Book：Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

【明報專訊】Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (《怪獸與牠們的產地》), released last November, was a box-office success. The film is based on a book of the same title by Newt Scamander, a "magizoologist" (a zoologist (動物學家) who studies magical creatures). Newt Scamander is a fictional character whose name is the author's pen name. The author is J K Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter series. Therefore, it would not come as a surprise that the book has to do with Harry Potter. In fact, it is one of first-year Hogwarts students' textbooks.

The book is about the magical creatures that appear in the Harry Potter universe. It comprises the descriptions of eighty-five species of magical creatures found in the world. It outlines the history of magizoology. It also contains comments written by Ron Weasley. One can tell they are added when the events in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (《哈利波特──火盃的考驗》) take place.

It has been decided that over 80% of the proceeds of the sale of the book go directly to Comic Relief, a British charity that helps poor children in the world. To date, the book has helped raise millions of pounds for children in need.

Though its title is identical to the book's, the film is not an adaptation of it. It is a different story J K Rowling has written.

■Kung Hei Fat Choi

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