back to HOL | January 07, 2009
HOGSMEADE, Scotland - It is a strange thing to wake up in your own office, with the negative of your favourite quill imprinted on your left cheek and ink in your hair. It is even stranger to realize, that after blinking a few times and staring disoriented out of the window.. that the world seems to have changed from late summer to autumn-grey, and that once you look up and check the magical chronometer, you find that weeks have passed.
As a journalist, you do then the only thing that seems possible in a moment like this. Frantically, you search for the nearest newspaper to find out all things you missed. And then you realize that there has been no news, that there is no newspaper and that the most recent piece of journalistic writing lies on your desk, half-finished and forgotten, the scoop you started writing weeks ago… and you look around you and find that every single member of the office is as fast asleep as you were, as if the Herald headquarters were transformed into Sleeping Beauty's enchanted castle.
As unnerving as the experience is, as troublesome the trial, a good reporter does not rest until he gets to the bottom of this strange affair and finds out exactly what caused it.
The chain of events that led to the catatonic state of our office started the day our botanic reporter got into a fight with our faun-atic front-page designer, after said faun had eaten some of the reporter's pet plants for lunch. The argument escalated rapidly, and the botanic reporter, saddened about the office's lack of compassion towards our 'plant-friends,' resigned that very day.
At the time, the journalists and editors did not think this too much of a loss. In fact, many were glad to see him go. "He unnerved me at times," one reporter said. "At times, it was like he cared more about plants than about humans."
When a plant arrived as a gift to our faun-atic editor, none of us thought much about it. "It's from Bert," we said. "He is trying to make up for his behaviour."
Our faun smiled and sniffed at it. "Not the most appetizing plant though."
It proved a sad lack of thorough investigation, for not only was the plant unappetizing, it was none other than the Vexatious Tentacula, a relatively unknown side breed of the Venomous Tentacula, that stretches out its tentacles and sends whoever it touches into a deep unnatural sleep that can last for decades. Said plant then consumes slowly all trapped by its spell, taking about four years per victim.
Luckily for us, the tentacula found our faun as unappetizing as the faun found it, and after tasting the tip of its tail, it gave up on trying to consume us.
None of the members of our office were harmed in a permanent way after this ordeal... and we will soon get back to business.
Ronja Liek | November 27, 2008 | 1 Comments
The fantasy mystery The Valley of Secrets, by Charmian Hussey, has been available for about five years, and why it isn't more well-known is a mystery in and of itself. This treasure trove of suspense and surprises has been almost as well-hidden as the mysterious creatures which inhabit the environs of Lansbury Hall, located in Cornwall, England. It is the inherited estate of young adult Stephen Lansbury, who has gone from being an orphan to managing the manor house and its grounds. Stephen's family background and the intrigue surrounding his identity are slowly revealed, sometimes confusingly so--as much to Stephen as to the reader--as we accompany him on this journey of discovery.
That Hussey, an archaeologist, also "preaches to the choir" about environmental balance and the need to preserve species, whether or not we see them as beneficial to us, can be overlooked to a great degree because of the book's entertainment level. I thought the ending to be a bit contrived (if hopeful). The wording gives the book a Victorian "air" about it, and Stephen's bouts of caution and recklessness, which never seem to occur at the appropriate moments, sometime distract from the "believability" of the plot. Yet, it is fantasy mixed with science fiction, so we can grant more leeway with such things.
There are some sorrowful aspects: violence, sexual innuendo, and death. Thus, the novel is appropriate for adolescent and older readers (maybe, too, for emotionally advanced Intermediate readers). The chapters are very short and lend themselves to a "read-aloud" option for parents and older children.
Happy Reading!
ISBN#: 978-1-4169-0015-3 (pbk)
Prof. Opal Dragonfly | November 27, 2008 | 0 Comments
The ongoing problem of teenage drinkers from Hogwarts has finally been solved. Recent weeks saw angry scenes in the village as accusations flew about who was providing strong drink to under-aged youths who then proceeded to loiter in the public areas of the village "enjoying themselves loudly."
Miss Eustacia Bode of the village council had accused the proprietors of Hogsmeade's two drinking establishments of knowingly and deliberately flouting licensing laws by supplying alcohol to minors which led to angry scenes as reported in last month's issue of the Herald. The protest escalated thereafter culminating in a nasty incident involving the contents of a septic tank, Miss Bode's open topped car and a confused goat.
Miss Bode vowed to take things further and made a journey in person to the Aurors' office in London to demand action be taken against the vendors who were flouting the law following which the Herald office received a phone call from a senior Auror.
"I've read the last two issues," he said, "and there's obviously a home made still in the Shrieking Shack. I've written to the headmaster to put a stop to this. If you want Eustacia Bode back, someone will have to make bail for her, I've arrested her for wasting my time and being a silly old bat."
The Herald is glad to report that no further incidents of teenage drinking have been reported, and also that the Shrieking Shack is quiet once more. If anyone wants to contribute to the "Free Eustacia Bode" campaign, I'm taking up a collection behind the bar at the Three Broomsticks.
Johnny Huddle | October 25, 2008 | 0 Comments
Magical folk in the Caribbean have known for many years the secret "warding powers" of the Jatropha plant - locally known as Gwo Medsiyen. While indigenous to Haiti, it can be also be found among other places such as Central America, India, and Africa. Local witches and wizards, often practitioners... read more
October 25, 2008 | 0 Comments
Some criminal in the Muggle world has remembered reading the great magical author Arthur Conan Doyle's story "The Red-Headed League." As a result, a bank in Monroe, Washington/USA, is a money-bag short! Recently, an ad appeared on craiglist.org telling people to wear a long-sleeved blue shirt... read more
October 25, 2008 | 0 Comments
Jeanne DuPrau has wonderful and wonder-filled writing in her Books of Ember. The first, City of Ember (the movie released 10/10/08), introduces early adolescents Doon and Lina—just as they were having their life's work selected for them. Living in an underground city, where the light-prod... read more
October 11, 2008 | 0 Comments
HOGSMEADE, Scotland - Doom has come upon us! Ghouls and worse on the loose! No one is safe! Like the open mouth of some foul ageless monster the SHRIEKING SHACK breathes out evil upon our helpless hamlet! The fearful manifestations of supernatural malevolence reported in the last issue have... read more
September 30, 2008 | 0 Comments
Brisingr: The Seven Promises of Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular, by Christopher Paolini, is the third novel of his The Inheritance Cycle series. Eragon Shadeslayer (also known by other names in the various realms of Alagaesia as he fights the evil King Galbatorix) has achieved som... read more
September 24, 2008 | 0 Comments
HOGSMEADE, Scotland - The last issue of the Herald featured an article on underage drinkers in the village and the disruption caused to local residents by the anti-social behaviour of Hogwarts students breaking bounds and drinking in public places. Events took a turn for the worse this month... read more
September 23, 2008 | 0 Comments
OTTERY ST. MARY, Devon - The quaint village of Ottery St. Mary has been beset by robbers! Known for its lovely Georgian architecture along thin and twisting streets, the village has been, since the 17th century, host to the famous Tar Barrels festival each November 5th. During the evening of t... read more
September 22, 2008 | 0 Comments
The HOL Library announces a new project: Christmas messy afternoon in Hogsmeade. All HOL students can participate for a maximum of 30 House Points. Submission deadline is set for December 07, 2008.
The HOL Library announces a new project: The rejected tale. All HOL students can participate for a maximum of 30 House Points. Submission deadline is set for November 10, 2008.
The HOL Library announces a new project: Ghost story. All HOL students can participate for a maximum of 20 House Points. Submission deadline is set for October 27, 2008.
The HOL Library announces a new project: Your magical pet. All HOL students can participate for a maximum of 30 House Points. Submission deadline is set for October 06, 2008.
The HOL Library announces a new project: Time Turner. All HOL students can participate for a maximum of 30 House Points. Submission deadline is set for October 06, 2008.