Website Review: HP-lexicon.org
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is best described as a Harry
Potter encyclopedia and online forum. While advertising is far
from the focus, Google ads appear on the main page, some
"Lexicon" related retail is available (t-shirts, bags, mugs,
etc.), and links to Amazon for J.K. Rowling's books are placed
throughout the site. There are three levels of access to this
site (guest, read-only, participant) and the discussions are
definitely monitored by staff as well as self-regulated by
contributors.
Families can talk about what they're looking up about the Potter world. Does it help them understand some of the themes in the books? J.K. Rowling loves to give her characters unusual-sounding names. Which were your favorites? Would you create such a site for other book series you read? If so, which ones? Would you organize it in the same way? The creator of this site is a librarian. How do you think this helped him to create and organize his site?
Common Sense Media Review
WWW.HP-LEXICON.ORG is a Web site created and managed by
school librarian and Harry Potter reference guru Steve Vander
Ark. Here fans can find A-Z indexes for spells and potions,
maps of various environments, descriptions of wizarding and
muggle families, details of the Hogwarts houses, and so much
more. Even
J.K.
Rowling has confessed to using this site as a resource and
gave www.hp-lexicon.org her Best Fan Site Award in 2004.
Recently www.hp-lexicon.org joined the "Floo Network" with several other stellar Harry Potter-related sites in order to expand its resource capabilities (some links take kids to other related sites: www.the-leaky-cauldron.org, www.accio-quote.org ).
www.hp-lexicon.org is mainly about the books, not the movies. There is a lot of discussion about being true to the words written by J. K. Rowling. This is also not a place to play games or solve puzzles; Its main objective is to be the best and most complete reference guide to the Harry Potter world. Looking for something in particular? The "Remembrall" is a site-specific very smart search tool.
If camaraderie is what kids are looking for, the www.hp-lexicon.org forum is a place where Harry Potter-related discussion threads take place. There are three levels of access to this site (guest, read-only, participant) and the discussions are definitely monitored by staff as well as self-regulated by contributors. Even contributor emails can be kept confidential. Everything from why Hermione took up knitting to whether J.K. Rowling took astrology in consideration for character birthdays can be found here.
There is also a collection of essays on www.hp-lexicon.org contributed by fans. According to the Web site's founder, it's difficult to get published on this site. Essays must be of high quality and are chosen carefully by www.hp-lexicon.org staff.
Unless information overload is a deterrent, www.hp-lexicon.org is a "prefectly" ( Potter pun included here) good Web site for kids to find all they could ever want to know about the world of Harry Potter. Google ads are on the main page, there are several links to Amazon for purchase of Harry Potter books and there is a store where kids can buy HP-Lexicon garb. However, commercialism has a soft presence on this site; The focus is on the facts and lots of them!
Fans looking for this type of site may also enjoy: www.mugglenet.com or www.jkrowling.com. And check out all our Potter reviews and articles.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
