What do you think?
Rate this book
Kids' Letters to Harry Potter: From Around the World
No book series in recent memory has swept across America around the world quite like Harry Potter. For readeres of all ages everywhere, the Sorcerer's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the Goblet of Fire have become passwords to magic and adventure. These days everybody is loving Harry Potter -- especially kids. Now, for the first time in this very special edition of warm and amusing letters, kids from all over the country express in their own ingenuous words their admiration and affection for the imaginative, resourceful Harry. In addition to a generous sampling of children's enthusiastic, candid, often humorous messages that illuminate the wizardry in America's love affair with Harry Potter, this winning book also offers interviews with a number of the letter-writers themselves. In them, Harry's fans and newfound companions explore their personal enchantment with the young wizard as they consider the effect of the magical Harry on their lives -- what wonders he has done for them and what they would happily do for him. For with Harry Potter they discover the sorcery that lies in friendship. Here, then, is a charmer of a book, a volume for everyone who has ever read and loved a Harry Potter book, as well as anyone who has simply heard of Harry's marvels.
- GenresNonfictionHarry Potter
160 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2001
2 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Bill Adler
327 books15 followersBill Adler pursued his goal of being the P.T. Barnum of books by conceptualizing, writing, editing, compiling and hustling hundreds of them — prompting one magazine to anoint him “the most fevered mind” in publishing.
Mr. Adler achieved early success by collecting and publishing letters children had written to President John F. Kennedy. He followed up with children’s letters to Smokey Bear, Santa Claus, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and President Barack Obama, among many others.
He helped popularize novels written by political, entertainment and sports celebrities, supplying ghostwriters and even plots. He signed up beauty queens to write diet and exercise books.
As an agent, his clients included Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Howard Cosell, Mike Wallace and Ralph Nader.
Mr. Adler was best known for his own titles. He wrote “What to Name Your Jewish Baby” (1966) with Arnie Kogen and “What Is a Cat? For Everyone Who Has Ever Loved a Cat” (1987). In 1969, he compiled “The Wit & Humor of Richard Nixon.” In 1995, he published “Cats’ Letters to Santa.”
One of his more famous tricks — a word he preferred to gimmicks — was the 1983 mystery novel “Who Killed the Robins Family?” by Bill Adler and Thomas Chastain. On the cover was an offer of a $10,000 reward for solving a series of fictional murders.
A team of four married couples from Denver won by coming up with the answers to 39 of 40 questions posed in the book. The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list in January 1984 and remained there for the better part of a year, selling about a million copies.
“Ideas are my mistress,” Mr. Adler told United Press International in 1986, saying he used his “given abilities to conceptualize books.”
It was People magazine that commented on Mr. Adler’s “fevered mind” in 1983, adding that publishing traditionalists regarded book packagers like Mr. Adler as “money-crazed barbarians with the sensibilities of turnips.”
Referring to Mr. Adler’s books, Roger W. Straus Jr., president of the publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux, told People: “They’re pretty chintzy, as a rule. It’s like throwing a quarter in the street. If you listen attentively, you find out it ain’t silver when it hits the ground.”
Others disagreed. “I consider Bill Adler unparalleled in the publishing industry — terribly, terribly original,” Mr. Cosell said.
One of Mr. Adler’s best-selling books was a collection called “The Kennedy Wit.” The president’s aides approved the project early in the administration, but Kennedy was said to have been angry about it, causing Random House to drop the idea. Mr. Adler suspected that the president had not wanted his humor emphasized so soon after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961.
After 35 more publishers turned the book down, Mr. Adler finally obtained a $2,500 advance from Citadel Press, a small publisher. The book, released in 1964, after the president’s assassination, was on the New York Times best-seller list for more than six months and sold more than 1.4 million copies.
William Jay Adler was born in Brooklyn on May 14, 1929. His parents died when he was a child, and he was raised by relatives. He attended Brooklyn College for three years and was drafted into the Army, then trained as a flamethrower for the Korean War.
After finding out that flamethrowers led infantry into battle, he applied for Armed Forces Radio, saying he had experience in broadcasting, though he did not. He was a disc jockey in Tokyo until his discharge in 1953. He then worked in broadcasting, as humor editor at McCall’s magazine and as a book editor for Playboy, where he first came up with book ideas.
