Harry Potter Inside

Editorial Reviews

Book Description:
MAX MCDANIELS LIVES a quiet life in the suburbs of Chicago, until the day he stumbles upon a mysterious Celtic tapestry. Many strange people are interested in Max and his tapestry. His discovery leads him to Rowan Academy, a secret school where great things await him.

But dark things are waiting, too. When Max learns that priceless artworks and gifted children are disappearing, he finds himself in the crossfire of an ancient struggle between good and evil. To survive, he’ll have to rely on a network of agents and mystics, the genius of his roommate, and the frightening power awakening within him.

Customer Reviews

Here comes Harry Potter with a different name and address by Claire M. Guthrie
It took me a while to really get into the book. I read the first chapter and found it exciting…then it slowed down… and peaked up at the end. The book is almost a carbon copy of Harry Potter, except the names have been changed. It was almost “too” much like HP…very similar story and plot. BUT with out the magnetism and “I can not put it down until I am finished” feeling you get with HP. I finished the book with an “ok” but not a “WOW, I cant wait for the next book in the series” kind of feeling.

The things I did not like were the overwhelming deception between Max and his dad. I would not ever want to encourage that in the heart of any child. The other thing that disturbed me was that Max let strangers into his home when his father was not there and entertained a stranger in his home overnight. NOT cool at all.

For the most part, it was a good “first book” for the author, Henry Neff… a real nice guy, that likes to interact with his readers. I MIGHT read the next one, but hope that he takes a look at the reviews to see that parents don’t want their kids being encouraged to lie to them or let strangers in their homes. I felt that it was written okay, not well.. it pitter pattered around all over the place with unrelated material, that left me feeling I was off the track and on again…back and forth.

Recommend if you want more H.P. Don’t expect anything new. by Christin Moroso
I loved Harry Potter and was looking for a substitute. This filled the bill and I will probably purchase the next one when it comes out. This was a good book, but I wouldn’t call it “gripping” because unlike Harry Potter, I could and did put this one down without problem. This book is much darker than the Harry Potter series was initially. It begins at around a Harry Potter 5 level. It also doesn’t have the humor that one finds in Harry Potter books. I definitely missed that. However, I did find myself laughing quite often over the blatent parallels to Harry Potter throughout with regards to plot, characters, and surroundings. This is not necessarily a criticism though because I bought this book wanting more Harry Potter and that is what I got. Since Rowlings isn’t going to do it again why not let someone else take the skeleton and run with it.

I do commend the author for taking on a task as monumental as trying to pull off “the next Harry Potter”. I think he did an admirable job. My one suggestion would be to flesh out the characters more. The teachers are especially uninteresting because the reader learns pretty much nothing about them regarding expression, personality, attitude, or history. I thought the author did pretty well with the kids who are either combinations of or parallel equivalents to “Potter kids”.

Anyhow, if you loved Harry Potter and really want more of the same with another adventure, this is definitely the book for you. If you want something in the same world but very different, try The Bartimaeus Trilogy.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too by TeensReadToo.com
Max McDaniels always spends one day a year at the Art Institute. This year, from the moment he enters, something strange happens.

He finds himself in a roped-off room staring at a strange tapestry. Soon weird and wonderful things begin to happen to him as Max finds out about a magical school called Rowan Academy. Before long, his awe fades away into concern as he finds out that attending this school might be harder than he thought.

To top it off, kids who are also meant to attend the school are disappearing from all over the world at an alarming rate. A new sense of peril erupts around Rowan Academy and Max finds himself pulled into a world of secrets and danger….

In THE HOUND OF ROWAN, Henry Neff elegantly weaves a story full of adventure and fantasy and pulls readers into a magical, startling world. All in all, this is a good book to just curl up with on the couch and relax. The reader will almost immediately find themselves enraptured and completely caught up in Max’s world.

Reviewed by: Voracious Reader

Definitely recommended by Erin Thompson
O.K. I’ll keep this short and sweet. I think the book is a great read for people who like “kids” fiction. Is it a “Harry Potter” knock of? Any book about a kid with “magical powers” who goes to a school to teach him is going to be now isn’t it. Does it have some problems? Sure it does, it’s the first in the series. I only expect the story and the characters to get better as it goes. I really like the up to date period and a lot of the catchy new ideas he put into the book. The training rooms in the basement, the sports, (my favorite) the dorm rooms and many other things. Fun, exciting, flows rather well and peaks your interest for the next one…give it a try I think you’ll like it. Dwayne

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