Potter for you! Having grown up on a steady diet of children’s classics such as Aesop’s fables and graduating to Enid Blyton, children’s reading has evolved into newer realms today. J.K Rowling’s magical fantasy, Harry Potter has revolutionized children’s reading. Let’s take a peek into the magical world of witches and wizards. A figment of brilliant imagination, the Harry Potter series is genuinely a splendid piece of writing. For the uninitiated, here is the explanation of some important magical terminology -

Hogwarts - The only Magical School of Witchcraft and wizardry in the UK

Albus Dumbledore - The Principal of Hogwarts, an able and great wizard.

Gryffindor - Symbolized by the Lion, and the house to which Harry and his best friends Ronald Weasley and Hermonie belong.

Hufflepuff - House symbolized by a black badger.

Ravenclaw - House symbolized by a bronze eagle.

Slytherin - Symbolized by a silver serpent, Slytherin that has the dubious distinction of having produced the maximum number of wizards practicing dark arts.

Quidditch - A game played on broomsticks, where in catching of the snitch renders the win to a team.

The Forbidden Forest - A big forest that has many magical creatures in it and all students are barred entry into the forbidden forests.

Muggles - Non-magical people or ordinary people who are unaware of the magical world.

Knight bus - A three-tiered magical bus for the transport of stranded witches and wizards. Invisible to the muggle-eye the Knight bus can pass through muggle traffic.

Hogwarts Express - The train that takes students to Hogwarts and leaves from the 9-3/4th platform on London Station.

Lord Voldermort - The Dark lord who are not even named by the witches and wizards. The only person to have survived his wrath is Harry Potter.

Azkaban - The prison for punishing witches and wizards who are involved in bad magic that causes harm to others.

Dementors - Dementors are spirits who guard Azkaban. They are terrible, live on happy feelings. They can suck out happiness from inside you leaving you cold and scared.

Ministry of Magic - The Central body with different departments that regulates and controls all magical activities in the UK.

Divination - A subject taught at Hogwarts, which involves predicting the future.

Transfiguration - Also taught at Hogwarts, transforming one creature into another.

Potions - Taught by Professor Snape, potions include study and making magical potions, poisons and their antidotes.

Care of Magical Creatures - Taught by Professor Hagrid, it involves study and care of magical creatures.

Defence against the Dark Arts - A subject whereby the young witches and wizards are taught to defend themselves against the dark arts.

Herbology - Taught by Professor Sprout, Herbology involves the study of magical plants.

House-elves - Akin to slaves, house-elves do all the housekeeping work. The only difference being they like doing the work. To free them is their punishment.

O.W.Ls - Ordinary Wizarding Levels, an examination that the students need to take to go to the higher levels.

Hedwig - Harry’s owl, owls are used to deliver messages and even parcels to other witches and wizards staying far away.

Hogsmeade - The only all-magical village in UK, where Hogwarts students are allowed to spend time intermittently.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been the most hyped book in history. The climax with twists is not for the faint hearted. With battles, betrayals and revelations, Potter fans are not disappointed one bit.

My ex-colleague got me hooked on Harry Potter. She was raving about the Azkaban book and I got curious to know more about “The Boy Who Lived” with an address of “The Cupboard Under the Stairs”. And boy I was captivated by J.K. Rowling’s sheer magical world.

With the release date of the seventh Harry Potter nearing, I too was interested in buying the book, first day and read it from page one till end at one go. But, alas it never happened for reasons best left unsaid; I managed to grab a copy on Saturday that went by and read it through the day with interruptions in form of food and nature’s call.

Well, the book is about Harry’s journey from boy to man, his quest for Horcruxes, deaths of few loved ones, truth about Dumbledore, Snape and threat of Death Eaters and ‘You Know Who”. Filled with events both, tragic and triumphant, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a spectacular finish to the phenomenal Harry Potter series.

The book starts with Harry, Ron and Hermonie going in search for Horcruxes, a mission left to Harry by Dumbledore. Horcruxes are the hidden pieces of Lord Voldermort’s soul that must be destroyed to ensure his final defeat. While on the run, help comes from most unexpected quarters and old friends. While searching for the truth about Hogwarts heroic headmaster’s past, Harry also come across the legend of the Deathly Hallows, three magical objects that have the power to overcome death. The plot ties up all loose ends, if any, involving clues and characters from all the previous books. The long-awaited final struggle between Harry Potter and his allies, and the ever-more-powerful and influential Voldermort and his allies, the Death Eaters prove Rowling’s skills as the finest storyteller.

The message about the power of truth, love and redemption gives depth to the series as a whole. Potter fans (count me in) will definitely be left hoping for more tales from this fantastic world and brilliant author.

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The other day when I was cleaning my cupboard full of magazines and books I had collected over years, I came across an old copy of Five On a Treasure Island of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five. My folks had bought this for my 11th birthday. I had forgotten all about this book. Though I would have loved to keep it for my lil girl, but it was in a bad shape, so I threw it out.

While surfing the Net later, I came across Enid Blyton’s Famous Five Books on Amazon. Curious than ever, I searched for an online version of Five on a Treasure Island. And I did come across one.

Looking back, Famous Five was popular with kids and adults. Four children and their dog, who live on Kirrin Island run in to adventures and mysteries most kids would just dream of.

Julian, 12, eldest of all kids, tall, bossy, acts like a grown up. Dick, 11, preferred taking a backseat early on in the series, though he was more active in the later books. Anne, 10, cannot help being pulled into adventures, though she loves being homemaker. George or Georgina, 11, feisty, stubborn, brave girl, who behaves more like a boy is head over heels in love with her dog Timmy. She hates anyone who calls her “girl” or “Georgina”. Timmy, pet to George, is loyal, strong and big, does much more than just rescue people.

All five meet for the first time (Julian, Dick & Anne are cousins of George) in this book. They go for a picnic on the far side of Kirrin Island and come across old shipwreck with no treasure. Later they discover a wooden box lined with tin housing something inside. The rest of the story deals with discovery of its box and content, almost selling of the Kirrin Island by George’s father and the bad guys who come hunting for the treasure. At the end of the adventure, gold is found; Kirrins suddenly become rich and Island remains with family.

All in all, an excellent read and enjoyable trip down memory lane.

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