Are you a Harry Potter fan? Want a behind the scenes look at the biggest YA fantasy book-to-movie adaptation of all time?! Snag Tom Felton's autobiography, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard.
I happened upon this audiobook in my library's "available now" queue. I recognized Tom Felton (you may know him better as Draco). I picked it up on a whim with low expectations. I was immediately delighted that the actor himself was doing the narration.
The book isn't one of those tell-alls where the actor drags everyone else through the mud. Felton is practically a Hufflepuff here He has so many nice things to say about the other cast members. It was a lot of fun to see all the tidbits, like Dumbledore's penchant for driving himself to set in luxe cars and how Snape planted a fart machine in Harry's sleeping bag in Prisoner of Azkaban.
If you're a Dramione fan, you'll love the intro written by Emma Watson (Hermione). I'll give you a minute to swoon.
I think my favorite part of the book was the look into how exactly they get such amazing performances from children. Apparently, Christopher Columbus tried to keep the set fun. He also tried to cast children similar to their roles. Wait until you hear how Emma Watson and Tom Felton meet. It's positively a Draco/Hermione moment. She's curious, and he's snide. Columbus also tried to get authentic reactions from the children on set. For instance, rather than telling them to look astonished when they walked into the Great Hall for the first time, he just created a fantastic set and refused to let any child onto it until the moment they were rolling. Their looks of wonder were totally real!
We also learn about Felton's family and his life post-Potter. He has some very real struggles and a rock bottom that changes his life.
Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable listen. Beyond the Wand was filled with self deprecating humor and fantastic tidbits about Felton's life, the cast, filming, and fandom.
