Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Listening Library, . 18 hours, 33 minutes. $49.95 (on iTunes) ISBN

Plot Summary: Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts proves to be an interesting year. He is not only under stress due to Voldemort's rise to power, but his classes get harder as well. He has help in the mysterious Half-Blood Prince, past owner of his Potions textbook. The Prince covered the book in notations, spells and tips which provide Harry with the means of being a star Potions pupil. Harry also has Quiddich to worry about, as he is the new Griffyndor captain. With everyone on edge due to the dark forces coming to power, it seems hard to find any joy. But love blossoms around Hogwarts, as Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly find out. Once again it is up to Harry to defeat Voldemort in any way he can.

Critical Evaluation: This is my favorite audio book of the series. Jim Dale is a superb narrator and keeps the listener engaged through the entire 18.5 hours. Jim's voice, the character voices he creates and the overall mood of the book help make this audio book one of the best. Although the subject matter gets darker in this book, it is certainly acceptable for tweens.

Reader's Annotation: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes to life thanks to Jim Dale and his award winning voice.

Author Bio: Jim Dale is an award winning narrator, who has also done much work in both American and British theater and films. He has won several awards including two Grammys for audio books, several theater awards, the Guinness World Record for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for creating the most character voices (134) for one audio book, broke his previous Guinness World Record in 2007 for 146 character voices in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and finally a Guinness World Record for holding the first six places on the "Top Ten Audio Books of America and Canada in 2005."

Genre: Fantasy

Curriculum Ties: None.

Booktalking Ideas: All that is necessary for a successful book talk for HPHBP is to simply put on the first CD and have them listen to Jim Dale read. They will become entranced by his voice and all the characters he creates.

Reading Level/Interest Age: Ages 9 and up.

Challenges: The dark subject matter may cause issues, as well as the fact that it centers on witchcraft.

Reason for including: In all honesty, I love Jim Dale. He is by far the best audio book narrator out there. I check out any book he has narrated, and end up loving it.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for Wii

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for Wii
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Electronic Arts: 2009. $49.99 SKU
Readers Annotation: Become a witch or wizard while playing Wii by flying a broomstick, dueling with wands, and making potions.
Plot Summary: This Wii game follows both the book and movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, taking aspects from both. Players are able to start at the beginning, following Harry and his friends as they roam around the castle, take classes, and learn magic at Hogwarts. If following the story isn't your thing, then duel a friend with magic wands, or play quidditch on a broom. This game will give hours of enjoyment as you play your way through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Critical Evaluation: This Wii game is a step up from the last Harry Potter Wii game based on The Order of the Phoenix. This game allows for up to two players, unlike the previous one which only allowed one player at a time. Although only one player can play the story aspects of the game, two can be part of the Gryffindor Dueling Club. Players can also play quidditch and make potions, which is another step up from the previous game. If only there was a Wii version of the Quidditch World Cup game from a few years ago. Suggested for ages ten and up, teens will really get into the action of the game and the exitement of pretending to fly a broom or hold a wand. I found the game to be much more interesting than the previous Wii game, and a lot more user friendly. The spellwork isn't as complicated as before, and the instructions are easier to follow. Dueling was a blast, literally.
Information about the Author: EA is one of the leading makers of video games, including Madden and all of the other professional sports games, as well as Sims and the new EA Sports Active.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Fantasy
Age Level: Everyone, ages 10 and up
Curriculum Ties: No curriculum ties.
Book talking ideas: Get a Harry Potter discussion going. Discuss how using Harry Potter types magic would make things different.
Challenge Issues: The fact that players are emulating spell work and potion making, essentially wielding magical powers, may make some parents uncomfortable.
Why I included it: How could I not include something Harry Potter? Harry Potter seems to be an intergenerational series, with many teens getting so into the books that they dress up for movie and book releases, and are the same Harry Potter character every year for Halloween (including yours truly). How fun would it be to pretend to be Harry and his friends and battle Lord Voldemort while wielding the Wii remote as a wand?