The first Harry Potter book was released in the United States on September 1, 1998. I was 17 years old at the time, and didn't have any interest in reading the book. Over the years, as more books were published and the movie franchise began, I still had little to no interest in reading more about The Boy Who Lived.
When the first movie was released, I was in college. A few of my friends that had read the books invited me to see the movie with them. I enjoyed the movie and decided I had a better idea of why the books were so popular. Over the years, I ended up seeing the first four movies in the theater; however, the desire to read the books was still not there.
My curiosity was piqued when my niece read the books, nearly 20 years after the first book was published in the US. It was obvious the characters and stories meant a lot to her. I couldn't help but wonder why these books continued to appeal and be loved by each generation of young readers. When considering the millions of adults that enjoyed them too, I decided that the books MUST be good to survive decades of adoration with no end in sight.
I'm happy to report that I finished reading the Harry Potter series this week, and I totally and completely get why these books have stood the test of time.
Simply put, these books are amazing. They are beautifully written with astounding character development. The story-lines are full of twists and turns and surprises, yet are deep and personal and emotional.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) is my favorite of the series. The relationship between Harry and one other main character is so wonderful that it was all I could do to keep it together as I read the final few chapters.
If you have even a spark of interest in the Harry Potter series, I would suggest you give it a try. Because, to be honest, these books are not going anywhere. I never in a million years would have thought I would love these books as much as I do, but here I am...planning my first trip to Universal Studios to see Hogwarts. {Just kidding}
My thanks to J.K. Rowling for sharing her talent and gift of writing with the world, and I look forward to re-reading these books again and introducing them to my children.
Yay!!
ReplyDeleteMy ward started a Harry Potter book club. We're discussing the series just a few chapters at a time, and it's so much fun to dive in and look at the themes and emotions of it. There has NEVER been a book (besides the BoM, of course!) that I've wanted to talk about this much, and especially this many years after I first read it.