Comparing the US and UK Version of Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban written by J.K. Rowling

 As you know, I have already compared the first and second books of Harry Potter in both versions of the U.K. and the U.S. (that are of course written by J.K. Rowling) so make sure you go back in my other posts to see them. I'll just tell you now, story wise nothing has changed, same story line through out the book, however the texts have changed since J.K. Rowling and the book publishing companies Scholastic (U.S.) and Bloomsburry (U.K.).

***SPOILER ALERTS***
                                                                             



                                                                 

U.K. book cover                                                           U.S. book cover

                                                 
                   see how much smaller the U.K. book (top) is than the U.S. book (bottom)



   The obvious comparisons that I have been saying over the last two posts while comparing the HP books:

1) The spacing is still different, U.K. version does not double space unlike the U.S. version so of course Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban U.K. version is smaller than the U.S. version since it has 317 pages and U.S. version has 435 pages because it uses double spacing. I say sometimes more than double spacing.

2) There is no period after the words Mr or Mrs in the U.K. version unlike U.S. version where we Americans must put a period after the words Mr. or Mrs. (I know the U.K. and the U.S. have different opinions when it comes to writing). Also, the spelling of the word Halloween is different, the U.S. writes it as such: Halloween. However, in the U.K. version, it is spelled as such: Hallowe'en.

3) In the U.S. version there are still pictures at the beginning of each chapter unlike the U.K. version (I wonder why).

4) There is a Table Of Contents in the U.S. version and not in the U.K. version (again, I don't know why).

5) The font in the U.S. version is of course fancier than the U.K. version. My guess it is that way because Scholastic (a well known book publishing company in the U.S.) likes to show how the characters are portrayed in the book unlike the U.K. version. For example, if you look at the letter that Harry Potter's friend, Hagrid, sent to Harry's other friend, Hermione, you can see that in the U.S. version the font is bold and also it shows tear drops on it representing that he is actually crying while writing his letter about his beloved hippogriff, Buckbeak.

U.K. font                                                                          U.S. font

   Now I that I had covered the same comparisons in my last two posts of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets; let's compare the differences that I have noticed in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban:

1) In chapter 2 Aunt Marge's Big Mistake

 The scene is:

When Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge, who is Harry Potter's aunt, comes to town for a visit. Uncle Vernon offers Marge some brandy (an alcoholic drink), Marge does change the text around in the books when she does accept the drink and says:

U.K. - "Just a small one. . . a bit more. . . that's the boy." (Rowling, 26)

U.S. - "Just a small one. . . a bit more. . . that's the ticket" (Rowling, 27)

2) In Chapter 5 The Dementor

The scene is:
Once Harry and Hermione arrived at Hogwarts Professor McGonagall wanted to see Harry to make sure he was all right since he encountered a dementor on the Hogwarts train. Next, she wanted to see Hermione so she can secretly give her a Time-Turner so she can be at her multiple classes at once, you'll find out later in chapter Twenty-One titled Hermione's Secret about the Time-Turner. So anyways in the U.K. and the U.S. they use the terms differently for schedule.

U.K. - timetable

U.S. schedule

***If I have all ready compared this in one of my other Harry Potter posts, then please find it somewhere in your hearts to forgive me*** 

Some time in the future I will be comparing the U.K. and U.S. versions of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire so please stay tuned.


ROWLING, J. K. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban. New York: ARTHUR A. LEVINE, 1999. Print.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban. London: Bloomsbury, 1999. Print.

According to the U.S. version of Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, the publishing company Arther A. Levine is an imprint of the book publishing company Scholastic Inc. 

The Year I Turned Sixteen written by Diane Schwemm

        Imagine a fictional book telling a story about four sisters. Not just about four sisters, each sister tells her own story when she turns sixteen years old.

         In the book, The Year I Turned Sixteen, written by Diane Schwemm, tells the story about four sisters. Maggie Walker, a single mother, raised her four daughters, Rose, Daisy, Laurel, and Lily, after her husband died in a boat accident. First, Rose, the oldest of the four who loves theatre and singing, told her story after she turned sixteen. Such as, falling in and out of love with boys and dealing the death of her father. Next, Daisy is the second sister, when she turned sixteen Rose grew older; Daisy was the athletic girl in the family. She too fell in love with boys, while she dealt with the death of her father, while her mother saw other men. Then, Laurel turned sixteen, her two older sisters moved out of the house. Laurel was the animal lover of the family; she begun work at a Wildlife Rescue Center. Laurel had to deal with some boy drama in her life along with living her impossible to get along with litter sister, Lily, after another death in the family.  Last but not least, Lily, the youngest sister in the family who was usually by herself at home most the time, was the creative writer in the family. Lily was the sister that had the most struggles, when she entered high school; all of the teachers that previously taught her sisters compared her to them. She also dealt with the changes and struggles in the family.  I totally can relate to Lily since I have an older sister.

