When J.K. Rowling wrote “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” for the charity Comic Relief in 2001, I doubt it was expected to be made into a movie. The novel is based off the best-selling book series “Harry Potter”, about a boy who discovers he is a wizard (although I’m sure almost everyone knows the plotline by now). After seven books and eight movies, the “Harry Potter” franchise seemed finished, but now a new movie has been introduced, a spinoff of the supposed “textbook” of Harry Potter’s.

The book has received a 5/5 from Barnes & Noble, a 3.9/5 from Goodreads, and a 5/5 from Target. J.K. Rowling wrote it under the pseudonym Newt Scamander, who will be the main character of the movie.

The book does not have a plot or a storyline; it is simply a ‘textbook’ about beasts from the magical world. One addition to the textbook is notes scribbled into the margins by the main characters of “Harry Potter” (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) about their experiences with certain beasts and inside jokes that could only be understood if one had read the “Harry Potter” series first. The book was written with its companion “Quidditch Through the Ages,” both of which were referenced in the first “Harry Potter” book.

In terms of how good it is: Only a true “Harry Potter” fan would really enjoy it. Being one of those, I had fun reading it, but reading the novel requires understanding of the “Harry Potter” series in the first place. I would give the book a 9 out of 10, because of my previous bias, but I would definitely recommend reading the “Harry Potter” series first.