Today marks the official launch of Harry Potter for Nerds II! I'm pleased to say I have an essay in the collection, and so do five of my current and former graduate students. There's lots of news to share!

* The Mugglenet Academia podcast has devoted its latest episode ("Lesson 37") to the book. Listen here.

* Purchase Harry Potter for Nerds II by Halloween and you will receive free extras, including a recorded discussion featuring Yours Truly and the book's co-editor, my dear friend Dr. Kathryn N. McDaniel. Go here for more information.

* You also can enter a Goodreads giveaway here for a chance to win a free copy. Please share the news!





Harry Potter for Nerds II
Table of Contents

Introduction by Kathryn N. McDaniel

Part I: Nerds at Hogwarts
1. Love is the Strongest Family Tie by Deborah M. Chan
2. "Shabby Robes" and a "Swift Smile": Remus Lupin's Nuanced Characterization in Harry Potter by Katherine Sas
3. Twin Core: An Exploration of Twins in the Wizarding World by Carol Eshleman
4. The "Real House-Elves" of J.K. Rowling: The Elfin Mystique Revisited by Kathryn N. McDaniel
5. When Gothic Meets Comic: Exploring the Ghosts of Hogwarts Castle by Kelly Orazi
6. The Dark Lord's Descent: How Voldemort Falls from Soul to Body through Reverse Alchemy by Rochelle Deans
7. The Second War was Won On the Quidditch Pitch of Hogwarts: Quidditch as a Symbol Set in the Harry Potter Series by Emily Strand
8. Surviving the Potter-pocalypse: Keeping the Magic Alive in a Post-Potter World by Hayley Burson and Michael Burson

Part II: Hogwarts Nerds in a Muggle World
9. Harry Potter as Dystopian Literature by Kris Swank
10. Seeking Dumbledore's Mother: Harry Potter in the Native American Context by Amy H. Sturgis
11. A Librarian's View of Madame Pince: Promoting Stereotypes, Perpetually Absent, or Plot Device? by Alison R. Jones
12. Work in the Wizarding World by Madelyn V. Young
13. Un-Locke-ing The Order of the Phoenix by Carrie-Ann Biondi
14. Dumbledore's Army and the White Rose Society: Youth Justice Movements in the Wizarding World and Nazi Germany by Kathryn N. McDaniel
15. Who Deserves the Truth?: A Look at Veracity and Mendacity in Harry Potter by Laura Lee Smith
16. Watching the Defectives: Identity, Invisibility, and What the Squib Saw by Robb A. McDaniel