One brainstorm was to ask the Kennedy White House if he could read mail sent to the president. In a time of much looser security, he was allowed to spend the day copying letters in the White House pos
Mr. Adler achieved early success by collecting and publishing letters children had written to President John F. Kennedy. He followed up with children’s letters to Smokey Bear, Santa Claus, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and President Barack Obama, among many others.
He helped popularize novels written by political, entertainment and sports celebrities, supplying ghostwriters and even plots. He signed up beauty queens to write diet and exercise books.
As an agent, his clients included Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Howard Cosell, Mike Wallace and Ralph Nader.
Mr. Adler was best known for his own titles. He wrote “What to Name Your Jewish Baby” (1966) with Arnie Kogen and “What Is a Cat? For Everyone Who Has Ever Loved a Cat” (1987). In 1969, he compiled “The Wit & Humor of Richard Nixon.” In 1995, he published “Cats’ Letters to Santa.”
One of his more famous tricks — a word he preferred to gimmicks — was the 1983 mystery novel “Who Killed the Robins Family?” by Bill Adler and Thomas Chastain. On the cover was an offer of a $10,000 reward for solving a series of fictional murders.
A team of four married couples from Denver won by coming up with the answers to 39 of 40 questions posed in the book. The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list in January 1984 and remained there for the better part of a year, selling about a million copies.
“Ideas are my mistress,” Mr. Adler told United Press International in 1986, saying he used his “given abilities to conceptualize books.”
It was People magazine that commented on Mr. Adler’s “fevered mind” in 1983, adding that publishing traditionalists regarded book packagers like Mr. Adler as “money-crazed barbarians with the sensibilities of turnips.”
Referring to Mr. Adler’s books, Roger W. Straus Jr., president of the publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux, told People: “They’re pretty chintzy, as a rule. It’s like throwing a quarter in the street. If you listen attentively, you find out it ain’t silver when it hits the ground.”
Others disagreed. “I consider Bill Adler unparalleled in the publishing industry — terribly, terribly original,” Mr. Cosell said.
One of Mr. Adler’s best-selling books was a collection called “The Kennedy Wit.” The president’s aides approved the project early in the administration, but Kennedy was said to have been angry about it, causing Random House to drop the idea. Mr. Adler suspected that the president had not wanted his humor emphasized so soon after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961.
After 35 more publishers turned the book down, Mr. Adler finally obtained a $2,500 advance from Citadel Press, a small publisher. The book, released in 1964, after the president’s assassination, was on the New York Times best-seller list for more than six months and sold more than 1.4 million copies.
William Jay Adler was born in Brooklyn on May 14, 1929. His parents died when he was a child, and he was raised by relatives. He attended Brooklyn College for three years and was drafted into the Army, then trained as a flamethrower for the Korean War.
After finding out that flamethrowers led infantry into battle, he applied for Armed Forces Radio, saying he had experience in broadcasting, though he did not. He was a disc jockey in Tokyo until his discharge in 1953. He then worked in broadcasting, as humor editor at McCall’s magazine and as a book editor for Playboy, where he first came up with book ideas.
One brainstorm was to ask the Kennedy White House if he could read mail sent to the president. In a time of much looser security, he was allowed to spend the day copying letters in the White House pos
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 5, 2015
Supongo que hay mil quinientas versiones de este libro, pero esta no me gustó taaaaaanto porque las cartas se hacen increíblemente repetitivas y no hay ninguna que yo diga como "¡No voy a olvidar nunca esta carta!". Además, lo venden como "cartas de niños de todas partes del mundo a Harry Potter", pero el 90% son de USA, el 5% de Australia, el 2% de Filipinas, el 2% de Inglaterra y el 1% de Nueva Zelanda. Y... no sé, en este libro restringieron la edad de los que participaban hasta máximo los 16 años y eso no me gustó.
October 22, 2018
I really like it in the beginning but then it gets really boring, and all the letter is so similar that I don't see the point in reading all of them.
