From: Amy Krahn <akrahn>
Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2003 14:16:46 -0400

Wow, I guess I have lots of thoughts about this one...

My daughter (age 17, and currently in Germany as a foreign exchange student) will be coming home 5 days after the release of Harry Potter and has informed me that there better be a copy waiting - and that the rest of us should be done reading it before she comes home! She was also asked to bring back copies of the earlier books in German for some of her friends. So, I don't think all teen are reluctant to admit being fans. Especially since Harry is aging as they do. (Okay, maybe not as fast.) They won't be going to any release parties, or painting thunderbolts on their foreheads, but they still openly enjoy Harry.

I do have concerns when I hear that elementary school children are planning on reading #5 (or 4, for that matter). I wish parents would take into account the content matter and exercise some parental authority. As Harry gets older, the themes get darker, the books get longer, more mature themes are introduced...Would any parent choose this book for their 7 year old if it were the first one? I doubt it. I think that the length of the book and the fact that much of it will start to be "over the heads" of many of the readers will begin to discourage the younger readers. And keep the attention, hopefully, of the older readers.

Amy Krahn
Received on Wed 04 Jun 2003 01:16:46 PM CDT