J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World: A Pop-up Gallery of Curiosities

J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World is full of magical curiosities: a flying car, a hat that sings, an enchanted case, and so much more. This small, deluxe pop-up book showcases three-dimensional renderings of some of the beloved curiosities from the Harry Potter films, including two pops related to the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Pull out flaps will feature text that delves into the items on each spread and how they were achieved in the films.

This book features doors that open from the middle of the front cover, a sturdy magnetic closure, and elastic loops to hold each pop firmly in place making it a perfect stand-alone display.

Gr 3 Up—The vast Harry Potter franchise comes alive in this pop-up book. Five intricately painted 3-D scenes are accompanied by movie titles, quotations, and descriptions of how each curiosity is brought to life in its respective film. Thoughtful paper engineering by Diaz ensures that each scene contains multiple layers that highlight Silván's detailed illustrations. The volume works best, the introduction explains, when stood up and folded down to 90 degrees, which allows the full scene to come together. The work opens with the Hogwarts sorting hat and includes depictions of the Whomping Willow and Cornish pixies. Newt Scamander's (aka J.K. Rowling) Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is incorporated as well, with Newt's Enchanted Case and the Niffler scenes. Though this selection is brief in terms of page count, fans will love the breadth of coverage here and will likely appreciate the inclusion of more obscure curiosities. Casual Potter readers may not be familiar with every reference but should appreciate the craftsmanship nonetheless. The elaborate construction means there are many delicate pieces, which should be noted if considering this for circulation. VERDICT A beautifully made offering that would make a great gift for a Potter fanatic but may not withstand the stress of repeated circulation.—Lindsay Jensen, Nashville Public Library