Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody

by Valerie Estelle Frankel

Unapproved, unendorsed, unofficial, and unstoppable The devious Lord Revolting has split his soul into seven Plot Devices, from the One Ring to Coloring Book of Doom. Destroying the Ministry of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595942416
• ISBN13: 9781595942418
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: WingSpan Press
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Potty Parodies Potter Perfectly

Like any parody worth its salt this one takes aim at a very popular subject and bit-by-bit it pokes fun at every facet of that subject while at the same time taking the occasional pot shot at a few other related topics. Often times I actually find that I have more fun looking for the these little hidden references than I do with the main plot and this book gave me several little moments like that to enjoy. I must admit that I did have a little trouble reading this book because at times it struck me as a bit juvenile but then I remembered that the suggested age range was 9-12 and I started trying to read with the eye of a pre-teen and then I found the book much more enjoyable. Many if not most of the gags revolve around things that might literally make the reader gag and it seems that the author has tried at times to be as disgusting as possible. I soon came to the conclusion that the target group really consisted of 9-12 year old boys and since I was once a 9-12 year old boy myself I could easily see the appeal of such humor to that group. With that I mind I handed the book off to my seven-year-old grandson. He is not really all that familiar with Harry Potter so I didn't know how well he would relate to Henry Potty but he loved it and would sit and laugh hysterically as he came upon descriptions of various disgusting smells and sights. There is no doubt in my mind at all that to my grandson this book rates a solid five stars. As for me my favorite part of the book came when the author lampooned J. K. Rowling's decision to inject controversy into her series by announcing after the last book came out that one of the main characters was gay. Because this is a parody of the final Potter book that character is already dead but his ghost keeps popping in and asking, "Did I mention that I was gay?" In many ways this lovable ghost comes across as much less silly than Ms. Rowling and her announcement. Parody with a bite, I love it! I can't say that as a whole this was one of the funniest books that I have ever read but then again I am well beyond my pre-teen years. Still, the writing was crisp and the dialogue was very well done even if some of the jokes did blow past my gross threshold. Most importantly though my grandson really enjoyed this book and it actually kept him interested and that is quite an accomplishment. I might not have given this book five stars but my grandson most assuredly did and on this one I am going to go with the opinion of a true expert.

The perfect send up

A really good poke at a sacred cow. I would advise the author not to make her whereabouts known for fear the legions who love the real thing pay her a visit. I've seen a couple of the Harry Potter movies on TV and so know what the real thing is. The author's done a superb job of debunking them. The dialogue fitted the characters perfectly, and from what I remember of the real movie characters was a good send-up of them and the plot lines and the backgrounds they operated in. The little vignettes and mentions of other books and settings slotted in perfectly- the mention of the novel The Line, the Winch and the Protractor made me spill my tea I laughed so hard. So, all in all, a really good hatchet job and thoroughly enjoyable.

Start Laughing Now!

First of all, I haven't read a story lately that made me laugh out loud so much. What a breath of fresh air! I wish there were more stories with this type of humor, and I wish I were this witty! The scenes flow so well, and the dialogue's great fun. This is going to be a real gem to those true fans of the Harry Potter series. It might even encourage them to write a parody or two. Overall, I really like this, and would recommend it to my own teens, who grew up reading Harry.

The Life of the Potty

Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody Anything calling itself a parody faces some tough literary challenges. It must, of course, readily bring to mind the original work it seeks to spoof. It should be creative and entertaining in its own right, without depending too much on the reader's knowledge of the original. Finally, it needs to be something of an homage, and not just a silly mockery. In Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody, author Valerie Estelle Frankel's flying vacuum cleaner clears these literary hurdles with room to spare. If there was a single example of homo sapiens on this planet who was not familiar with the Harry Potter series, he or she could still thoroughly enjoy this book (assuming he or she had a solid command of the subtle nuances of the English language and a strong sense of humor. Academic, really, since this individual does not exist). Frankel skillfully draws upon many sources to create a story which keeps the reader on his toes, frantically trying to keep track of the book's myriad characters, details and action sequences. In other words, it's not that much different than the original. Her writing style brings to mind a sort of hybrid between J.R.R. Tolkien and Woody Allen, only with fewer references to Kierkegaard. While it would be overwhelming to try and summarize the plot, Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage is great fun to read, not least because of Frankel's well-crafted prose. The author clearly takes pleasure in making words do more than their basic job, and knows where and when to insert puns without their becoming the sole points of humor. Thus, the reader is spared page after page of needless punishment. Very entertaining, and highly recommended. Reviewed by Joel Bresler

A hilarious Harry Potter parody!

Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (7/08) As you can probably discern from the title of the book, "Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage," is a spoof on author J. K. Rowling's ever-popular Harry Potter series of books. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, "Henry Potty and the Pet Rock," this newest book by Valerie Estelle Frankel, chronicles more creative adventures of Henry Potty. In this book, Lord Revolting has divided his soul up into seven Plot Devices and it is up to Henry Potter to find and destroy them. There are many challenges to overcome and creatures to defeat like mimes, extremists, and even the Tooth Fairy. Will he be able to destroy the Plot Devices in time or will he be defeated by a paper shortage? "Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage" is a silly, hilarious book that is perfect to read when you want to take a break from reality. Travel to Frankel's fantasy world, which is full of outrageous characters and funny story lines, and be prepared for a wild ride! Even with loads of wacky characters and crazy situations the plot flows very smoothly. This relatively short book, at 169 pages, flies by and I read it from cover to cover in one afternoon. It is a perfect summer read and is a great book to take to the beach. However, be prepared for questions if you read the book in a public place! At least three times I got asked, "Does that say `Henry Potty' on the cover?" The book is very creative and the plays on the original Harry Potter series, as well as on other fairy tales and fantasy characters, are ingenious! I have only read a couple of the books in the Harry Potter series and think that if you are an avid fan you will completely appreciate this parody of the series and will understand all of the humor. Even if you can't stand the original Harry Potter books, I think that you will enjoy this book because of the way it pokes fun at the series. You definitely can't go wrong in choosing Frankel's newest parody!