As I was scrolling through my face book news feed, I noticed a link to an article on things that happened after the Harry Potter books ended. That took me on a walk through memory lane. So many thoughts and memories came flooding back to me that I decided to dedicate a post to what is probably the greatest children's fiction series ever!
I was eleven when I was first introduced to the Harry Potter series. Eleven also happens to be the age in which you receive your invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the series. I'm sure many kids of my generation spent the whole of their eleventh year waiting for their letter from Hogwarts. Unfortunately no such thing happened. But, as the years passed by, I would imagine what my life would've been like if I actually went to Hogwarts. Most kids my age would have done that. I guess that is the biggest achievement of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling. They brought magic into our lives!
It was probably the most popular and the most celebrated book series ever, popular among both kids and adults. The most special thing about the series was that it made magic seem believable. It made many, many kids like me imagine a parallel life at Hogwarts. The books were my best friends through out all the chaos that was middle school and early years of high school. I wasn't one of those kids who started reading from the first book and moved in order till the final book. I was gifted the 5th book when I was in 7th grade. Within a period of two years, I read the first six books in the most haphazard order possible. And when the 7th book came out, in the summer of my first year at high school, I made sure that I was prepared for it. I bought the book on the day it came out and finished reading it overnight. When I finished reading it though, I felt a void. Every summer, I would take out all the books and re-read them. When I moved to the US for college, I had access to loads of books through the public libraries. That is when I took a break from Harry Potter and read other books. But even today, when I don't feel so good I turn towards my Harry Potter collection for comfort. I have read many other fiction series ever since. But none stuck with me like Harry Potter did.
Along with reading the books myself, I'd encourage (more like force) the younger kids in the family to read as well. When they were too young to read the books, I'd narrate the stories to them. If you ask me, I'd tell you that you'd have an incomplete childhood if you never read Harry Potter. I'm sure I'd probably be reading the books even when I have grand kids and I'd ask them to read as well because we all need some magic in our lives.
I was eleven when I was first introduced to the Harry Potter series. Eleven also happens to be the age in which you receive your invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the series. I'm sure many kids of my generation spent the whole of their eleventh year waiting for their letter from Hogwarts. Unfortunately no such thing happened. But, as the years passed by, I would imagine what my life would've been like if I actually went to Hogwarts. Most kids my age would have done that. I guess that is the biggest achievement of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling. They brought magic into our lives!
It was probably the most popular and the most celebrated book series ever, popular among both kids and adults. The most special thing about the series was that it made magic seem believable. It made many, many kids like me imagine a parallel life at Hogwarts. The books were my best friends through out all the chaos that was middle school and early years of high school. I wasn't one of those kids who started reading from the first book and moved in order till the final book. I was gifted the 5th book when I was in 7th grade. Within a period of two years, I read the first six books in the most haphazard order possible. And when the 7th book came out, in the summer of my first year at high school, I made sure that I was prepared for it. I bought the book on the day it came out and finished reading it overnight. When I finished reading it though, I felt a void. Every summer, I would take out all the books and re-read them. When I moved to the US for college, I had access to loads of books through the public libraries. That is when I took a break from Harry Potter and read other books. But even today, when I don't feel so good I turn towards my Harry Potter collection for comfort. I have read many other fiction series ever since. But none stuck with me like Harry Potter did.
Along with reading the books myself, I'd encourage (more like force) the younger kids in the family to read as well. When they were too young to read the books, I'd narrate the stories to them. If you ask me, I'd tell you that you'd have an incomplete childhood if you never read Harry Potter. I'm sure I'd probably be reading the books even when I have grand kids and I'd ask them to read as well because we all need some magic in our lives.
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