Harry Potter and the Other: Race, Justice, and Difference in the Wizarding World ed. by Sarah Park Dahlen and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (review)

Abstract

What truly stood out to me with Mothers and Murderers is its utility as a reference book as well as a well-argued analysis about age-related power relationships in YA dystopian literature. With literature reviews, structured charts that highlight the killer and mother motifs, sections on ideological takeaways related to these motifs, and clear teaching ideas, this book offers a wealth of tools to the scholar and teacher of YA dystopias. Regarding the lesson ideas, Alkestrand notes that “it is possible to use the same or similar tasks for other YA dystopian works” (238), emphasizing the transferability of these prompts. With its exemplary organization and thorough coverage of YA dystopian literature, Mothers and Murderers is a wonderful addition to the corpus of scholarship on this popular genre.