Harry Potter and Me

I read the first two Harry Potter books to Alex and Fi some time after they were released. The series was just catching on at that point, but my good friend Louise had enjoyed them with her son Sam during a summer camping trip. We dove into them and finished them off before the fist month back to school had passed. Since then we have bought each book on publication day and joined the wave of readers who anticipate the next and the next and the next. I can remember most of the places where I read the new books - lots of times on summer camping trips. I have read every one out loud to Alex - some more than once. Harry Potter is good exercise for out-loud reading. Spell and wizard names and complicated sentence structure make it a challenge. I think I spit a fair bit when I read Harry Potter out loud, and I cry too. In fact, I cry a little bit just thinking about the last book. Reading the Harry Potters with and to my kids has been one of the joyful parts of our growing up together as a family. I wish it wasn't the end. But with Alex now 17 I think my reading out loud to him days are numbered.

I won't speculate on the ending of this story. I will cross my fingers for who will not die. In the meantime I am adrift between novels, not wanting to break off in the middle of one because our copy of Potter is available (Friday midnight special opening at Coles books at the mall). And I do so want to re-read The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman before it comes out as a movie later this summer. Oh well, that will be next.

question: do you read the Potter books?

mompoet - spitting out spells and wizard names one last time