Book info

• Title Beyond the Wand
• Author Tom Felton
• Year 2022
• Genre Memoir

From Borrower to wizard, Tom Felton's adolescence was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame saw him catapulted into the limelight aged just twelve when he landed the iconic role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. Speaking with candour and his own trademark humour, Tom shares his experience of growing up on screen and as part of the wizarding world for the very first time. He tells all about his big break, what filming was really like and the lasting friendships he made during ten years as part of the franchise, as well as the highs and lows of fame and the reality of navigating adult life after filming finished. Prepare to meet a real-life wizard.

Thoughts

This was a surprisingly refreshing read - Tom Felton tells it like it is and isn’t afraid to dig into the past and be honest about what he finds there. Felton has gained a bit of controversy recently around the Harry Potter author, but I think it’s always going to be complicated given what an impact these films had and how much of the childhood of these kids they took up. There are lots of Potter stories contained in here, fun moments and serious thoughts about the wider cast. There’s also talk of mental health and overcoming difficult moments, just keep going. It’s only the beginnings of a life, so a short autobiography, but definitely worth a read.

Rating: 4 / 5