         In concluding, The Year That I Turned Sixteen, written by Diane Schwemm contains of love stories, heartbreaks, and finding oneself. I believe any reader reading this book can relate to something in each of the sisters. I also believe that the reader would fall in love with each sister turning Sweet Sixteen. This book is one my favorites and I do hope you enjoy this book and much as I did.

Trivia Questions:

1) In what way did the Walker's next door neighbor, Hal, from the apartment complex become important in their lives?

2) Name one good and tragic moment that each of the girls faced when they turned sixteen.  

Schwemm, Diane. The Year I Turned Sixteen: Rose, Daisy, Laurel, Lily. New York: Simon Pulse, 2010. Print.

A Little Bit Wicked written by Kristin Chenoweth with Joni Rogers

Popular! I’m going to make you pop-u-lar!

       Maybe if you read this memoir titled A Little Bit Wicked, written by Kristin Chenoweth (with Joni Rogers) you just might be popular! Just not quite as popular as… Okay, Okay! Yes I know, I was about to write this whole book review as a parody to the song, Popular! From the Broadway musical, Wicked, you’ll forgive me...right?

     I Laura Shadden, promise that I won’t write the whole blog as a parody.

    So basically, Kristin Chenoweth writes her own memoir, A Little Bit Wicked, that covers her life story growing up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, to acting in numerous musicals on Broadway, including Wicked as the original Glinda, and life being in some Hollywood movies and TV shows, along with having her own NBC sitcom TV show Kristin.

    For those who do not know Kristin Chenoweth at all, she is a soprano/opera singer who started her professional acting career on Broadway. Some of the Broadway musicals included The West Wing, Wicked, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Annie Get Your Gun, and Animal Crackers. Not only did Kristin Chenoweth act on Broadway, she also acted in movies; which included the remake movie of Annie, RV that starred the late Robin Williams, and Pink Panther that starred Steve Martin. Along with acting in movies, Kristin Chenoweth did do several guest appearances for TV shows, which included, Sesame Street, Frasier, The 700 Club, and The West Wing. In 2001, Kristin Chenoweth was going to have her own sitcom TV show on NBC called Kristin, Kristin Chenoweth did film several episodes for the NBC network where her character, Kristin Yancey, was an inspiring actor and singer; sadly NBC never aired the show since they didn’t like Kristin’s character because they thought Kristin Yancey was very fake. 

Besides talking about her life (almost) having her own TV sitcom, acting on Broadway and in Hollywood, Kristin Chenoweth describes about her life growing up as a Christian in a small town in Oklahoma. She attended OCU (Oklahoma City University) where she took singing lessons and graduated with a bachelor degree in Musical Theatre. After she got her bachelor’s degree, Kristin Chenoweth enrolled for grad school at OCU. While she attended grad school, Kristin competed in a lot of beauty pageants and won the titles of Miss State Capital and also Miss Oklahoma City University. During a semester, Kristin quit grad school so she could move to New York to act in her first Broadway show, Animal Crackers. Kristin eventually did finish grad school at OCU where she received her master’s degree in Opera Performance.

In concluding, if you have never seen a Kristin Chenoweth concert (like I have once), I promise you she is one funny person. Yes, she is less than 5 feet tall but I am telling you, she has a huge sense of humor. She has a phenomenal job putting humor into her memoir, A Little Bit Wicked, so if you do or do not know Kristin Chenoweth, then I suggest you read this book because it is hilarious and it’s good to have a good laugh once in a while.

Trivia Questions: 

1) What is Kristin Chenoweth's real name and why did she change it?

2) Is Kristin Chenoweth adopted?

3) While taking singing lessons during her first semester at OCU, from what part of Kristin's body did her singing teacher tell her to sing from? 

Chenoweth, Kristin, and Joni Rodgers. A Little Bit Wicked: (Life, Love, And Faith In Stages). New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010. Print.

Just for the record: I am NOT the writer/creator of the song Popular! for the Broadway Musical Wicked and I never did write a parody to the song Popular!

Without You written by Anthony Rapp

Five hundred twenty- five thousand six hundred minutes...how do measure, measure a year? … Seasons of love. . . measure your life in love… 

         All right all you Rentheads out there this book is for you if love the Broadway musical Rent, allow me recommend a book to you from the guy who played the original Mark Cohen, the main lead in the musical.  

