Friday, July 15
While it's not a popular admission in some parts of the Christian world, I love Harry Potter. If I were 12, I'd probably think I was in love with Harry Potter. And I can hardly wait for my book to arrive in the mail tomorrow.Initially, I borrowed the first book from a friend to see what all of the fuss was about. In looking to find the evil people were all abuzz about, I instead found a new series of books to love. I've bought and read all of the books, and I've read the first book aloud to Griff. We have all of the movies.
Teacher friends of mine say that anything that makes a child read is a good thing in principle. Given how hard it is to get Griff to read anything at all, I can see the validity in that statement. Our local library has ordered dozens of copies of the new book, and it's already got a waiting list twice that long despite the fact that the librarian says children rarely reserve books.
I love that in these books the grown-ups are often right. I love that despite the mischief the children get into, they never escape the punishment befitting the crimes. I love that their friends are integral to their lives, and I love that good families are presented as being very important to a child's well-being. I love the escapism and the hints of romance.
It was rewarding this morning to find a couple of other posts from folks eagerly anticipating Harry's arrival tomorrow. A Sort of Notebook shares her plans for a weekend full of wizardry and pizza. Sojourner gives a minister's view of the books, and Scott at Common Grounds Online gives a religious professor's take on them. On July 5, French Toast Girl posted her Friday Illustration of Quiddich, which was wonderful.
On a weekend when Johnny Depp and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" begin enticing children to the theaters, I'm delighted to think that more children may be spending their Saturday afternoons curled up with a book rather than screening a movie (a movie I'd love to see, by the way).
As I plan my weekend trip with Mika and Tara, I wonder if I'll be the early riser in the group... and if that would give me some extra time to sit and follow Harry and Hermione and Ron through new adventures.
Welcome, Harry. I do love new books in a beloved series.
[ posted by Chel on Friday, July 15, 2005 ]
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