Harry Potter

Japera1920 · #1 08-06-2002, 06:35 PM

I have an confession to make: I am a HUGE FAN of Harry Potter. I just finish reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

I want to know how many people have read Harry Potter.

prettypoodle6 · #2 08-06-2002, 07:16 PM

i've read the sororcer's stone, chamber of secrets, and one other one that i cant remember the title.

i really like the harry potter series! you are not alone!

Serenity · #3 08-06-2002, 07:57 PM

I love Harry Potter!! In fact, I learned about HP through a GC'er a few years back.

I've read the first three books to my son at bedtime. We are half-way through the last book. It's taking us forever to get through it. It's summertime and he would rather hang out late doing other things (Playstation, etc) with his dad. I'm being patient until school starts again. I'm so tempted to read on without him, but I promised I wouldn't.

We can't wait until November to see the 2nd movie.

Star Turtle · #4 08-06-2002, 10:46 PM

the fourth book was released in paperback last week!

yea!

i can finally read the fourth one...

now if the fifth one would just get finished!

shani · #5 08-08-2002, 04:45 AM

it feels so good to know that I'm not the only one who LOVES Harry Potter . I just finished reading "The Goblet of Fire" and I love it.. When I heard that the author push back the date on the 5th book ("The Order of the Phoneix") I almost had a heart attack!! Harry Potter "The Chamber of Secrets" is coming to theaters on Nov. 15. and I'm trying to find alittle kid to take with me!!!!

KappaStargirl · #6 08-08-2002, 03:36 PM

Forget finding a little kid to take with you, just go by yourself or with friends! I make no bones about being an adult HP fan. My fiance is ready to write hate mail to J.K. Rowling because he's just dying for the release of book 5.

That said, I have a question for you, just to spark discussion:

Who are these books written for? I hold the personal belief that these books find their best audience with kids 10 and/or older. They're complex in plot and language, and there are some very adult themes.

I'm a children's librarian, and I'll never forget a conversation I had with a second-grade teacher:

Me: How can I help you?
Her: I need some good books to read with my second-grade class.
Me: No problem! Tell me, what are they reading now?
Her: Well, most of them are reading Harry Potter.
Me: (surprised) Really? That's wonderful! You must have very advanced second graders.
Her: Well, no. They're not really reading it. Their parents are reading it to them and then explaining what's going on.

I didn't know what to say, or if I should just bang my head on the desk. There is SO much quality literature out there for children, is it that parents don't have the time to explore it, or don't want to ask a librarian, and just read it because everyone else is? I think it's wonderful what these books are doing for children's literature and how kids are now reading instead of playing video games all the time. However, I think there's the flip side that they could turn a child off to reading, because a child whose reading skills are not advanced enough to handle Harry Potter may think "These books are boring and reading is stupid!"

Okay, sorry, long post, this is just a topic that really interests me and I want to hear some opinions.

Serenity · #7 08-08-2002, 04:56 PM

Good question!! My son is 7 and will be in 2nd grade this Fall. Like I said before, I've been reading the books to him at bedtime. However, he can read the books on his own. He even reads some pages to me when the feeling hits him. He has some problems with the big words and their meanings, but we work on that together. Another thing I do is ask him questions as I read to him. Not to quiz him, but to try and guess what may happen in the next chapter. And forget it, when he's right there's no end to his bragging. He gets that from his dad, I guess. LOL!! Anyway, the fact that he can predict what may happen in the story tells me that he has a good grasp of what is going on as I read.

I think parents just have to take their child's interests into consideration. If they (kids) could care less about HP and you're shoving it down their throat, it's going to have a negative impact. But, I don't think it'll turn them off of reading completely. The key is to know what they are interested in and find books that deal with that subject. I introduced HP to my son because I thought he might like the good vs evil theme. Not to mention the fact that the main character is a boy (he's anti-girls right now) who is a wizzard (he loves magic). And I was right. But had he not been interested, I would have just read them on my own.

Right now my son is not giving Harry Potter a second thought, even though we are in the middle of the last book, because he is having too much fun doing other things on his summer vacation. However, once school begins again and he has restricted TV/video game time and an earlier bedtime, he'll be anxious to pick up where we left off. And that's fine with me.

OhSoVeryLadylike · #8 08-22-2002, 03:16 PM

The are good reads and they are interesting and highly detailed.
I can't wait for the fifth book!!