January 6, 2013
When I picked this book up, I thought I would read a lot of letters from kids to Harry Potter. I found that, sure. But what I didn't expect was the general theme of the interviews and some of the personal details included in the letters. Not only did these kids write to Harry Potter, but they wrote to their hero. He inspired them and cultivated a life long love of reading. He taught him it's okay not to be perfect and what family really means. It taught them that the line between good and evil has a gray scale in the real world and that regardless of how bad things seem, there is always hope. Harry taught them to face their fears and to believe. This book really brought home how much of a culture and generation-mover this series has truly been. I would recommend it to anyone that loves Harry Potter.
September 29, 2009
Okay, this is SUPER cute. The younger the kids, the cuter the letters.
The interviews with the children all follow the same question format, meaning my eyes glazed over them, but the real joy is reading these letters. They are addressed directly to Harry himself (though one is to Hermione, and one is for Hagrid), and they ask some of the most adorable questions ever.
I do not believe JK Rowling wasn't influenced by the letters. I can't. These kids are scarily prescient. One of them recommended Ginny as Harry's love interest instead of Hermione. Almost none of them wanted Hermione/Harry, which is adorable.
One child asked whether the first snitch, caught by Harry in his mouth, was still being used. !!!
Seriously worth the read. Children are awesome when it comes to fandom. If you've dealt with any real-life HP kerfluffles, this will remind you that fandom is innocent at some point.
The interviews with the children all follow the same question format, meaning my eyes glazed over them, but the real joy is reading these letters. They are addressed directly to Harry himself (though one is to Hermione, and one is for Hagrid), and they ask some of the most adorable questions ever.
I do not believe JK Rowling wasn't influenced by the letters. I can't. These kids are scarily prescient. One of them recommended Ginny as Harry's love interest instead of Hermione. Almost none of them wanted Hermione/Harry, which is adorable.
One child asked whether the first snitch, caught by Harry in his mouth, was still being used. !!!
Seriously worth the read. Children are awesome when it comes to fandom. If you've dealt with any real-life HP kerfluffles, this will remind you that fandom is innocent at some point.
May 4, 2011
This is a very cute book, and a quick read.
Although the letters from the kids were sometimes adorable, the "interview" sections with some of the kids who wrote letters were all identical which was really tiresome. Surely the person who compiled all these letters could have thought of a few different questions for each kid.
The letters were cute though... kids say the craziest things =)
Although the letters from the kids were sometimes adorable, the "interview" sections with some of the kids who wrote letters were all identical which was really tiresome. Surely the person who compiled all these letters could have thought of a few different questions for each kid.
The letters were cute though... kids say the craziest things =)
August 20, 2009
... I'm published in this, from when I wrote a letter when I was 12. lollercoaster.
May 9, 2019
Abandoned about 1/2 way through. For those of you who know me, I NEVER abandon a book. I am a huge Harry Potter Fan! I have read every book 3 times, once to myself, once out loud to my son, then my daughter. Maybe I was expecting way too much from this little book, as I was really craving some good old Harry Potter. This is a collection of letters from children after the 4th book came out, but before any of the movies. Suffice to say, the letters are very repetitive after about the first 40 pages. It would have been nice if they were interspersed with some "fun facts" or something to break up the monotony. There are a few interviews with the children who send in letters, but the author didn't vary the types of questions he asked the kids, so even their answers got to be extremely repetitive. I just couldn't go on, I even tried just picking it up and reading a couple at a time. Just a big let down.
January 28, 2022
Really quick, super wholesome read. I appreciate how Adler doesn't add too many asides or too much commentary and lets the kids speak for themselves. I feel like the collection itself could have been compiled better; there's long stretches of repetitive, somewhat mundane letters in between kids-saying-the-darndest-things and the works of future creative writers, and while they're all cute, there's only so many times you can read a kid say that they want to fly on a broom before it gets tedious. His interview questions are also fairly simple and set up so that you get a lot of the same answers.
But overall it's a cute collection that's very insightful for children's literacy advocates. No child dislikes reading--we're just not giving them the right books.
But overall it's a cute collection that's very insightful for children's literacy advocates. No child dislikes reading--we're just not giving them the right books.
February 25, 2019
Oh my goodness! These was such a cute idea! It was a fast paced fun book.
I love how Harry Potter has impact so many kids all over the world! This makes me so happy.
#Hufflepuff
I love how Harry Potter has impact so many kids all over the world! This makes me so happy.
#Hufflepuff
September 15, 2024
Heartwarming.
