I Heart Harry

At any given time, I have 10 or so library books languishing on my bedside table. This week, it’s a mix of polymer clay how-to books, a couple of Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove series, and the new Paulo Cohelo. So far, I only have eyes for Harry Potter. For the last two Harry Potter releases, I’ve preordered them from Amazon, and received my spanking new copy with the rest of America - but without the lines and wizard hats. I started Year 6 the day I received it, but couldn’t remember half of the characters from Year 5. I decided then that I would wait for Deathly Hallows to come out, and then I’d start from the beginning. So this week, Deathly Hallows arrived. I immediately picked up my copy of The Sorceror’s Stone, and haven’t been able to put it down.

It’s officially the second book I’ve ever read twice. The only other one is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - which is my all time favorite book of the universe.

As I was getting my hair cut today, reading about Hagrid and the baby dragon, there was a 14-or-so year old boy reading Deathly Hallows. When I was on the quilt run, I saw several husbands waiting out their wives with crisp new copies of the finale.

Whatever people think about J.K. Rowling and Harry, they can’t deny that it’s created a resurgence of reading in children (and 30-year old stay at home moms!) unseen since the advent of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boy, or even Oprah’s book club. If you’ve never given it a chance, nows the time to pick up the first year - Harry’s trials and adventures appeal to all ages, all cultures. The stories are a marvel of imagination.

And even though wizardry and magic is a central theme - the books are really about good vs. evil, not unlike The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (or Narnia). So don’t shy away because of it’s perceived evil - that’s shortsighted, and you’ll be missing out on wonderful stories.

~End Lecture~