Not Over Yet: Eighth Harry Potter To Be Published in July

Isabel Hanewicz and Michelle Santacreu
February 10, 2016

Harry Potter fans rejoiced today as JK Rowling announced an eighth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I and II, is set to be released July 31. The release date of the book coincides with the date of Harry Potter’s birthday and is the day after the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set to open in London.

The book is set 19 years after the end of the seventh Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and according to Pottermore, will focus on both Harry and his son Albus Severus.

Staffers and Harry Potter aficionados Isabel Hanewicz and Michelle Santacreu sat down to discuss the latest installment in the series.

IH: Michelle, you were complaining about not being able to see the play in London for a while now, so you’re pretty excited for this, right?

MS: Yes, I’m so excited. I know realistically, asking if I can go to London to see a Harry Potter play probably wouldn’t go over to well with my parents. But asking for a book, on the other hand, that works.

IH: Yeah, I mean I’m not quite as big a fan as you, but I’m pretty excited too. Although J.K. Rowling did a pretty good job tying up loose ends at the end of Deathly Hallows, it’ll be nice to get to see to see all the characters 19 years later fleshed out.

MS: J.K. Rowling did do a great job with the ending and I never expected there to be a sequel. But now that I know there is one, I have tons of unanswered questions. What is everyone’s life like now? How are Harry’s kids? Ron’s kids?

IH: I know, I want to see the kid’s personalities in comparison to their parents. Plus, I’ve always thought J.K. Rowling did a great job with the kid’s names. Although, I’m not going to lie, my biggest question is what is this “darkness from unknown places” the synopsis refers to? Are we going to see some sort of Voldemort #2 situation here?

MS: I’m not sure. I was wondering that too. It could possibly have something to do with Albus Severus, Harry’s son, who is the cursed child the play is named for. Maybe he will have to battle this darkness… or is the darkness coming from him? I mean I highly doubt Rowling would include such a plot twist and put Harry Potter’s son on the dark side. That just seems cruel. It wouldn’t be right. But then why is he the cursed child? Does he do bad things or do bad things happen to him?

IH: True, true. And one more question before we go on a rant: since this is based off the play, does that mean it’s going to be in play form? I mean, I love all things Harry Potter and I’m sure I’ll love this sequel regardless, but it seems like putting it in script style would make it harder to read.

MS: I definitely agree. It does say the script will be published, which implies that it wouldn’t be in the format of the previous novels. Of course, I’d much rather it be written in a story telling format as opposed to a script, but regardless I’m buying it July 31. After all this time, I’m still a Harry Potter fan.

IH: Oh, me too. Always.