Read
October 17, 2013No voy a otorgar un rating a este libro, porque simplemente no creo que sea uno que yo pueda... clasificar.
No entra en el género epistolar tampoco. Pero si quiero dar una pequeña opinión de él.
Querido Harry Potter me gustó porque a través de él podemos encontras varias (muchas) cartas de fans que le escriben y relatan como Harry Potter los ha hecho y los hace sentir. Por supuesto, hay cartas que resaltan más que otras, y la que más me gustó es la última, que al contrario de todas las demás, es escrita por un adulto, y me pude identificar más con él.
Al haber salido cuando sólo se había publicado hasta Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire es entretenido leer las teorías que los niños tenían y los deseos de qué pasaría. Me dio tristeza porque desearía haber descubierto Harry Potter antes, y no cuando la saga ya estaba totalmente publicada.
Pero hay cosas que no me agradaron. Primero, pienso que Bill Adler debió haber variado un poco ciertas preguntas (¿Esperas que la relación de Harry y Hermione sea romántica? ¿Te gustaría un estudiante Estado Unidense de intercambio en Hogwarts?) Había un montón de preguntas que él pudo haber hecho y se conformó con las mismas, a pesar de que muchos niños respondieron lo mismo: no y no.
Lo otro, es que muchas veces lo sentí repetitivo, sé que eran cartas de niños pequeños, pero uno se cansa de leer las mismas preguntas. Hubo momentos en que quise más historias o más profundidad, pero es entendible el porqué no lo hay.
No entra en el género epistolar tampoco. Pero si quiero dar una pequeña opinión de él.
Querido Harry Potter me gustó porque a través de él podemos encontras varias (muchas) cartas de fans que le escriben y relatan como Harry Potter los ha hecho y los hace sentir. Por supuesto, hay cartas que resaltan más que otras, y la que más me gustó es la última, que al contrario de todas las demás, es escrita por un adulto, y me pude identificar más con él.
Al haber salido cuando sólo se había publicado hasta Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire es entretenido leer las teorías que los niños tenían y los deseos de qué pasaría. Me dio tristeza porque desearía haber descubierto Harry Potter antes, y no cuando la saga ya estaba totalmente publicada.
Pero hay cosas que no me agradaron. Primero, pienso que Bill Adler debió haber variado un poco ciertas preguntas (¿Esperas que la relación de Harry y Hermione sea romántica? ¿Te gustaría un estudiante Estado Unidense de intercambio en Hogwarts?) Había un montón de preguntas que él pudo haber hecho y se conformó con las mismas, a pesar de que muchos niños respondieron lo mismo: no y no.
Lo otro, es que muchas veces lo sentí repetitivo, sé que eran cartas de niños pequeños, pero uno se cansa de leer las mismas preguntas. Hubo momentos en que quise más historias o más profundidad, pero es entendible el porqué no lo hay.
December 7, 2010
This book was super cute. The idea for a book like this was genious. A wonderful way for kids to practice writing and see their hard work published. I would have been estatic for something like this to fall in my lap when I was a kid. I was so glad to see all these children excited about reading. I loved that most of the kids said that the Harry Potter books ignited their love for reading. This is quite the contrary to popular belief that the Harry Potter books will start children on the path down witchcraft. Reading this compilation of letters should change anyone's opinion on that, and if it doesn't, then you are being cruel to these kids! They all have the cutest things to say and you can tell they all love the
imaginative
world of Potter. I am 23 and love it just as much as they do! I was astonished to see what their predictions were for the upcoming books in the series and how intuitive they were. Some of them predicted that Ron and Hermione would get together and Ginny and Harry would be a couple, and lo and behold, they did. OSome kids came up with poems and others with spells Harry should try. I cannot stop thinking how cute this book was and the evidence it presents that Harry did not make a generation of witches and wizards, but READERS. Thank you, Harry (J.K Rowling) and Bill Adler (the author of this book). Your work is appreciated!
August 26, 2015
It was neat reading letters by kids from all over the world. With some of the letters, I couldn't help but marvel at the kids' vivid imaginations. Other letters got emotionally personal, which attests to the fact that Harry Potter has become somewhat of a best friend to millions of children. There were some letters that perfectly predicted the end of the series, which sometimes made me wonder if these eleven-year-olds really were magical! My only critique concerns the author's post-letter interviews. It would've been nice if he varied the questions a bit. Halfway through the book, I stopped reading the interviews because I was tired of the same four or five questions.
