Saying Goodbye to Harry Potter, One Way or Another

July 21^st is marked in my calendar. For Harry Potter fans, it's party time.

I was a latecomer to Harry Potter, and I shouldn't have been. I'm a huge fan of fantasy stories, such as the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Initially I'd heard of the book, but didn't think much about it at first.

Later on as buzz around this boy wizard grew, I tried to read it with my husband, but we didn't get beyond the first three chapters. I remember that it bothered me that this boy was marked for death. You don't come across actual death in a lot of children's literature. Being a Christian, I worried about the whole witch and wizard thing, and how appropriate that was for my kids.

It was the movie that sucked me in. Little Daniel Radcliffe was such a dead ringer for the idea I had of Harry, and the whole situation was so imaginative, that I was persuaded to pick up the book once more.

By this time, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was already out, and reading it was no problem. I went from book to movie to book to movie. I tried to be coy about it. I didn't need to go get the book on the first day. In fact, I could easily wait (white-knuckled) for the cheaper paperback version. With Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I forced myself to wait for the paperback book instead of buying it right away.

When Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was published, my mother bought me a hardback copy for my birthday (okay...I hinted). At risk of lowering my grade in my college classes, I sat and read that entire thing OUT LOUD to my kids. We couldn't wait for my husband to get home. The amazing thing is that, as young as they were, they sat and listened to it, and our eyes went wide and we had a great time.