That’s right Anthony Rapp wrote his memoir titled Without You all about his life, which includes, being the original Mark Cohen in the musical Rent. Having to see his mother battling with bone cancer for several years before she passed away. Besides seeing his mother struggling with cancer, Anthony Rapp mentions intimate stories of times when was battling with his sexuality before coming out as bisexual.

For those who don’t know Anthony Rapp, he was the original Mark Cohen in the musical Rent. He first acted as Mark Cohen while the musical was in the production studio. Next, he continued to act as Mark Cohen through workshop all the way to Broadway and then went on to touring shows. Eventually, Anthony played Mark Cohen in the movie version of Rent. How long did Mr. Anthony Rapp act as Mark Cohen in Rent you ask? The answer: ten years!

         Next, not only does Anthony Rapp talk about his life being on the Broadway and touring shows acting as Mark Cohen, he also mentions about what Rent was like at the very beginning stage of Rent before it was a smash hit musical on Broadway. Therefore Rentheads this could be the only book telling us how the lyrics were originally written before they hit on Broadway! Next question, have you ever wanted to know how the original cast and crewmembers reacted when they heard the news that Jonathan Larson died? For those who do not know Jonathan Larson, he was the creator of Rent. On January 24, 1995 Jonathan Larson passed away from an aortic aneurysm, the night before Rent was open to the public at the New York Theatre Workshop. What really shocked everyone was that Jonathan was only thirty-five years old and the last people who saw him were Anthony Rapp and the rest of the cast and crew when they were doing their final dress rehearsal. 

         Besides describing the loss of Jonathan, Anthony did mention three interesting facts about Rent in his memoir. First, Jonathan Larson wrote Rent based on another musical (opera) called La Bohème. The characters in Rent are also based on the characters in  La Bohèm. Second, the scene Life Support that Johnathan Larson wrote was based on an organization called Friends In Deed. Friends In Deed helps people with life threatening illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, by giving them free counsieling services. Jonathan had friends who were HIV-postivie so he went to some Friends In Deed meetings with them. Anyways, Jonathan wanted to write about his experiences attending Friends In Deed through the Life Support scene. Last Rent fact, you know one of the popular song What You Own, right? The reason why Jonathan Larson wrote that song was because he had Anthony Rapp’s voice in mind. 
        In concluding, if you or know someone who is a Renthead then I would recommend Without You a memior that is written by the original Mark Cohen himself, Anthony Rapp.

Trivia Questions: 
1) What song did Anthony Rapp sing in his first audition for Rent?

2) How did the Rent saying, "Thank you Jonathan Larson!" start?


3) What did the Rent cast do the next day when they heard the news about Jonathan Larson's death? 


Rapp, Anthony. Without You: A Memoir Of Love, Loss, And The Musical Rent. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. Print.
Rapp, Anthony , Daphne Rubin-Vega, Adam Pascal, and Idina Menzel, perfs. Seasons Of Love . Rent . Jonathan Larson, 1996. CD.

As Old As Time written by Liz Braswell

        Ever wondered what would happen if a classic Disney fairytale had a different story? For instance, what would happen if Belle from the Disney movie Beauty And The Beast had a mother and she was the one who cursed the prince by turning him into Beast?

         In the book As Old As Time written by Liz Braswell tells the story about Belle’s life from the classic tale Beauty And The Beast if her mother was the Enchantress who cursed the Beast. Would the Beast remain a beast forever? Would Belle still be considered as the odd bookworm in her little town? Exactly how far would Gaston go to make Belle marry him? This book does contain similar scenes that happened in both the animated and live action movie along with famous quotes. Along with new scenes that no one has ever heard or read before because the book does contain a plot twist. In my opinion, I love how some of the chapter titles are quotes from the movie along with actual lines and scenes taken from the movie word by word.

    In concluding, if you or know someone who loves Disney’s classic movies, 
I would suggest to read As Old As Time because it is a plot twist to the Disney classic fairytale Beauty And The Beast. I personally do think that Liz Braswell did an incredible job writing a classic tale with a twist that is truly a tale as old as time.

Trivia Questions:

1) How old was the Beast when Belle's mother cursed him? Why did she curse him?

2) Why did Belle's father, Maurice, take Belle when she was a baby and left Belle's mother behind?

3) How did the Beast's parents die? 

Braswell, Liz. As Old As Time. Los Angeles: Disney Press, 2016. Print.

