"Oh no," you say, "it's another Harry Potter post!" Okay, it's another Harry Potter post, but don't worry, I won't go on and on about how much I love the books.
Somebody I know likes to go on and on about how he doesn't have any problems with reading for non-educational purposes. He also hasn't read any of the Harry Potter books. I'm not trying to make a real connection with those two sentences. He said that he does mean to read them, but he'll wait ten years to do so, because he refuses to be a sheep. He believes that everybody's reading Harry Potter because it's a fad.
In a day and age where computers, PSPs, Xboxes, and assorted brethren seem to be foremost in kids' eyes, I think Rowling's books helped say, "Hey, remember reading? It can be fun!" Mr. I-refuse-to-be-a-sheep seems to think that the kids will only read the Harry Potter series and then call it a day because it's a fad, not an enthusiasm for reading. I'm sorry, but fad or no fad, if you're 8 years old and reading a book in the three-digit-page-number-category, you're not reading it just because it's a fad. Harry Potter made way for other fantasy/adventure type books for young readers to become popular again. Yes, I know this genre existed before HP was a baby idea in Rowling's head. In fact, Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles made me into a serious reader and I've never stopped reading for fun since I picked up the first book (definitely a fun read, lovely descriptions, humorous banter, and talking cats - what else do I need?).
To add fire my complete disagreement over Mr. I-refuse-to-be-a-sheep's "Harry Potter is just a fad and I refuse to read any of the novels for a decade" theory, he seems to have no problem watching the movies. How does that make any sense? He's still getting the same story he'd find in the book!
His response to my incredulous, high-pitched question? "Movies are entertainment."
And books aren't???
3 comments:
At a certain point, reading is reading. And now that we've got all the kids hooked on HP, we can point 'em to Lemony Snickett. And Artemis Fowl. And Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe (which I hated, but I'm told I'm in the minority). And Alice in Wonderland. And now that giant tomes are no longer very scary, some of those longer novels might seem kind of interesting after all, even if they don't involve young wizards. To a certain extent, quality is less important than quantity.
From Peihan:
I've got to agree with your friend there-- Harry Potter is a fad. A fad that can have a very positive influence on kids, but it's a fad nonetheless. People don't dress up in costumes and wait outside bookstores all night if it weren't at least partially for the sheer coolness of it. And if it gets kids started on a lifetime of reading, that's awesome. But don't count on it. Kids do a lot of things just for the sake of popularity. I bet if they came out with clif notes for the Harry Potter books, they would also be ridiculously popular. Hmm... >=)
I read the first book just to see what all the fuss is all about, and it was pretty good. Not bad, but there are many books that are better, so it's still beyond my comprehension why it's so dizzyingly popular. Therefore my conclusion that it's a passing whim. Rowling just had good timing and luck with her books, is all, like whoever it was the invented beanie babies.
But then, I wasn't so fascinated with the movies either =P
It's true that not all the kids are reading the books for the sake of reading, but I have a feeling that a kid who's following a fad would be less likely to actually read a 600+ page book. That kid would probably lie and just say he/she'd read it.
It's also true that it's a matter of taste. There are people I know who've never watched Star Wars because they don't like scifi. I loved the Lord of the Rings movies, but hated the books when I tried to read them even though I'm a huge fantasy book reader (at least I gave the books a chance, as opposed to this anti-sheep friend mentioned in the post).
HP is not a life-altering, mind blowing story, but I find the books whimsical and engaging in descriptions and dialogue. These are musts in any book I read and I can say I always anticipated the new releases because I could count on those elements being there whether I was opening book 1 or book 6.
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