A few months ago, as I wrote in a blog recently, I decided to give Harry Potter a try after years of staunchly standing up against the books. My motivation came in the form of a smarty pants son of mine who has a high aptitude for reading, but lacks the motivation to read. In an effort to get him to at least try to read for pleasure, I began to wonder about the series that had been at the top of my personal "no-no" list of books. I researched the books and decided that if I was going to get him to read the books, than I probably should read them as well. (Sierra jumped on this band wagon and I have never seen her read...devour....books like she did this series).
It took about 3 months, give or take a week or two, for me to finish this series. These are not your average children's books. Books 4 and 5 were some of the longest books I have ever read.
It took about 3 months, give or take a week or two, for me to finish this series. These are not your average children's books. Books 4 and 5 were some of the longest books I have ever read.
I officially finished the series today...at 11:30 in the morning...when I was supposed to be getting ready to go out with the kids...I could NOT put the last book down and upon finishing the last book, I threw it down in great satisfaction basking in the story I had just completed.
J.K. Rowling is a genius as a writer and a story teller. It is no easy task for a writer who journeys out on an adventure of writing a series to accomplish what she accomplished. I have read many series and they often start out strong, but weaken over time...feeling often as if they were stretching out the story to sell more books. Not so here. Each book set up the next book as well as backing up the previous books. You grew with Harry...went to school with him....had relationships with school friends and bullies...were privy to the innermost workings of secret plots to overtake the dark lord.
I will not give anything away in the story, though I believe most people have either read the books...watched the movies...or both. I will say this...the books are ten million times better than the movies. They are rich with story and character.
I will say that everything I was worried about in the beginning of NOT letting my kids read the books were unfounded. This is pure fantasy. I love the imagination it has awoken in them and the vocabulary is rich. The story lines are so well developed, I am not sure she ever left a hole in the story. I heard that each book gets darker and darker as the series goes on and this is certainly true, but the morals and the story overshadows any of the dark stuff.
I feel completely confident letting Daniel read these books (he has just about finished up The Prisoner of Azkaban (which he LOVES). Sierra finished the series way before me. As I finished the book, and Sierra and I sit and discuss the different parts of the series, I just sit in wonder at this author and her immense imagination and her ability to write a cohesive series that did not leave me sighing with frustration or boredom. I hated the characters I was supposed to hate and loved the characters I was supposed to love. I gasped in shock several times in each book (more so in the last few). Harry and his friends were not infallible and there were times I wanted to reach in and strangle them which made it so much easier to get into the series.
I tip my hat to Rowling. Well done.
J.K. Rowling is a genius as a writer and a story teller. It is no easy task for a writer who journeys out on an adventure of writing a series to accomplish what she accomplished. I have read many series and they often start out strong, but weaken over time...feeling often as if they were stretching out the story to sell more books. Not so here. Each book set up the next book as well as backing up the previous books. You grew with Harry...went to school with him....had relationships with school friends and bullies...were privy to the innermost workings of secret plots to overtake the dark lord.
I will not give anything away in the story, though I believe most people have either read the books...watched the movies...or both. I will say this...the books are ten million times better than the movies. They are rich with story and character.
I will say that everything I was worried about in the beginning of NOT letting my kids read the books were unfounded. This is pure fantasy. I love the imagination it has awoken in them and the vocabulary is rich. The story lines are so well developed, I am not sure she ever left a hole in the story. I heard that each book gets darker and darker as the series goes on and this is certainly true, but the morals and the story overshadows any of the dark stuff.
I feel completely confident letting Daniel read these books (he has just about finished up The Prisoner of Azkaban (which he LOVES). Sierra finished the series way before me. As I finished the book, and Sierra and I sit and discuss the different parts of the series, I just sit in wonder at this author and her immense imagination and her ability to write a cohesive series that did not leave me sighing with frustration or boredom. I hated the characters I was supposed to hate and loved the characters I was supposed to love. I gasped in shock several times in each book (more so in the last few). Harry and his friends were not infallible and there were times I wanted to reach in and strangle them which made it so much easier to get into the series.
I tip my hat to Rowling. Well done.
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