LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Booked Solid |
a review by Rebecca James |
Anyone who has set foot in a bookstore in the past year should know that Harry Potter is the biggest literary trend sweeping children's sections around the globe. The little wizard has topped the adult bestsellers lists too, and it's easy to see why. Like Walt Disney before her, Rowling has mastered the art of subtext. She obviously realized that many modern children's stories are idiot blatherings that require little thought, but much head-banging, from parents. Remember Barney? At least 3 million parents were put on Valium the year HE came out. Rowling's Harry Potter series has been called the Wrinkle in Time of the 1990s, not only for its mystical content but also for the complex layering of plots Madeline L'Engle made famous. It is truly an enjoyable read for both children and adults. For the queer reader, Rowling has providedinadvertently, I'm surea literary goldmine of gay innuendoes, but the series earns its place on any bestsellers list with its magical intrigue. Harry Potter is a thin, bespectacled English boy, eleven years old. He has spent his youth living in a closet under his aunt and uncle's stairs, occasionally emerging for table scaps and secondhand clothes. Little does Harry know that his genetic makeup is different from the other schoolchildren: Harry's dead parents were not Mugglesordinary folkthey were magical. It isn't until Hogwarts, the best witch and wizard school in England, sends recruiting letters that Harry discovers his good fortune. Instead of grimy public school and life in the pits, Harry is whisked away to a hidden castle where mysteries and magic lay waiting to be discovered. Together, Harry and his new friends turn the school upside down with their adventures. Every week, you'll find Harry Potter popping up in magazines, newspapers and talk shows. Last month, a fitness magazine reenacted a game of Quidditch for one of their big stories. Quidditch is the game to play at Hogwarts; it's a cutthroat flying sport with balls, broomsticks, bats and more. Harry is the youngest player in over a century to play the coveted position of Seeker, the player that must successfully capture the tiny, winged and elusive Golden Snitch. Harry has never played a sport before Quidditch and is thrilled to find that he has a special talent for the game. The skills he learns on the playing field are later put to use defending the school from the evil Lord Voldemort, leader of the world of dark magic. Voldemort, along with other characters Rowling created, earns more depth as the series moves along. Using his invisibility cloak, Harry (and his readers) is privy to restricted areas of the school and its grounds, teachers' private quarters and more, where he finds the true power behind Lord Voldemortand learns which of his fellow students may be involved. For those of you who would never even consider reading a "children's" book, I urge you to make an exception in Harry's case. The series currently consists of four booksRowling has promised another three before she's throughone for each of Harry's years at Hogwart's. One of the best things about the series is that the writing style in each book is a little more complex than the last. The series hooks kids with a fun, easy read in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, then eases them into a longer and slightly more difficult story with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and number three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. By the time kids get to number four, just released this summer, they're bragging about how well they read (hardly a desirable trait in today's TV-obsessed culture). At over 700 pages, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was a little daunting for many adults I knowthe sheer weight of the book made slow reading for somebut Rowling's writing is worth it. She has effortlessly created a set of reading 'steps' for kids. They grow with the series and Harry and by the time they're done, they will have graduated to reading full-length adult novels. Bookstores have already put together lists of recommended books for Harry Potter fans to tide them over until the number five is released (not until next summer!). Adults may recognize some of their favorites on these lists; books that entertained many of us in high school, college and beyond. Of course, A Wrinkle in Time and The Chronicles of Narnia made the lists but you'll also find The Hobbit, the Redwall series, and The Wizard of Oz (truly a must-read: don't settle for the movie, Baum had a much scarier imagination). Rowling has earned her place among these classics; her Harry Potter series will be a trend remembered as fondly as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Read it aloud with your own kids, a niece or nephew, or even your sweetheart. Have some fun acting out the voices and singing the spells and be sure to play a game of Quidditch before the summer ends. Rebecca James lives, reads and writes in Rehoboth Beach and is currently practicing massage to support these habits. She may be reached for home visits at 226-9685 or at Spa by the Sea on Baltimore Avenue, 227-8640. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 12, Aug. 25, 2000. |