Wicked: The Grimmerie written by David Cote

Have you heard one of Broadway’s hit musical Wicked? It’s a musical about the two witches, Glinda’s and Elphaba’s life living in The Land Of Oz before Dorothy’s house dropped in and met the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. If you ever wondered how these three main characters become who they are in The Land Of Oz, I would suggest to go see Wicked. It is truly one of my favorite musicals.

If you have seen this musical either on Broadway or the touring show, have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes before and during the show? For example, have you wondered how the makeup crew puts on Elphaba’s green makeup on the actress or how some of the props worked such as the Wizard’s Head.

Not only does The Grimmerie show the behind the scenes, it also shows some sketches of the drafts and ideas behind the songs and when Wicked was at the beginning stages of being created. Also, this book has pictures and interviews from the original cast staring Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda). Yes America, Idina Menzel originally started her acting career on Broadway in the musical Rent as the original Maureen Johnson. Next, she stared in Wicked as the original Elphaba before you heard her amazing singing voice in the movie Frozen singing Let It Go! After Wicked, her first movie that she acted in was Rent playing her original Broadway role, Maureen Johnson. Finally, Idina Menzel returned to Broadway in 2014 to perform in the original cast in a musical called If/Then.

In concluding, let me just add two Wicked facts just to spark your interest First, incase you are wondering why this book is called The Grimmerie there is a reason why. In Wicked Elphaba’s spell book that she always carries with her is called The Grimmerie. Finally, Wicked is actually based on the book written by Gregory Maguire (he has also written two more books in the Wicked series Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men). My warning to you is this, before you rush out and go see the show thinking that it is just like the book, the book and the musical are totally different.

        (the Wicked book is written by Gregory Maguire, this is the Broadway poster as the book cover) 

*** If you haven’t heard Idina Menzel’s voice on Broadway, here are three original soundtracks that you can buy on iTunes:

1)    Rent (also available in the movie soundtrack)

2)    Wicked

3)    If/Then

Here is a link about Idina Menzel’s career if you want to read it:

http://www.biography.com/people/idina-menzel

Trivia Questions:
1) What kind of makeup brush do the makeup crew use to put the green makeup on the actress playing Elphaba?
2) Why did Idina Menzel cuss during her audition for Wicked?

Coté, David. Wicked: The Grimmerie. New York: Hyperion, 2006. Print.

"Idina Menzel." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 13 Feb. 2015. Web. 17 May 2017.

Comparing Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets written by J.K. Rowling

                                             United Kingdom                  United States

                                     United Kingdom                                    United States

                 United Kingdom                                                             United States

 ********If you haven't seen my later post of comparing the United Kingdom (UK) version and the United States (US) version of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone then I would highly suggest you read that post first since it describes why there is a difference between the Harry Potter books and such.*********

Alrighty let's get on to comparing the UK and the US version of Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets shall we!

Sadly in Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets there is not a lot to compare unlike the first Harry Potter book so this will be one quick little blog.

Difference between the UK and US version:

- Book cover is different

- In the UK version the book is smaller because the font is closely together than the US version. Therefore there are 251 pages in the UK version and 341 pages in the US version. Also in the US version, the font does change around when describing a letter or when a character is yelling like a mad person.

- No pictures in the beginning of each chapter unlike the US version

-Still no period after the pre suffixes of the words "Mrs" and "Mr"unlike in the American language we have to put a period after "Mrs." and "Mr."

-No Table of Contents in the UK version but there is in the US version

-At the very end of the UK version, there are copied photos of Harry Potter fans who wrote to J.K. Rowling about how much they loved the first Harry Potter book.

_________________________________________________________

In Chapters 7 and 8 during Halloween time at Hogwarts,  there was only two words throughout the book that was changed.

Chapter 7: Mudbloods and Murmurs

At the beginning of the chapter it describes Harry being annoyed by his stalker, Colin Creevey, tries to talk to him or take his picture. Harry is thinking that Collin memorized his class schedule. The word "schedule" is used differently in the UK.

UK - timetable

UK- schedule

Chapter 8: The Deathday Party 

Scene: When Harry, Ron, and Hermione go to Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party instead of the Halloween feast in the main dining hall. I noticed how the word "Halloween" was spelled differently (and odd)

UK- Hallowe'en
US - Halloween

Now onto the similar parts of both versions of Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets:
- the tile is the same unlike the first book
- all of the chapters are titled the same
- the story is the same all the way through both books
- came out the same year unlike the first book which was a year apart (UK first than the US)

That is all for comparing the UK and US version of Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets tune in next time for comparing to Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban. 

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. London: Bloomsbury, 1999. Print.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. New York: Scholastic, 1999. Print.