First off, yes, I am a devoted Harry Potter fan and love reading The Leaky Cauldron so when I learned Ms. Anelli was writing about her experiences inside the HP phenomenon, I knew I would be reading it.

Just as I laughed and cried at Harry, Ron, Hermione and all the others, I laughed and cried with Melissa and Emerson and John and Jo. An aspiring writer myself, Ms. Anelli's way of sucking us in to her doubts and her dreams had me reading long into the night.

Is this book a tremendous literary achievement? Certainly not if set next to historians such as David McCullough and others. However, anytime I read a coming-of-age biography that is not filled with sex, violence, drugs and all the negativity many seem to feel are the "normal" rights of passage for young people today, I have a deep abiding sense of triumph in my soul. There are good young people in this world who can be trusted when it is time for us old fogeys to pass the torch--and may Melissa Anelli reign for many more years as one of those principled journalists who carries a sense of true pride in media accuracy and integrity. Write on, Melissa, through whatever the future brings!

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I learned that there is a whole world of Harry Potter fans out there that do lots more than just read the books! We met the author at a library book signing and heard 2 of the wizard rock bands she tours with. I'd never been to a Harry Potter website or listened to a podcast, so there was lots of new info for me, sometimes a little too much. I liked how she traced the impact of Harry Potter on the publishing industry and her interviews with J.K. Rowling. I was less interested in where she traveled, who she saw at which party, and her whininess when her mom thinks she should get a job (she had graduated from college after all!) If you are a serious Harry Potter fan you will probably really enjoy this. If you aren't it may still leave you a bit mystified about the whole phenomenon.

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