Join in with book of the month The Cursed Child. It’s actually not a book, it’s a script and also a West End play. It’s also written by Jack Thorne not J K Rowling (although is based on a story by her, Thorne and John Tiffany). Confused yet? Don’t be, the book club questions below are a lot easier.
Cursed Child – the blurb
It’s been nineteen years since Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger saved the wizarding world, and now they’re back on a most extraordinary adventure, joined by a brave new generation that’s only just arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son, Albus, struggles with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present collide, both father and son are locked in a race through time as they battle mysterious forces, all while the future hangs in the balance.
Curtain call please
There is no getting round the fact that it is a script you are reading. It does take a bit of getting used to but the forward at the beginning does go into depth about the nuances actors can bring to the stage that a script simply cannot provide. I do think younger children may struggle as a result but if you’re a HP fan it has everything you could possibly want in a ‘sequel’.
If I’m honest I did find it a little too predictable. Of course Hermione is the Minister of Magic, and Professor McGonagall is headmistess at Hogwarts. Ron also seemed to be a bit wooden in a way I didn’t find him to be in the original books.
Whereas the HP books had solid, well thought out plots the whole idea of Cursed Child seemed to be very flawed. I could see Voldermort being obsessed with a blood heir and his followers were certainly devoted enough to concoct such an idea but the traveling back in time along with the resulting butterfly effect all seemed quite unthought through and a few plot holes crept up here and there.
Despite this I loved stepping back into the Hogwarts world again and enjoyed reading about the friendship between Albus and Scorpius (Scorpius as a name, really???) I could vividly see this developing on a stage in a way I couldn’t work out how they would bring back young Harry Potter on stage without Daniel Radcliffe. Let me know if they succeeded on that one.
Book club questions
+++ These questions contain spoilers and should only be used if you have read the book already!+++
- Was this the first time you had ever read a script? How did you find it?
- How well did it work as a sequel to the Harry Potter books? How well did it work as a standalone?
- If you could go back in time for a day where would you go to and why?
- Dumbledore, Cedric Diggory and even Moaning Myrtle all make an appearance in The Cursed Child. Did all these reappearances fit in to the story well or did it feel forced?
- What did you think of the alternative reality when Voldermort was ruler? Was it scary? Did you think Scorpius would choose to stay in that world where he was powerful and popular?
If you would like to join in with the Children’s Book of the Month keep your eyes peeled for the next book in a few days time. A review with book club questions is usually posted on the last Monday of the month and you can check out previous Book of the Months such as Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm by clicking on the Young Adult/Kids button at the top of the Home Page.
