Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K Rowling

Title: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Author: J.K. Rowling
Page Count: 280
Rating: A
Keywords: Magic, Roaring 20s, Creatures, Witches and Wizards
Genre: Screenplay
Younger Readers: Characters are not as young as in the Harry Potter novels, but still generally family friendly story.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt's fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone…

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved and internationally bestselling Harry Potter books. Featuring a cast of remarkable characters, this is epic, adventure-packed storytelling at its very best.

Whether an existing fan or new to the wizarding world, this is a perfect addition to any reader's bookshelf.

My Review:

After watching the movie and absolutely falling in love with it I just had to pick up the screenplay. I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the humor and insane antics once more. Some of my favorite quotes were even better the second time through. My view of Hufflepuffs has forever changed.

I recommend this more as a collector's item than an individual read. The 280 page screenplay took me about an hour an a half to read through in one sitting. If I had not watched the movie already I do not think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much. But if you have seen the movie and want to re-experience the story I absolutely recommend picking this up. Diving back into the wizarding world was great fun and certainly put me in the holiday spirit.

Do note that the intense yellows and golds shown in the picture of the cover are not quite what it looks like in person. The colors are more of a dusty gold with a grey blue background. If you remove the dust jacket the cover looks like a nice blue denim with a gold niffler stamped on it. Some reviewers were also surprised that this book is smaller. For reference, it is about half an inch shorter than Harry Potter and the Cursed Child or roughly the same size as the hardcover edition of Rick Riordan's Sword of Summer.

The interior design is divine and truly plays up the art deco style that the 1920s were known for. Page headers and footers, brief illustrations, and font all hold true to the style. This furthers the reading experience and really sets the mood.

It has been a great edition to my bookcase's Harry Potter shelf.