Although I consider myself a fan of the Harry Potter series, I am not a fan in the mold described above.
To be honest, when I first heard about the series six or so years ago, I completely dismissed it (no howlers please!).
Not only did a series about a 10-year-old boy-wizard sound trite to me, but all the hoopla around the three books that were available then seemed like a lot of marketing, marketing, marketing.
I finally purchased and read “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” after I found out my nephew wanted it for his 8th birthday.
I was in the habit of giving books as gifts to Damian (and his sister, Bethany). I also made a point of reading the books I gave him so that I could talk to him about the book when he’d read it.
I was so not interested in reading “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” that I gave him the book without reading it first, telling him to pass it back to me when he was done. A couple of months after I gave it to him, I got a call from my mother.
She and Damian had just started reading the book. Every evening, my mother would read with Damian until he fell asleep. My mother - a well-read woman in her 50s – was so hooked on the book that she’d keep reading after Damian fell asleep.
My mother couldn’t stop gushing about the book. I knew I really had to read it. When I finally did, I wondered how I could have been so dense, waiting as long as I had.
For a lifelong reader like myself who gets totally sucked into a great story, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series is both a blessing and curse.
A blessing because the worlds and characters Rowling creates are – I hate to say it – truly magical. When I’m reading a Harry Potter book, the rest of my life gets put on hold.
A curse, because, unlike the Nancy Drew series, the Potter series ends with the seventh book, to be released on Saturday.
No more gags from the Weasley twins. No more Whomping Willow. No more Hogwarts. No more Hagrid and his “pets” (remember Fluffy, the three-headed dog?). Worst of all, no more Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Sure, I can re-read the series, but it’s not the same as taking the journey with them into what’s next.
(Sigh)
With the seventh book, I’ll be saying goodbye, and yet, instead of dreading it, I can’t wait to read it.
While I won’t likely be standing in line at midnight Friday to get my copy of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Gallows,” I do intend to indulge in my first Harry Potter book release party by attending Portland’s Mugglefest.
And I’m happy to say that even though my nephew is now 16, he still wants a copy of the last book in the series. He’s expecting it for Christmas.
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