The Misadventures of Next Generation Hogwartees

The Misadventures of Next Generation Hogwartees

By Jasminn N.

An interesting spin-off to the award winning series Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a screenplay written by Jack Thorne, takes readers through a touching journey of parenthood, bullying, and friendship. The book begins with a scene of Harry and his family sending off their son Albus on platform nine and three quarters. The family faces the long awaited verdict of which house Albus will be sorted into. Funnily enough, against their wishes, he was sorted into Slytherin. On the train ride, Albus meets a new friend, Scorpius  Malfoy. Overhearing of the dark secrets of their fathers pasts, the two boys go on a quest to change the past for the better- but things don't turn out quite like expected.

Different from past Harry Potter novels, The Cursed Child is a screenplay which definitely takes away some of the finer details its past successors had. Although screenplays aren't for everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Though there is an obvious difference in the portrayal of characters between this book and previous Harry Potter books. Their personalities, however similar to the originals, leave an uncomfortable feeling of "these aren't the same characters I once read of." It could just be the difference in maturity with which the characters grew into as they aged, but it still felt off. New characters, however, are greatly represented. The teenage angst and rebellion against father is interesting to see between the two main families of the story; Malfoy and Potter. Albus has more of a moody teen vibe, whereas Scorpius has a much happier and exciting personality.

The plot itself is very different from what I had originally had in mind when first hearing about The Cursed Child. I expected something that focused a lot more on Harry, seeing as his name is in the title, but I must add that the change in focus is pleasing and welcomed warmly in my Potterhead heart. Rowling did another amazing job at making a great story and Thorne was spectacular in his writing of it. The strong development of characters and relationships is truly something to be admired.

I applaud J.K. Rowling for all the hard work she's put into the series and I can't wait to see what comes next for the Hogwarts gang. Overall, the book is definitely not up to paar with the rest of the series, but still worth checking out in my unprofessional, amateur opinion.