Harry Potter Rocks!

I got in my car at lunch today, and there was some guy on the radio talking about the evils of Harry Potter. He was ragging on parents who read Harry Potter with their kids, saying that he does things with his kids too, but that means that he doesn't let them do drugs, drink alcohol, or read Harry Potter. Since when does reading anything equate with letting an 8 year old do drugs or drink?????? The guy was trying to market anti-Potter crap to pass out for Halloween. I can't help but see the irony here-- How can you boycott Harry Potter (about witches and wizards) and support Halloween (again about witches and wizards). I'm just not sure.

I, as you can probably tell from my heading, am a big supporter of Harry Potter. I have read all of the books. I had my copy of book 6 reserved 3 months in advance, and I had it read within 4 days. And I was slow. I can't wait for the next movie to come out on November 18. I will make my husband go with me that weekend to see it. He already knows and is looking forward to this.

So, why do I like Harry Potter so much? For the same reason I chose to go into Children's Lit in the first place. There is so much to dissect and look at in children's fiction, and it is all frequently overlooked. People look at a children's book and they say-- oh it's a nice story about this or that. They don't evaluate it the same way they would evaluate an adult text. Although a text geared at children might use a simpler vocabulary or a simpler plot line, doesn't mean that there aren't other literary elements to the text. The Harry Potter series has complex characters who change and evolve. And it places characters in moral dilemmas that force them to think about more than just the obvious right and wrong. Although it is fantasy, it makes a statement about cultural criticism-- it creates a culture of its own-- and that culture is not a utopia-- it has ethics and civil situations. People can glean far more from the text than merely a good plot. I enjoy the novels, but the exciting plot is not the primary reason why.

Alright-- now that I've defended Harry Potter in this "public" place, maybe I can get some work done :)