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It is time to pay tribute to a series that had a remarkable impact on the reading lives of so many children. J.K. Rowling's characters
created readers of many children during the digital age. At a time where parents were giving in to video games, children were turning to reading the Harry Potter series.

Children have read and reread these books with passion, creating active readers. Adults rediscovered children’s and young adult literature because of Harry Potter fandom. It matters little whether scholars label the series high-quality literature; millions of people around the globe consider the book to be a good read. Rowling gifted the world with a carefully imagined parallel universe, well developed characters, and a skilled plot.

Those that disagree as to whether Rowling is a good word crafter need only to watch a class of children. Children are harsh critics, if Rowling did not have a real talent for plotting that made children really want to turn the next page, they would have not only put down the book, but the series. Yet, I have heard children review of the events over and over again. Reading and rereading with purpose deriving a great deal of pleasure from reading the Harry Potter books.

So what have children told me they like about these books?
• They are funny and have lots of fantasy.
• I knew what the characters felt.
• It is like visiting a new world.
• Each book gives you more information about the mystery of Harry Potter’s parents and other professors. You get information about how Harry’s struggles make him smarter.
• I like reading them in order, then rereading to find the clues from the early books and find the answers or conclusions in the later ones.
• They make me want to read.

Rowling seemed acutely aware of her audience and has made children around the world a community of readers. If only for giving children, world wide, pleasure from reading J.K. Rowling is a model author of today’s classic children’s literature.

Oh my, I remember when I first read the first Harry Potter book, when I was in the second grade I bought it at the school book fair and didn't stop reading it until I was done. I practically begged my mom to but me the others afterwards. Oh my, such wonderful days they were.

I remember the days before I read the series. I had always wanted to after the series was talked about in my family. I was most definitely not disappointed, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next one!

I am in awe of the complexity of the entire Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling has created an incredible world with incredible characters. The last couple of books are quite dark compared to Harry's early years but that is to be expected given his journey. Great series for kids to grow up with.

When these books first came out, I made my friend stop at the bookstore in the mall so I could look at it.
I was all sophisticated and I had read a review in the Sunday paper. After a minute of looking at the book, I put it back.

This is for a 12 year old, I said to my friend.

I walked away.

so 14 years ago I had a child of my own
and I collected the books at garage sales for 25 cents each until I had them all, we paid full price for the last two as they came out

and we watched the last two movies in the theater and I cried when (ok, a very nice character passes away, no spoilers)

I must not tell lies:

There is a HP Scene It game on the shelf above me and we make our own butter beer.
I can get 198 characters out of 200 on the sporcle game
so yes, it is possible to be 12 forever

I found this series to be delightful. I loved how the books grew in complexity and intensity as the characters grew. The plots were rich and full of excitement, and the author did an amazing job at making the characters come alive so they were easy to relate to, even though they were part of a fantasy world. I very rarely read books more than once but these I have read on multiple occasions. I love each and every one of them. I can hardly wait until my girls are old enough to enjoy them as well.

clmartin wrote:I found this series to be delightful. I loved how the books grew in complexity and intensity as the characters grew. The plots were rich and full of excitement, and the author did an amazing job at making the characters come alive so they were easy to relate to, even though they were part of a fantasy world. I very rarely read books more than once but these I have read on multiple occasions. I love each and every one of them. I can hardly wait until my girls are old enough to enjoy them as well.

mind their ages if they are sensitive at all - there are some very disturbing moments, especially in the movies!

harry Potter series are indded very good work . The fantasy in these works is just incomparable. there is no othe rbook which can be compared to Harry Potter.

I actually worked at a movie theater when the original Harry Potter movie came out, and I simply refused to watch it despite my best friend at the time telling me that it was awesome and the books were great. I said that they sounded stupid and way too young for me, and this is coming from someone who had played nearly every RPG from the NES to whatever system was out at that time, which apparently were much more mature in my mind at the time. I don't remember when I cracked and watched one, but it was so awesome that I watched the rest up until the 4th (as far as the movies had released at that point) and read the rest, except that we had to wait on book 7 (and maybe 6?). Definitely amazing! And I hadn't read anything in over 5 years at that point!

I am a super fan of the Harry Potter series and I have to say that I don't think that all the books can be considered "children's books". I started reading these books when I was ten and read the seventh one when i was seventeen. The best part of the story was that it grew up with me. For sure the first three books are children's books, but beginning with the "Goblet of fire" the story become more complex and bloody actually. An escalation of ferocious fights and murders begins, reaching its peak in the seventh and last book. I'll be forever in love with both the books and the movies and I'll totally try to pass this passion to the future generation!!!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out in 1997 and I was in my second year of college. I picked up a copy (hardback...how can you not love the artwork on the book jacket??) just to see what all the hype was about. I'd heard it was a "children's book" so I wasn't expecting much, but this couldn't have been further from the truth. After the first chapter I was hooked! I pre ordered the sequel when available and would stay up through the nights to finish them. J.K Rowling is a literary genius in my opinion. The characters in this series are well thought out and complex. The story is brilliant with layers that you find yourself frantically digging to get to. I now have children of my own and just pulled out my copy for my oldest to start reading. I can only hope that she loves Harry, Hermione and Ron as much as I did.

J.K Rowling certainly made a new wave especially among the children aged above 10. It appealed to their imagination and the book itself brings alive the pictures of each scene. Sad that she had to end it. Another series, probably an offshoot of the same genre would be most exciting.

Love these books!

Honestly, the Harry Potter series was SO good that it gave me a reading slump for 4 years after I finished the series. Nothing I picked up could even compare and I just didn't care about any other stories. The crazy thing is I am an avid reader, so that just goes to show how amazing the world she created was.

I read all the books in a row and was transported to a wonderful world of imagination. I felt lost about what to read after I finished these books. Nothing else compares to the incredible world J. K. Rowling painted for us.