Book Review: Dear Mr. Potter: Letters of Love, Loss, and Magic edited by Lily Zalon

ISBN: 9780615479316

Published: June 2011
Publisher: self-published
Read from August 1st, 2011 to January 26th, 2012
Synopsis from Goodreads:

“Dear Mr. Potter: Letters of Love, Loss, and Magic” features hundreds of letters and pictures from Harry Potter fans. Individually, these letters and pictures tell stories of how fans have been impacted and inspired by Harry Potter. Together they serve as proof of what all Potter fans know so well: the Harry Potter series changes lives.

Along with fans from around the world, “Dear Mr. Potter” also features letters from Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), New York Times-bestselling author John Green, Leaky Cauldron webmistress and author of New York Times-bestseller “Harry, A History” Melissa Anelli, Andrew Slack of the Harry Potter Alliance, Paul DeGeorge of Harry and the Potters, Andrew Sims and Eric Scull of MuggleNet, and Esther Earl’s mom, Lori.

Review:

This book is absolutely brilliant!  I can't praise it enough.  If you're a Harry Potter fan, you'll love reading the letters in this book and seeing the effect Harry Potter has had on the lives of others.  First of all, I just want to mention the cover art.  I love how it has a letter on it, and the back shows the other side of the envelope.  This book doesn't even have a publisher.  Lily Zalon edited it and got it published herself, and guess what.  She's "just" a teenager.  The fact that she was able to put all of this together is brilliant.  Another amazing fact?  All of the proceeds from the book go to the Harry Potter Alliance.  I can't find one good reason why a Harry Potter fan shouldn't buy this book (except not having the money for it).

There were so many letters that made me cry.  It took me almost six months to read it because I read it slowly and tried to savor it.  You'll recognize the authors of some of the letters including Evanna Lynch who plays Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films, writer John Green, and other people well-known in the Harry Potter fandom.  I can't even begin to point out my favorite letters because so many of them are amazing.

I want to share the dedication in the book with you.  If you've read Deathly Hallows dedication, you'll understand.  The dedication in Dear Mr. Potter reads, "To Jo Rowling, from those who stuck with Harry until the very end."  Isn't that the best dedication this book could have possibly had?  I opened it for the first time, saw that and immediately fell in love with it.

Dear Mr. Potter isn't available in stores, but you can order it here.