Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, by Newt Scamander

A Review by Susan Levy

Harry Potter has no respect for books. You should just see his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, by Newt Scamander. Not only has Ron Weasley helped him to deface it, but the two of them have written all sorts of scurrilous remarks about Hagrid's abilities with magical creatures.

It's a great little book though. It tells you first of all, just what is a Beast. There are some surprises here - merpeople and centaurs have both chosen to be classified as Beasts rather than Beings, and conversely, trolls and fairies, despite their humanoid appearance, do not qualify as Beings, for reasons that you can read for yourself.

All seventy-five known Beasts are described here, with details of their habits and habitat, and a M.O.M. (Ministry of Magic) rating for difficulty of handling. You will learn how to recognise signs of their presence, although Muggles are not supposed to see them or know anything about them. But slip-ups do occur.

Did you know that Scotland and Tibet have the worst record for concealment of Beasts from Muggles? Think about it.

Copyright c)2001 Susan Levy