The Appeal of Harry Potter

In recent years, no one has captured our attention like Harry Potter. Author JK Rowling has created a wonderful world of witches and wizards that appeal to the young and old alike. Not only do her books keep the reader riveted to the page, the successful interpretation of her works onto the movie screen has brought her magical world alive for all.

With the theatrical release of "The Order of the Phoenix," and the book release of "The Deathly Hallows," fans everywhere are anxiously awaiting to dive into Harry's new adventures.

Surprisingly, while the books had been well received in the literary community, it wasn't until the movies were released that Harry Potter began drawing the recognition the series has today.

"I was hesitant at first, because I didn't think I'd be interested, as I generally don't care for magical or fantasy stuff. I think I saw the movie first when a friend brought it over one day," said Alyssa Ricci, a fan of the series.

"My wife and I wanted to go on a date and Harry Potter, The Prisoner of Azkaban, was the only decent movie showing," added Brent Burkhart, another fan. "After watching the movie, we were hooked."

"I was working at the hospital and they were donating some items to the lost and found. The first Harry Potter book was there so I asked to read it," said Karen Rix, another fan of the series.

Once emerged into the magical land of Hogwarts, its fun for fans to express their passion.

"We're attending the premiere of movie five in a group of four, and at least a couple of us are dressing up for it," said Maureen Menzies-Toth, a devoted fan. "Afterwards, we'll be meeting to discuss it."

In fact, no other series in modern times has inspired the fan discussions that the Harry Potter series has. There are numerous websites and discussion boards for Harry Potter on the Internet. Two of the most popular include www.mugglenet.com and www.jkrowling.com, the author's official website. What inspires the discussion? Perhaps it's the fact that Rowling not only makes her characters real, she makes them human.