Hello, Harry Potter
Nice to meecha.
Okay, I’m late to the party, I know. In my defense, while I haven’t had my head buried in the sand this past ten years, I have been pretty daggone busy. When the HP books first rolled off the presses, I heard they were full of magic and “bad stuff”, and I took that at face value, and since there are so many good books in the world, I said the kids couldn’t read them until I did, and that is how the matter stood. They had plenty of other books to read, and so I did not make it a priority to get these books read.
Then TheClone came home, and she said they were good books. And the the youth pastor said he wasn’t going to advise for or against HP, but he did have a problem with people bashing HP and promoting Tolkein, because after all, magic is magic, if that’s what we are basing the bashing on. Hmmm. Now that was a thought right there. Clearly one needs to be discerning.
And then Country was ready for the next year of Ambleside and The Hobbit was on the assigned reading list. And I assigned it without blinking.
Uh-oh.
And so that is how I came to be reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I;m linking it so far, all the way up to page 38. In fact, I got mad at my dentist this morning for NOT keeping me waiting. So, please excuse my relative brevity here. I am trying to get my work all done so I can go read.
I think you’ll enjoy the books, but they do get really dark towards the end of the series.
I did the same as you. Told my daughter that I had to read them first. I didn’t have a problem with her reading them. Rowling is an excellent storyteller. It is make-believe. There is no hidden agenda in her works and the theme of good vs. evil–even in the magical world of Hogwarts–was pretty cut-and-dry.
I tell those that say it promotes witchcraft that they then can’t read C.S. Lewis or the Wizard of Oz classics. I also ask if they know of any child, who after reading the HP series, has tried to play out any of the themes of the book. I have yet to hear of anything like this happening.
I always reinforce that this is just a story, it’s not real. I have seen what witchcraft looks like…HP doesn’t even come close to it in my estimation.
I think too, C.S. Lewis and his Narnia series was a stepping stone to what Harry Potter became. Plenty of magic there.
I agree with Jenn, I think you’ll like them. Pace yourself… they are addicting!
Oh I’m so glad that you’re giving them a shot! I absolutely love love love the series.
Sorcerers Stone is good and an easy read. Chamber of Secrets is eh, so so (It wasn’t my favorite) But Prisoner of Azkaban … oooh, I love this one. Even after completing the entire series, this one is still my fave.
As mentioned, the books get a bit darker further into the series, so I wouldn’t let younger readers go at it, or if you do, read it together.
Enjoy!
PS, did you finish A Thousand Splendid Suns yet?
I did enjoy the book, and I will get the second one when we go back to the library. I just have to figure out which one that is, LOL!
I did not finish ATSS yet, but it is here on the desk, and I have not forgotten it, either. I just needed a break.