June 7, 2017
Es simple y sencillamente la recopilación de escritos/cartas de potterheads alrededor del mundo. Aunque es tierno ver a diferentes personas escribir con ilusión a determinados personajes de la saga (como si estos existieran en realidad) o a la misma autora, llega un punto en el que todas las cartas dicen casi lo mismo, y es una desventaja. No obstante, recopila de forma bonita la ilusión y el anhelo de cientos que niños que, sin proponérselo, estaban paeticipando de un fenómeno cultural como ninguno otro.
September 29, 2008
Okay, this book was an impulse grab at the library. While it is a great idea in theory, the book actually just creeped me out. Especially since a number of them were from teenagers who one would think definitely know that HP is not a real person. The last letter in the book REALLY freaked me out -- from a 23-year-old male. Some of the questions were cute, though -- the younger kids always managed to have the best questions.
May 26, 2012
I didn't really see the point in this book. Perphaps if it had any organization whatsoever it would be somewhat readable, like maybe if the letters were put into categories. Basically it got really boring. Why do I want to read the same interview over and over. I was hoping the presentation of the letters would be something a little bit more creative and that the letters would be matched with some stories or facts or something to make this worth reading.
Read
February 5, 2016I got about 50% through this book, and of that 50% I probably only actually read 50%. I started skipping the interviews with the kids, because they all started to sound the same. Eventually, I didn't even want to read the letters anymore, as they all started to sound the same.
This book was done after the fourth book in the HP series. I will say that a lot of the letter writers were very astute in some of their predictions for the series!
This book was done after the fourth book in the HP series. I will say that a lot of the letter writers were very astute in some of their predictions for the series!
August 19, 2015
The title of Kids' Letters to Harry Potter is pretty self-explanatory, but it doesn't mention the fervor with which some of these letters were written; their authors clearly loved and idolized Harry. This book is a cute, quick read and suitable for any age - it serves as a reminder that long before Pottermania became commonplace, the series impacted many people. The only downside is the (somewhat) repetitive nature of the letters.
March 29, 2015
Este libro está lleno de cartas hermosas, que me emocionaron muchísimo, es increíble la imaginación que tienen los niños, me pregunto si a esa edad yo también tenía esos pensamientos.
AMÉ TODAS Y CADA UNA DE LAS CARTAS, había momentos en los que los niños escribían comentarios sobre sus personajes favoritos y es triste pensar que esos pensamientos que tenían no se harán realidad.
AMÉ TODAS Y CADA UNA DE LAS CARTAS, había momentos en los que los niños escribían comentarios sobre sus personajes favoritos y es triste pensar que esos pensamientos que tenían no se harán realidad.
dnf
February 22, 2017Bought this book for cheap at a clearance sale. Yay! I think the the letters were written around the time of the fourth Harry Potter book. One of the letters wished for Harry to ditch the Dusleys so he could go live with his godfather. Poor baby.
Update: stopped reading at page 20. Will continue another time.
Update: stopped reading at page 20. Will continue another time.
July 20, 2011
I was really liking the book when I first started reading it, but after awhile it got really repetitive. However, the book was interesting for the fact to see how much of an impact Harry Potter had on people.
It was a nice read and I'm sure any fan of Harry Potter would enjoy this.
It was a nice read and I'm sure any fan of Harry Potter would enjoy this.
July 13, 2012
This book was super cute! I loved reading all the letters to Harry Potter. I of course gave this 5 stars because I love Harry Potter. If you love that series then you will really enjoy this book!
October 7, 2012
Funny book. It's hilarious to see what kids write to Harry Potter.
October 21, 2014
Was not very impressed. What are the odds two children in different parts of the world would write identical letters.
March 12, 2015
Cute, funny and overall a fun read.
May 11, 2015
So cute.
January 8, 2022
So cute! I loved how kids made predictions about what would happen, and some were right!
December 24, 2016
As cartas sao bonitinhas, mas a parte das e entrevistas com as crianças é muito chato,
December 20, 2017
kitap iyi hoş da, mektup yazan çocuklar aptal biraz :/
March 17, 2012
O.K., but not fabulous.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews