Note the various muggle deaths during Voldemart’s return getting mischaracterised as this and that.

Wizard numbers were small, so they did their disputes retail while the muggles did them wholesale. Would it be at all hard to imagine Grindelwald going to Hitler somewhat like Fudge did the british prime minister, but with a very different message? Hitler would get secret weapons, believe in racial purity, produce war materials, take over the world. Somehow familiar?

The timing doesn’t work out quite right, Dumbledore and Grindelwald would be too young. Unless they had time turners. If they did, Grindelwald could go back in time and nudge Hitler along from the start. He could even go back further and nudge german philosophers. Dumbledore could go back to Flamel’s time and help him create the philosopher’s stone, and then they both use it for 400+ years. Without that how would Dumbledore get to be the world’s greatest wizard in one lifetime, when Flamel had nearly 5 times as long to learn? Hard to be sure. How did Voldemort get so powerful so quickly? What makes one wizard powerful is left entirely unexplained, apart from his alliance with his wand and the magic he learns.

It’s easy to fit WWII into a sideshow for a wizard’s duel, but I’m just as glad she never spelled out the details.

Anyhow, she won’t be 6 forever, and by all indications she’ll still be wanting things to read……

Second the Tamora Pierce recoomendation.

I think JKR’s point is that fascism, or something like it, is not a unique historical event: it can occur anywhere, over anything.

1) Monica Furlong’s 2 book-length stories of vaguely wiccan magic in a vaguely early Celtic context (“Wise Child” and “Juniper” and sadly, no others) and

2)Tamora Pierce, who writes tales of magical creatures and people with odd/magical powers. She creates engaging and powerful heroines but also interesting male characters, and she is amazingly prolific. When she did a reading at our local Barnes and Noble (my daughter was 12 or 13 at the time), the place was mobbed. I haven’t kept up these last few years, but she tended to create 1 4-book series after another, sometimes with a minor character from 1 series becoming a major one in another. 6 might not be too young…see what you think.

The book feels a little compressed, with too much paper reading/visions/etc plot advancing tricks.

But I liked it, because of the good parts. Yay Luna, the Longbottoms and Ma Weasley ! I’m also partial to “not such a baddie afterall” stories so I’m rather happy with the Snape redemption (doesn’t make the character less interesting in my book).

And also : Yay Luna !

But it was still a darn good read

I read it straight through one sitting, and I don’t know anyone who stopped part-way through (which makes it better than 4, 5 and 6)

Tom Ames: would give another vote for PRYDAIN series. Easier than some of the other suggestions, but with great story and strong adult theme too.

Plausibility is the issue, not one-dimensionality. If established characters can suddenly reveal any kind of hidden ability or what have you at the drop of a hat—or when it’s convenient to the plot— this makes them less interesting, not moreso.