“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is the 8^th establishment that continues the Harry Potter story. Written by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany as a screenplay for the West End, the play is currently playing at the Palace Theatre in London. It takes place nineteen years after the events of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and follows Harry’s youngest son Albus.

It starts off where we last saw the Golden Trio, sending their children off to Hogwarts. Harry pulls aside Albus who is starting his first year, it’s a familiar scene to anyone who has seen the Harry Potter movies or who has read the book. That’s part of the appeal of reading this, the familiarity. It sends readers into a world they remember and grew up.

Albus ultimately gets sorted into a house he was not expecting and soon befriends Scorpius Malfoy. Their friendship is clearly detested by both of their families and it follows the wedge between Albus and Harry.

Reading this book is a trip down memory lane, however, one of this piece of work’s downfall is its reliance on nostalgia. Parts of the book feel like a rewrite of the original Harry Potter series. Everyone loves the feeling of reminiscence but an overload of it can put people off.

With that said, when the nostalgia is done right, it leaves a warm feeling behind. Another thing that was amazing was the writing of the younger characters. They felt real and they were exactly how I imagined them to be.

While the younger generation were planned and thought out, the characterization and treatment of the people readers grew up reading about was off-putting. The Golden Trio members often felt like they were different characters. They would say things or do things that just felt wrong.

While there were mistakes made when writing this book, one thing was apparent and has been apparent in all of the Harry Potter books, it was fun to read. It can be so difficult to find a book that’s just that, fun. Overall it was a good read despite a few problems. I would give it a 7/10 and I would wholeheartedly recommend it, not only to fans of Harry Potter, but to everyone.

18agonzalez@usd489.com